Hello Scotty,
My daughter had 2 car accidents (rear-ended). I am really worried about her safety, I looking for the best safe car. What will you recommend: Honda CRV or Mazda CX 5? what years and model I should avoid and what years I should look for?
If you want her to be safe, and she has had two rear-end accidents already, then you should address any unsafe driving habits she may potentially have. Consider having a driving instructor coach her for a couple of sessions.
When she stops at a yellow light and someone decides to gamble and run it instead into her vehicle...Of course, its her driving habits, and not the stupid people who decide to be on their phones and gamble with her life.
I used to be naive like that. Analyzing who's to blame... Assuming that other drivers care about my safety.
Do you think it will matter who's fault it is, when you go to see her in the emergency room?
Defensive driving is about removing yourself from harm's way before it happens. You have to be prepared for other drivers being unsafe and stupid. When you shift your perspective from "I'm a safe driver. Everybody else is bad" to "I must drive as if every car has the potential to harm me. It is my own responsibility to protect myself because nobody else will." then you will stop being involved in accidents. And by the way, everybody thinks they're the best driver on the road. (Spoiler: most of them are not). Twice is a lot. (I've never been rear-ended).
Maybe you should take a lesson yourself.
Both would be good, though I'm biased towards the CX-5.
Expect the CX-5 to be slightly heavier, roughly 120 lbs (2021 comparison, base model with AWD options), it has a significantly longer hood, and a larger engine (60% larger capacity engine), so if your daughter is involved in a frontal collision, the greater mass and extra distance from the point of impact with more heavier stuff under the hood and in the way works in her favour.
CR-V has significantly more rear cargo space, so there is more volume/distance between the rear and the driver in that regard.
Your daughter is naturally more safer in a rear-end situation, so I'd be more concerned with frontal or side collisions.
Speaking from experiencing both rear and ownership-ending frontal collisions in my 2014 CX-5 (both were 0% not at fault, though as MountainManJoe has commented, the latter could have been avoided had I been even more cautionary rather than expecting the other driver to drive properly and not run a stop sign... lesson learned).
While I know the feeling of wanting to own & drive a safe car (especially for your child), I think @mountainmanjoe has summed up the philosophy of your dilemma, excellently.
If what you’re looking for is a tank, Scotty recommends a crown vic/similar type of large vehicle.
Between the CR-V & CX-5, I’d pick the CR-V if you can find one with a 2.4L NA engine with a torque converter automatic. The newer ones have 1.5L turbos mated to a CVT.
The newer CX-5s can be a good vehicle too, but the CR-V has more space, overall.
Ask her to test drive them both & see if she has a preference.
