2019 Mazda3 sedan and hatchback get IIHS Top Safety Pick awards

The

2019 Mazda3

is all-new, and now we have

crash test

ratings from the

IIHS

for both the sedan and hatchback. A Top Safety Pick (not the TSP+) award was given to both variants of the compact car. Since the

IIHS

only rates the

Mazda3

headlights as “Acceptable” and not “Good,” it doesn’t get the “Top Safety Pick+” rating.

All the major crash categories like small overlap front, side and moderate overlap front are rated as Good. The IIHS also makes crash avoidance part of its battery of tests now to evaluate forward collision and pedestrian detection systems. Both versions of the Mazda3 offer these systems, but the IIHS points out that

Mazda’s

“Smart Brake Support” is only standard on the hatchback. This makes the hatchback standard with a “superior-rated” crash prevention system, and only optional on the sedan. Both cars equipped with the system were able to avoid collisions at 12 mph and 25 mph in the IIHS tests.

Even though the Mazda3 does come standard with LED headlight projectors, the IIHS still didn’t think they were good enough for a Good rating. There is one video of the Mazda3 going through the side crash test if you’d like to watch the new sedan get hit. You can read our

thoughts

on the new

Mazda3 here

. We certainly like driving the redesigned Mazda, and it’s good to know the car will perform well in a crash, too.