The Most Reliable Compact SUV From The Last Decade Is A Familiar Face

If you’ve spent any time shopping for a used compact SUV, you already know how overwhelming the options can be — and how much a strong reliability record can cut through the noise. One model has quietly dominated that conversation for years, and the data backs it up. That model is the Mazda CX-5. Below, we’re digging into more than a decade of expert reliability data on it and four key competitors to show how this tight race ultimately finished with the Mazda CX-5 in first place as the most reliable compact SUV of the decade — narrowly edging out the Ford Escape for the title.