Unfortunately, there aren’t any crash tests available for the Mazda3 hatchback; only the entry-level sedan has been tested. Crash-test organizations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety test base models to rate the lowest-common-denominator vehicle, which in this case is the Mazda3 sedan with no side airbags.
In frontal crash tests, an entry-level Mazda3 sedan with no side airbags scored IIHS’ top score, Good, but it got the agency’s worst score, Poor, in side tests.
Unlike the base sedan, Mazda3 hatchbacks come with standard side-impact and side curtain airbags, plus antilock brakes. The s Sport hatchback starts at $18,025. Side airbags are optional on the base sedan, which starts at $13,995 for the i Sport.
Even though Mazda3 hatches come better equipped than the model tested, that’s no guarantee they would get a good score. That extra safety equipment is better than nothing, but according to an IIHS Airbag Q&A, “vehicles also need side structures that resist major intrusion into the occupant compartment.”
The Mazda3’s score is typical for a car without side airbags, and there’s no way of predicting how it would fare if equipped with the airbags. There are new cars that have side airbags and still score poorly. Additionally, the hatchback’s construction looks similar to the sedan’s, but there’s a possibility that it would yield different results in the side-impact test, with or without airbags. If we were going to give a recommendation for a small hatchback based on safety ratings, we would choose one that has been fully tested and earned IIHS’ Top Safety Pick, like the 2008 Subaru Impreza hatchback. We don’t know that an untested car is unsafe, but we don’t know if it’s safe, either.
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I am a 19 year old female driver. I have owned a 2004 Mazda 3 for three years. I have 96,000 Kilometers on my car. My transmission has failed me twice. I have called the towtruck twice to rescue me. and I am working on my third automatic transmission.
I would would seriously advise anyone thinking about a Mazda to compare and think carefully.