Best used medium SUV for 2024

The 2018 Mazda CX-5 Akera has been judged Australia’s best medium SUV by carsales Best Used Cars for 2024, proudly presented by Bingle.

Mazda is a popular brand in Australia and the CX-5 is arguably the cornerstone of that popularity, outsold in Australia during 2018 by just one of its stablemates, the Mazda3 small car.

The CX-5 has been such a strong-selling SUV over the years because the mid-size SUV has it all – practicality, driveability, comfort, safety and value. These virtues resonate with buyers who have kept the CX-5 at of near the top of the sales chart for years. Those same virtues resonate with judges too, reflecting the Mazda’s sixth consecutive win in the medium SUV category of Best Used Cars.

For 2018, the Mazda CX-5 underwent a minor upgrade to powertrains, added equipment and some price fettling for better value across the range. This updated model was introduced just 12 months after the local launch of the second-generation CX-5, which was already a significant improvement on its predecessor.

Sales success was immediate, the CX-5 topping its VFACTS sales segment (medium SUVs) by selling 26,173 cars in 2018. That was 340 more than the year before, and over 4000 more cars than its closest competitor, the Toyota RAV4.

A new feature fitted in 2018 to the flagship Mazda CX-5 Akera diesel auto with all-wheel drive was 360-degree camera monitoring for added safety. In addition, the Akera trim level already came with a 10-speaker audio system, dual-zone climate control, auto-dipping LED headlights, leather upholstery, tyre pressure sensors, satellite navigation and 19-inch alloy wheels.

There was also a raft of active safety features added as standard, among them lane-keep assist, forward collision warning and driver fatigue monitoring.

For Best Used Cars 2024, the Mazda CX-5 earned a score of 41.1 points from RedBook and 46.0 points from the judges, for a total of 87.1 points out of 100 – slightly up on the previous generation CX-5’s score from the year before.

The 2018 Mazda CX-5 Akera flagship was priced at $49,670 new. And the same vehicle is still worth $30,850 in the used-car market, according to RedBook.

In his review of the upgraded CX-5 for 2018, former technical editor Ken Gratton wrote:

Here’s what one of our judges thinks of the 2018 Mazda CX-5 in 2024: “Goldilocks mid-size SUV doesn’t put a foot wrong,” said Marton Pettendy, carsales.com.au managing editor.

Re-assessing the 2018 CX-5 Akera through a modern-day prism, it’s notable how much safety technology and how many comfort and convenience features were packed into that top-shelf model grade for under $50,000.

In 2024, for a price of around $30,000 in the used-car market, it crams a lot of value into a driveable, relatively spacious and refined package, all of which makes the Mazda CX-5 Akera a deserving winner in its category of the 2024 carsales Best Used Car Awards, proudly presented by Bingle.

The Forester scored 43.1 points from RedBook and 41.0 points from the judges for a total of 84.1.
RedBook value: $28,550

The Tucson scored 39.1 points from RedBook and 40.0 points from the judges for a total of 79.1.
RedBook value: $28,700

What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Cars awards?
• Less than six years old
• Standard side-curtain airbags
• Standard Bluetooth
• Standard electronic stability control (mandated for Nov 2013)
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs

How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership
• Five per cent for service intervals
• Five per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell