2026 Mazda CX-60 P50e GT PHEV review

If you’re reading this review and thinking ‘wait a minute, hasn’t Tung already reviewed the Mazda CX-60 PHEV?’

Well, yes, but that was last year’s model, and here I have the 2026 version that promises to address all the key concerns I had with the old car.

As a refresher to what I thought of the car back then, you can check out that long-term review here, but in summary, I felt the old CX-60 fell short in a number of key areas.

Namely, it was too expensive, the suspension was too firm, and the gearbox too jerky.

To its credit, Mazda has heard these criticisms – and everyone else’s – and this new CX-60 is designed specifically to address these three things.

Is Mazda’s CX-60 PHEV finally fixed? I’ll show you what’s so hot about the 2026 model.

A bit of bad news off the bat if you’ve already bought a Mazda CX-60 GT plug-in hybrid – even just from last year – because the prices have come down.

Last year’s model? It was just under $82,000 before on-road costs, but now for the exact same grade and engine, it only costs $77,290 plus ORCs.

But wait, there’s more.

This new car has what was known as the Vision Technology package fitted as standard, bringing the savings of this year’s model to the equivalent outgoing version to an eyebrow-raising $6500.

That Vision Technology package bundles some really nice-to-have features such as a surround-view camera monitor, driver monitoring camera, and front cross-traffic alert – but now that’s all included as standard.

This joins other standard features on the GT grade, which include 20-inch wheels, a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, powered tailgate, panoramic sunroof, 12-speaker Bose sound system, leather interior, dual-zone climate control, a head-up display, and a wireless smartphone charger.

As before, Mazda has bundled basically everything you could want into this CX-60 GT package, but now it's even better value, which gets a big thumbs-up from me.

However, while the repositioned CX-60 GT PHEV is welcome, it is still on the pricier side for a plug-in family SUV.

The outgoing Mitsubishi Outlander, in top-spec GSR trim, can be had from $73,790 plus ORCs, and offers the flexibility of third-row seating.

And then you consider the Chinese plug-in options, with the Sealion 6 ($52,990 plus ORCs), Geely Starray ($39,990 plus ORCs), GWM Haval H6 GT ($53,990 drive-away), and MG HS ($55,990 plus ORCs), all in top-spec trim still substantially more affordable than this Mazda.

However, where the CX-60 wins a few points back is in build quality and badge appeal – but how much weight you put on these considerations is up to you.

There's no doubt the Mazda CX-60 GT PHEV is the best value it's ever been, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good-value family SUV.

As before, Mazda has not made any changes here, so the CX-60 remains a spacious and practical choice for families.

The boot has a 477-litre capacity, enough for prams, bags, groceries, scooters and more, and with the seats folded that figure is now 1726L for all the extra big stuff you might get at Bunnings or Ikea.

The rear seats, unlike the smaller CX-5, have plenty of room for adults, offering generous head, leg and shoulder room, with car seats fitting in the second row without a problem.

Up front, Mazda’s philosophy of having a driver-focused cabin rings true here, despite the CX-60 being a family-friendly SUV.

Storage options are aplenty so you can empty your pockets, while finding a comfortable seating position is a breeze.

Plus, all the controls fall easily in hand, and there are buttons for climate controls and skipping through the infotainment menu – unlike the forthcoming 2026 Mazda CX-5.

Mazda’s renown for high-end interiors really shines through here too, with quality touchpoints and materials.

In fact, it’s so good you won’t even be disappointed with the fit, finish and polish in here coming from a premium brand.

The 2026 Mazda CX-60 GT PHEV comes fitted with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

While it's true the screen isn't the biggest or flashiest you will see, the Mazda Connect system functions well with menus laid out in an easy-to-understand fashion and a rotary control dial so you don't need to paw at the screen while driving.

I will point out that the display on this GT grade is a touchscreen – unlike the smaller 10.25-inch unit on lesser grades – but with those rotary controls, Mazda really doesn't want you smudging its central display with grubby fingerprints.

The layout and functionality of the user interface feel designed for control buttons rather than swiping and prodding.

Aside from Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the infotainment software also boasts in-built satellite navigation, digital radio, and controls for vehicle charging.

Unlike other new Mazdas like the MX-5, the 2026 CX-60 has no connected services, which means you cannot pair the car to a smartphone application for functions like location tracking and remote vehicle start-up.

The current-generation Mazda CX-60 was awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP crash-test rating from assessment in 2022.

This means the rating applies until the end of 2028 when it will expire, and also applies to the updated CX-60 launched in 2025.

The CX-60 scored well in the child occupant and adult occupant protections tests, notching a 93 per cent and 91 per cent score respectively.

Mazda's family SUV also performed well in the vulnerable road user protection test (89 per cent), while the safety assist examination yielded the lowest score (77 per cent).

