When it comes to safety, we tend to think of Volvo as the definitive automaker when it comes to that. It’s what we’ve been told since childhood, and there’s no doubt that they’re still among the best out there.
However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has a new safety darling, and it’s not the Swedish automaker. Instead, it’s Mazda that has taken the lead in safety, at least according to the organization’s testing.
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That’s according to the latest round of results from the IIHS. The folks from Hiroshima can pat themselves on the back for its latest achievement. That’s because they bagged a whopping eight Top Safety Pick+ awards. It’s quite the turnaround given that the IIHS noted that the i-Activsense system in the Mazda CX-5 needed some work.
With that, it seems that the recalibrations have paid off. Remember, the IIHS doesn’t just test for crashworthiness, but also when it comes to avoiding accidents in the first place.
So, what are the cars that have achieved the coveted safety award? That would be the Mazda 3 sedan, Mazda 3 hatchback, Mazda CX-30, Mazda CX-50, Mazda CX-70 and CX-70 PHEV, and Mazda CX-90 plus its PHEV variant.
Hyundai, on the other hand came in second with five awards, while its luxury division Genesis garnered four TSP+ titles to take third this year. A strong showing from South Korea, then.
Here’s the shocker: Volvo only had one model to be awarded Top Safety Pick+. What’s even more surprising is the fact that it’s their oldest model that won it, the XC90. As for Mazda’s compatriots, Honda won three (Civic, Accord, HR-V/ZR-V), Toyota bagged two (Camry and Tundra), with Subaru and Nissan with one apiece.
