With fuel costs an issue that remains on top of the minds of so many Americans right now, hybrid vehicles are definitely having their moment. Without committing fully to an EV or a Plug-in Hybrid, the standard hybrid option allows drivers the opportunity to stretch their time between fill-ups without spending too much more on their vehicle.

One vehicle that’s relatively new to the hybrid market is the Mazda CX-50 hybrid, which enters its second year with the 2026 model. Only minor changes have been implemented for the 2026 model year, including standard wireless phone charging, updates to the grille design, and improvements to the transmission.

I recently had the chance to test this hybrid offering from Mazda, and I’m back with a full report on how it compares both within the Mazda lineup, and to rival hybrids from Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and others.

Many automakers have resisted the move to include hybrid models in their lineup, preferring to stick to pure ICE offerings.

Mazda is one such company, which prior to 2025 only offered two hybrids that were both plug-in models. They have now added a traditional hybrid to the lineup, that being the 2025 Mazda CX-50 hybrid.

I recently spent some time behind the wheel of a Premium Plus trim CX-50 hybrid, and I found this compact hybrid SUV loses little of the driving enjoyment the standard CX-50 offers, while adding significant fuel mileage gains and keeping its upscale interior.

Read on to learn more about how it stacks up in a segment full of solid hybrid offerings — including the Honda CR-V hybrid, Toyota RAV4 hybrid, Hyundai Tucson hybrid, and more.