As an upmarket family SUV, the CX-60 GT has a long list of safety equipment to keep occupants, and surrounding road users, safe in the event of an accident.

The majority of these features (detailed below) are even standard on the most affordable version of the CX-60.

In fact, so loaded is the safety gear in the CX-60, stepping up to the Evolve and above only nets buyers a driver monitoring camera and front cross-traffic alert, as well as upgraded versions of the surround-view monitor and adaptive cruise control.

What's more, all the safety equipment on offer performs exactly as it should, being unintrusive in day-to-day driving and not throwing up false positives.

Like all new Mazdas, the 2026 CX-60 comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which matches the industry standard offered by the likes of Ford and Toyota.

However, it must be noted that Mitsubishi, Nissan, and MG all have conditional 10-year warranties, while Kia and Hyundai now offer assurance periods covering seven years.

Scheduled service intervals for the plug-in version of the CX-60 is every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

According to Mazda's capped-price service plans, five years of maintenance will set owners back a total of $2757 and taking mileage out to 75,000km.

This makes it more expensive than the low $199 per service, for five years, that Honda offers on the CR-V ($995 total), or the $255 for the Toyota RAV4 ($1275).

An identical powertrain to last year's model also means the same-sized battery of 17.8kWh for a real-world all-electric range of around 65km.

As previously stated, this is more than enough to cover my daily commute without using a single drop of petrol – so long as you charge it – which means it could be a very long time between visits to the servo.

The same powertrain also means the same economy and efficiency, but naturally I’ve not driven in the exact same conditions as before.

Mazda claims a 2.1 litres per 100 kilometres combined fuel economy figure, but we all know it’s different in the real world.

My week with this car returned a 4.5L/100km figure, but that was intentionally dipping into the petrol engine to test the smoothness of the changeover from electric to petrol.

Over an extended period of time, however – and with diligent charging – you could conceivably run the CX-60 GT PHEV on very little petrol.

The biggest improvements in this new CX-60 have been relegated to the driving experience, and therefore its comfort and day-to-day livability.

Firstly, let’s talk about the gearbox.

In the old car, the transmission felt clunky, jerky and janky when shifting gears – especially at slower speeds.

There is a clear improvement here as Mazda has smoothed the process out, but there is still some jitteriness.

It’s not ‘fixed’, and it isn’t as smooth as a more conventional automatic transmission, but it is noticeably improved, and is now more of a small niggle than an outright problem.

What has changed more significantly, though, is ride comfort, which has been vastly improved thanks to a softer suspension tune.

Notice how I said softer and not soft, because the 2026 CX-60 still retains some of its firmness – but I reckon that’s a good thing.

Before, the rear end of the CX-60 would crash and thrash about over bumps at speed, and passengers could get knocked around over some of Melbourne’s more gnarly roads – so much so I would call it tiresome, and in fact I did call it tiresome.

Now, however, the ride is much better.

Over the same roads, the 2026 CX-60 does a clearly better job at soaking up bumps and keeping the cabin – and passengers – from being knocked around.

Would I call it comfortable now? Yeah, I would, but speaking to my fellow Drive colleagues, some still think it’s still too firm and there is further room for improvement.

For me, though, the trade-off with a firmer suspension tune is taut and tight handling.

And I know, this is a family SUV after all, why would you want that?

Because, regardless of life stage, vehicle size, or price point, a good-handling car instils confidence in the driver, and of course for petrol heads there is also the fun factor when finding a twisty road.

Backing all this up of course is still that punchy 241kW/500Nm powertrain, which can accelerate this family hauler from zero to 100km/h in just 5.8 seconds.

Go easy on the right foot, though, and you will genuinely see some low fuel consumption figures, so this plug-in hybrid really offers the best of both worlds.

Is the driving experience perfect? Of course not, what is?

But the updates to the 2026 CX-60 have made a material difference to the overall enjoyment of the car.

The 2026 Mazda CX-60 GT PHEV is rated to tow a braked capacity of up to 2500kg, equating to a medium-sized trailer, and an unbraked figure of 750kg.

However, keep in mind that towing a substantial load will have an adverse affect on electric-only driving range and performance.

With 500Nm on tap, though, the CX-60 PHEV should make light work of lighter loads.

Drivers should also keep in mind the 544kg payload capacity, which could be reached with four large adults and some gear.

Finally, in good conscience and without caveats, we can recommend this car.

I said before I was hoping Mazda would make amends in this updated CX-60, and it has absolutely delivered.

It’s more affordable and ride comfort is much improved, while not dulling the stylish look and sporty characteristics of the CX-60.

Couple that with the potentially very frugal but still peppy plug-in hybrid powertrain this variant affords, and not only is the 2026 CX-60 a better car than it was before, but it is finally a great SUV that will be enjoyed by most families.

To put all that another way: this is the CX-60 Mazda should have launched in 2023.

Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.

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