2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV earns Top Safety Pick+ award

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 three-row crossover SUV has earned an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ award in plug-in hybrid form.

Top Safety Pick+ is the IIHS’ highest safety award. To qualify for it, vehicles must achieve the highest “Good” rating in the small overlap front and updated side crash tests, as well as a “Good” or “Acceptable” rating in the updated moderate overlap front test.

In addition to the requisite crash-test scores, the Top Safety Pick+ award calls for an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating in the IIHS’ pedestrian front-crash prevention test and “Acceptable” or “Good”-rated headlights across all trim levels.

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 plug-in hybrid earned the higher “Good” rating in the updated moderate overlap front test to clinch the Top Safety Pick+ award. The vehicle’s structure held up well, and measurements taken from driver and rear-passenger crash-test dummies didn’t indicate any heightened risk of injuries, according to an IIHS press release.

The CX-90 plug-in hybrid’s standard front-crash prevention system also earned a “Good” rating, while all trim levels are equipped with LED headlights rated “Acceptable.”

Nearly every Mazda vehicle tested has earned a 2024 Top Safety Pick, joining Genesis and Subaru for having the majority of its lineup earn the honors. 

New for the 2024 model year, the CX-90 introduces a new platform and clean-sheet powertrains. It’s the first Mazda plug-in hybrid, combining a 2.5-liter inline-4 with an electric motor integrated with an 8-speed automatic transmission. A 17.8-kwh battery pack is mounted under the seats just aft of the second row, stretching under the third row. Total system output is 323 hp 369 lb-ft of torque, but electric range still hasn’t been confirmed by the EPA.

Mazda also offers the CX-90 with a 3.3-liter turbocharged inline-6 and 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The inline-6 produces 280 hp and 332 lb-ft or 340 hp and 369 lb-ft, depending on the trim level. A two-row version, badged as the Mazda CX-70, also launched for the 2025 model year.