Selling a used Mazda CX-5: why the turbo and diesel matter now

What matters most when you sell a 2021 or newer Mazda CX-5 is which engine and grade it has, and how it compares with the new petrol-only model. The third-generation CX-5 comes with one engine, a 2.5-litre petrol with all-wheel drive, so a buyer who wants a CX-5 with the 2.5 turbo or the 2.2 diesel now has to buy a used one.

That’s a genuine point of difference, but no published data shows it adds to the price. Here’s what to check, what to tell a buyer and what nobody can honestly promise you, in the order sellers usually ask.

Is my CX-5 a 2021 model or the 2022 update?

Almost every used CX-5 in our buying range is the second-generation model, known as the KF, because Mazda said the third generation would reach Australia in mid-2026. CarExpert reported a facelifted KF on sale in Australia in early January 2022, with a look inspired by the smaller CX-30. The GT grade was dropped at the same time and a new Touring Active grade added.

So a 2021 CX-5 is a pre-update car, and most 2022 and later cars are the updated one. Dealers can keep selling earlier stock after an update lands, though, so a car first registered in early 2022 could be either. Three checks help:

• The grade name. The Touring Active only existed in the updated range, from 2022 until the 2024 update. A GT (not a GT SP) is a pre-update car.
• The date the car was first sold. It’s on the original purchase contract, if you have it.
• The VIN. A Mazda dealer can confirm the exact model from it, which also settles the engine.

Which of the four engines is in my CX-5?

The facelifted KF range had four engines. The outputs and grades below are the ones CarExpert listed for the 2022 range.

The drive matters as much as the engine. In the 2022 range, the Maxx was front-wheel drive only, the Maxx Sport came with front or all-wheel drive, and every grade above it was all-wheel drive. The 2.0-litre Maxx was also the only CX-5 offered with a manual gearbox. A buyer filtering for an all-wheel-drive or automatic CX-5 will skip a car that doesn’t match, so say which yours is.

A 2021 car has the same four engines, spread across more grades. In the range CarExpert listed in February 2021, the turbo came in the GT, GT SP and Akera, and the diesel in the Maxx Sport, Touring, GT and Akera. The Maxx was also sold as a 2.5 with all-wheel drive that year, and the only manual was again the 2.0-litre Maxx.

When did the diesel disappear from the CX-5?

Well before the new generation arrived. CarExpert reported in October 2023 that the CX-5 would lose its diesel for 2024, with deliveries of the updated range starting in January 2024. According to CarExpert, Mazda said the diesel made up less than four per cent of CX-5 sales in both 2022 and 2023.

The Touring Active went at the same time, after just under two years on sale. The turbo stayed, in the GT SP and Akera only, and CarExpert reported that both grades gained a hands-free power tailgate and a grille of their own.

That gives a simple timeline for the cars in our buying range:

So a diesel CX-5 in our range is almost always a 2021, 2022 or 2023 car. Turbo cars were still being sold new after the 2024 update, which makes some of them a good deal younger.

What sets the GT SP and Akera apart?

They’re the only two grades that carried the turbo in the updated range (before 2022, the GT had it too). In the 2022 range, CarExpert listed 19-inch black metallic alloy wheels on the GT SP. The Akera sat at the top of the range with a surround-view camera, ventilated front seats and Nappa leather trim.

Neither grade was turbo-only. Both were sold with the 2.5 petrol as well, and the Akera came with the diesel too until 2024. So the grade alone doesn’t tell a buyer what’s under the bonnet.

Write both in your ad. “2023 CX-5 Akera, 2.5 turbo, AWD” answers the questions a buyer asks first, before they’ve picked up the phone.

Name the Touring Active in full too, if that’s what you have. In the updated range it was the only grade below the Akera offered with the diesel.

What is the new CX-5, and does it change things for my car?

Mazda Australia announced the third-generation CX-5 in March 2026 and said it expected the car to arrive in mid-2026, with deliveries shortly after. According to Mazda, every grade uses a 2.5-litre petrol making up to 132kW and 242Nm on 91 octane fuel. It has a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive as standard. The range runs Pure, Evolve, Touring, GT SP and Akera, with the Pure listed from $39,990 in that announcement.

There’s no turbo. CarExpert reported in July 2025 that the 170kW turbo had been axed globally, and that Mazda Australia had confirmed a hybrid CX-5, with timing yet to be announced. There’s no diesel either. Mazda’s CX-5 page now presents the new model as the current car.

