Now on sale, the All-New Mazda MX-5 RF has joined the rest of the MX-5 family as a five star safety rated vehicle.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has confirmed that, like its soft top sibling, the Mazda MX-5 RF – with its stylish retractable fastback hardtop – has also met the criteria for the maximum safety rating.

In addition, the high grade Mazda MX-5 RF GT also gets the Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) – LED headlights that swivel up to 15 degrees to reveal more of a road’s corner.

According to ANCAP, the Mazda MX-5 offers more pedestrian protection than any vehicle ever tested (33.72 points out of 36) thanks to an Active bonnet that pops up when an accident is detected, and the energy-absorbing foam positioned in the front bumper beam that combines with the lower stiffener within the bumper to prevent a pedestrian’s legs from sliding under the front of the car.

Overall, the fourth generation Mazda MX-5 received a total score of 35.20 out of 37 to earn its five star rating, with ANCAP giving a perfect 16 out of 16 and 2 out of 2 for the respective occupant protection side impact and pole tests, and a strong 14.2 out of 16 for the frontal offset test.

The Mazda MX-5 range also features front (driver and passenger) and side SRS Airbags, with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Hill Launch Assist (HLA) and Traction Control System (TCS) as standard on all grades.

“From the outset we were confident that the Mazda MX-5 had the inbuilt proactive and passive safety technology to earn the maximum safety rating, which is why we didn’t hesitate to crash test under the strict parameters of ANCAP,” said Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak.

“As highlighted recently, considerable effort went into making the All-New Mazda MX-5 the safest two-seater sportscar, and this is still the case.

“We expected the five star rating would carry over to the All-New Mazda MX-5 RF, but as we’ve done across most of the Mazda range in recent months, we were keen to introduce more safety technology for the benefit of our customers.

“Including Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert as standard equipment across the entire range makes the Mazda MX-5 an even more compelling consideration for sportscar buyers.”

As the reigning World Car of the Year, and priced from $33,340 plus on road costs, the Mazda MX-5 is available in hard and soft top options, and with two engine and two transmission types.