Mazda

There are a variety of models with a rock-bottom base price, many of which also get good gas mileage — see our top 10 cheapest new cars on the market.

Read here for a quick look at five things we like about the 2026 Mazda CX-5 and two we don’t after getting to drive one.

Shopping for a three-row SUV means balancing priorities of seat quantity versus comfort. If the number of seats trump all, many three-row SUVs offer a second-row bench, but other models give up the second-row middle seat for captain’s chairs.

The improvements Mazda has made to the CX-5 are transformative, turning the one-note compact SUV into a real contender with only two areas that stand out as faults.

All 10 of the models in our cheap SUV list are subcompacts, and they’re ordered by base price, from least to most expensive.

Affordable manual-transmission options are increasingly scarce, but there are some rear- and all-wheel-drive sports cars on the market with manual transmissions and a base price of $50,000 or less.

The increase in size makes the 2026 Mazda CX-5 fully competitive with the segment’s bestsellers, eliminating one of our main gripes with the SUV.

The 2026 SUV market features a notable redesign with the hybrid-only Toyota RAV4 as well as all-new EVs like the Rivian R2 and Subaru Trailseeker. Favorites like the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride also get significant redesigns.

Reviving a whiplash protection test with modified criteria and methods, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has rated 18 small SUVs.

The fourth-generation MX-5 Miata enters 2026 with the only change being some new synthetic suede interior trim in the Brembo/BBS/Recaro Package.