The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recognized the 2023 Mazda CX-50 with its highest safety accolade. The new, small SUV recently rolled away with a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ award.

The CX-50 meets all the requirements for the highest tier award. For starters, the SUV aced six strenuous crashworthiness evaluations — earning good scores across the board. These included the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength, and head restraint tests.

Capturing an advanced or superior rating in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations for crash prevention — a key criterion for “plus” status — was also not a problem for the CX-50. Its standard front crash prevention system scored superior ratings in both evaluations.

However, good or acceptable headlights also must be standard across all trims in order to take home the coveted top award. Here again, the CX-50 did not fall short. Its curve-adaptive LED projector headlights supplied with the three Turbo trims earn a good rating, while the static LED projectors installed on other trims are rated acceptable — giving the CX-50 the final element needed to call itself a Top Safety Pick+ winner.

Noteworthy, the Mazda CX-50 even goes the extra mile when it comes to safety. The SUV also earns a good rating for its seat belt reminders, a feature that research shows is proving to be yet another valuable safety asset.