For your car, the new model changes the comparison rather than the car itself: a buyer shopping for a CX-5 can now set yours against a new one with a different engine line-up. No published data yet shows how far the new CX-5 has moved used KF values, so treat confident figures with caution. For the wider picture, see our guide on whether used car prices are falling.

Does a turbo or diesel CX-5 sell for more now?

The honest answer is that nobody can say yet. What is true is that the new CX-5 can’t be had with either engine, so a buyer who wants a turbo or diesel CX-5 has to buy a used one. Whether that lifts prices, and by how much, hasn’t been shown by any published data.

Here’s where the line sits when you’re writing an ad or talking to a buyer:

The diesel cuts both ways. Fewer were sold, so fewer are for sale, but the pool of buyers looking for one is likely smaller too. The turbo appeals to buyers who want more performance than the 2.5 offers, and it sat in the two upper grades, which cost more new.

Whatever the engine, the offer on any CX-5 comes down to the same things: year, grade, engine, drive, kilometres, condition and service history. A low-kilometre 2.5 with a full logbook can be a stronger car to sell than a turbo with gaps in its history.

Does Mazda’s warranty pass to the next owner?

Mazda’s warranty page describes a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty covering defects in material or workmanship. It doesn’t say whether the remaining cover passes to a new owner. Before you mention it in an ad or on a call, ask an authorised Mazda dealer to confirm the start date and whether the cover stays with the car.

Timing matters, because the earliest cars in our range are reaching five years now. Assuming the warranty started when the car was first sold new, a 2021 CX-5 has either passed the five-year mark or is about to. A 2022 car has until some time in 2027, and a 2023 car until 2028.

Remaining factory cover can reassure a buyer, if it transfers. Our guide on whether remaining warranty increases a car’s value explains how buyers weigh it. A complete logbook record helps whichever way the warranty question falls.

What does a buyer check on a used CX-5?

Have these answers ready and the inspection holds fewer surprises:

• Engine and grade, matched to the VIN
• Front-wheel or all-wheel drive
• Whether it’s a 2021 car or the 2022 update
• Logbook servicing up to date, with the invoices
• The VIN on the government’s vehicle recalls site, plus invoices for any recall work
• The warranty start date, and the dealer’s answer on whether it transfers
• Both keys
• Tyres and alloy wheels, including kerb marks on larger wheels
• A payout letter from your lender if there’s finance owing

Buyers and dealers run the same recall search, so you lose nothing by doing it first. If a recall is still open, say so rather than leave the buyer to find it.

Should you trade your CX-5 in on a new car?

Owners ask this one plainly: what would I get trading my CX-5 in on something new, such as a Kia Sportage? The catch is that a trade-in figure only means something next to the price of the new car.

A dealer can show a generous trade figure and give a smaller discount, so the trade figure on its own can mislead. Take two made-up offers on the same new car. Dealer A offers $1,000 more for your trade than Dealer B, but takes $1,500 less off the new car. Dealer B is the better deal by $500, even with the lower trade figure.

So ask for the new car’s drive-away price without a trade, then for the trade figure on its own. Then compare that figure with selling the CX-5 outright. Our guide on why trade-in values can be low explains how dealers arrive at the number.

The owner who asked had a 2019 CX-5, which is older than our usual buying range. If yours is older than 2021 or has more than 100,000 km, send it through anyway and we’ll tell you straight away if we can help. Our guide on selling a car older than 2021 or over 100,000 km explains your options.

Selling your CX-5 to us

Once you know your engine, grade and drive, and where the warranty stands, the choice is about how much of the sale you want to handle. A private sale means answering the engine and warranty questions yourself, arranging test drives and making sure the money is real before the keys go.

Selling to us means a genuine offer by phone from a licensed dealer, not an online estimate. We buy CX-5s 2021 or newer with 100,000 km or less, in any grade and with any engine. When you accept, we pay a deposit, often the same day, and inspect the car at a time and place that suits you.

The balance goes into your bank account, and we arrange collection, anywhere in Australia, only after you confirm the funds have cleared. There are no fees taken out of the offer, and we prepare the sale paperwork and help with the transfer of ownership. If there’s finance owing, we deal with your lender directly to pay out the loan, then pay you any equity. That usually takes 2 to 3 business days to settle, and any negative equity has to be covered before settlement.

Our pages on selling your Mazda CX-5 and selling an SUV set out the process, or call 1800 73 55 73 for a free, no-obligation valuation.