Compare the2025 Honda CR-VVS 2024 Mazda CX-5

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Mazda CX-5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the CR-V are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda CR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The CX-5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The CX-5’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the CR-V’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-5 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Compared to metal, the CR-V’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Mazda CX-5 has a metal gas tank.

Both the CR-V and the CX-5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Honda CR-V achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The CX-5 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the CR-V for 1 year or 12,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CX-5.

There are almost 2 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CR-V’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Honda CR-V’s reliability 13 points higher than the CX-5.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 2 places higher in reliability than Mazda.

The CR-V’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (190 vs. 187) than the CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the CR-V Hybrid 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the CR-V gets better mileage than the CX-5:

Regenerative brakes improve the CR-V Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Regardless of its engine, the CR-V’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip (not available Hybrid). The CX-5 Turbo doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The CR-V has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda CR-V higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Mazda CX-5 (5 to 7). This means the CR-V produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CX-5 every 15,000 miles.

The CR-V has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the CR-V’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-5:

The CR-V stops much shorter than the CX-5:

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the CX-5 (235/60R18 vs. 225/65R17).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is .5 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the CX-5.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the CX-5 Turbo Signature pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the CX-5 (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the CR-V has a greater minimum ground clearance than the CX-5 (8.2 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the CR-V to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CR-V’s minimum ground clearance is .3 inch higher than on the CX-5 Carbon/Premium/Turbo (8.2 vs. 7.9 inches).

The Honda CR-V may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 300 pounds less than the Mazda CX-5.

The front grille of the CR-V uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The CX-5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The CX-5 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the CR-V EX-L AWD is quieter than the CX-5 Turbo Signature (74 vs. 76 dB).

The CR-V has 2.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-5 (106 vs. 103.6).

The CR-V has .3 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-5.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the CX-5 with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 30 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-5 with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 59.3 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CR-V easier. The CR-V’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28 inches, while the CX-5’s liftover is 29.4 inches.

The CR-V’s cargo area is larger than the CX-5’s in almost every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the CR-V. The CX-5 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the CR-V Sport Touring’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CX-5 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The CR-V EX-L/Sport-L/Sport Touring’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The CX-5 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

On a hot day the CR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the CX-5 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CR-V’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The CX-5’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Both the CR-V and the CX-5 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the CR-V has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The CX-5 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The CR-V is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The CR-V will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the CR-V will retain 57.72% to 58.67% of its original price after five years, while the CX-5 only retains 53.49% to 54.83%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda CR-V will be $296 to $7700 less than for the Mazda CX-5.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its June 2023 issue and they ranked the Honda CR-V EX-L AWD two places higher than the Mazda CX-5 Carbon Turbo.

The CR-V was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “5Best Trucks/10Best” for 2024 and 4 more times in the last 23 years. The CX-5 hasn’t been picked since 2021, and the CX-5 has only been chosen 4 times.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The CX-5 has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Mazda CX-5 by over two to one during 2023.