Compare the2025 Mazda CX-50VS 2025 Audi Q5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-50 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Audi Q5 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 CX-50 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Mazda CX-50 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 Q5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

With its standard Smart Brake Support, the Mazda CX-50 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q5, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	CX-50	Q5
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-8 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-1 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-13 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-2 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-2 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Brights	2.4 sec	No Warning
37 MPH Low beams	-35 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.8 sec	No Warning

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Mazda CX-50 achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Audi Q5 has not been tested.

Both the CX-50 and the Q5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the CX-50 is much safer than the Q5:

	CX-50	Q5
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	ACCEPTABLE	POOR

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mazda CX-50 is safer than the Q5:

	CX-50	Q5
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	89 lbs.
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	982 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	47	346
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	223 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.71 in	1.54 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	491 lbs.	1249 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Mazda CX-50 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Q5 is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

Warranty

Mazda’s powertrain warranty covers the CX-50 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 77 percent more Mazda dealers than there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CX-50’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 10 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 1 place higher in reliability than Audi.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-50 gets better mileage than the Q5 running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
CX-50
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	39 city/37 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/31 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
Q5
	AWD	55 TFSI e 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/27 hwy
		40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/29 hwy
		45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/28 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-50 (except Turbo/Hybrid)’s fuel efficiency. The Q5 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Environmental Friendliness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Mazda CX-50 at emission levels ranging from “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) to “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Audi Q5 is only certified to “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) standards.

Transmission

The CX-50 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 Q5 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Q5:

	CX-50	Q5
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	136 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	142 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CX-50 is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Q5.

The CX-50 handles at .87 G’s, while the Q5 45 TFSI Premium Plus pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-50 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Q5 45 TFSI Prestige (26.8 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-50 Hybrid’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Q5 40/45 TFSI’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The CX-50’s turning circle is 3.4 feet tighter than the Q5 55 TFSI e’s (36 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-50 2.5 S Premium Plus has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Q5 45 TFSI (8.6 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the CX-50 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Mazda CX-50 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 650 pounds less than the Audi Q5.

Passenger Space

The CX-50 has .8 inches more front legroom and 1.8 inches more rear legroom than the Q5.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-50 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q5 with its rear seat up (31.4 vs. 25.9 cubic feet). The CX-50 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q5 with its rear seat folded (56.3 vs. 54.1 cubic feet).

The CX-50’s cargo area is larger than the Q5’s in almost every dimension:

	CX-50	Q5
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.6”/75.4”	36”/69”
Max Width	55.6”	48.5”
Min Width	40.2”	41”
Height	30.2”	29.7”

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the CX-50 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q5 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the CX-50’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Q5’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Q5’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CX-50 Turbo’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the CX-50 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the CX-50 will cost $880 less than the Q5 over a five-year period.

The CX-50 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the CX-50 will retain 53.88% to 56.04% of its original price after five years, while the Q5 only retains 49.06% to 52.87%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Mazda CX-50, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Audi Q5 isn't recommended.

The Mazda CX-50 outsold the Audi Q5/SQ5 by 43% during 2024.

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