Mazda is known for fun-to-drive cars that feel upscale for their prices. But it isn’t known for hybrids. While other Japanese automakers led the way in gas-electric hybrid cars, Mazda long stuck to the great-handling gas-powered cars it knew best.
That’s changing. For the 2025 model year, Mazda will offer a hybrid version of its CX-50 compact SUV. It will start at $35,390 – solidly in the middle of the CX-50 lineup.
The CX-50 is a newer, more rugged, handsome small SUV than the better-known CX-5. It combines Mazda’s well-known sharp handling with better off-road capability than most of the brand’s lineup. Our expert test driver said, “Accurate steering, drama-free cornering, and better-than-average ride comfort conspire to make the CX-50 a hoot to pilot,” and praised its “well-crafted, quiet cabin.”
A Mazda With a Toyota Heart
A hybrid version should keep those traits. But its acceleration will remind drivers of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, because it will use the exact same drivetrain. Mazda has licensed the RAV4’s engine, electric motors, and battery for the CX-50 Hybrid.
That gives it a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine and three electric motors for full-time all-wheel drive (AWD). Power goes through a continuously variable transmission. The combination is good for 219 horsepower and an EPA-estimated 38 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
Mazda insists, though, that performance won’t feel identical to the Toyota because Mazda engineers “have calibrated even the finest details of the hybrid powertrain, such as the accelerator pedal response, to offer the connected, responsive driving dynamics that CX-50 is known for.”
Mazda has always offered the CX-50 with a choice of two engines. The hybrid now slots between the two. The base model’s 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine makes 187 horsepower. More expensive Turbo editions get a turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder making 227 hp — or up to 256 hp with 93-octane gasoline. Every CX-50 is all-wheel drive.
Every 2025 CX-50, hybrid or not, gets Alexa Built-in, “allowing the driver to make certain hands-free, voice commands for prompts like changing the temperature, or radio station, to controlling their smart home devices while in the vehicle.”
Other upgrades include a new rear-seat reminder system and “an improved version of Smart Brake Support that includes provisions for nighttime pedestrian detection and head-on collision mitigation.”
2025 Mazda CX-50 Pricing and Availability
Mazda says 2025 CX-50 models will begin arriving in dealerships next month, with hybrid versions coming in late 2024. All prices include the mandatory $1,420 for destination and handling. Alaska shoppers will have to add another $45.
| Trim Level | MSRP + Destination Fee |
| CX-50 2.5 S Select | $31,720 |
| CX-50 2.5 S Preferred | $33,070 |
| CX-50 2.5 S Premium | $35,420 |
| CX-50 2.5 S Premium Plus | $38,920 |
| CX-50 Hybrid Preferred | $35,390 |
| CX-50 Hybrid Premium | $38,820 |
| CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus | $41,470 |
| CX-50 2.5 Turbo Meridian Edition | $42,220 |
| CX-50 2.5 Turbo Premium | $42,720 |
| CX-50 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus | $44,720 |
