Compare the2026 Mazda CX-30VS 2026 Hyundai Tucson

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Mazda CX-30 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help 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 Tucson doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The CX-30 has standard Whiplash-Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Tucson doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-30. But it costs extra on the Tucson.

Both the CX-30 and the Tucson have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda CX-30 is safer than the Hyundai Tucson:

	CX-30	Tucson
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	148	364
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	179	325
Neck Injury Risk	33.5%	35%

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-30 is safer than the Hyundai Tucson:

	CX-30	Tucson
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	60	71
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	239 lbs.	440 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	59 G’s
Hip Force	623 lbs.	751 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	161	332
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	46 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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-30 is safer than the Tucson:

	CX-30	Tucson
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	89	121
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.1 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	1.1 in
Torso Max Deflection	.71 in	1.38 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	379 lbs.	669 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the CX-30 is .4% to 2.7% less likely to roll over than the Tucson.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda third in reliability, above the industry average. With 61 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 25th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

Engine

The CX-30’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 178) than the Tucson’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The CX-30’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 63 more horsepower (250 vs. 187) and 142 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 178) than the Tucson’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-30 is faster than the Hyundai Tucson:

	CX-30 4 cyl.	CX-30 turbo 4 cyl.	Tucson
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	6.8 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	15.1 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.3 MPH	91.4 MPH	83.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-30 with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Tucson AWD (24 city/31 hwy vs. 24 city/30 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-30 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Tucson doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-30 stops shorter than the Tucson:

	CX-30	Tucson
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	120 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The CX-30 has engine speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Tucson doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The CX-30 2.5 S Premium handles at .83 G’s, while the Tucson Limited AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CX-30 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Tucson Limited AWD (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-30’s turning circle is 3.8 feet tighter than the Tucson’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

Chassis

The CX-30 is 9.7 inches shorter than the Tucson, making the CX-30 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The CX-30 has .3 inches more front legroom and .1 inches more front hip room than the Tucson.

Ergonomics

The CX-30’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Tucson’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically. With the Tucson SEL/XRT/Limited’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-30 Premium/Turbo Aire has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Tucson doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CX-30’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Tucson offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the CX-30 and the Tucson offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Aire/Premium has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Tucson doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Mazda CX-30 retains 60.49% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 54.08% resale value of the 2025 Hyundai Tucson after five years, which can save the Mazda’s owner up to $3228.388734 in depreciation.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-30 and the Hyundai Tucson, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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