Mazda has been struggling with sales this year, but the May numbers have just turned that around. Nearly every vehicle it sells posted big increases, with one very notable exception that has previously been the automaker's bestseller. Even with that slip, SUVs are still making Mazda all kinds of money.It's the cars, though, that really shined this time around. They aren't raking in the sales like SUVs, but they are making some impressive gains, including one that just had its best month in five years. Mazda Sales In May Are Way Up Mazda At the end of April, Mazda's sales were in a funk. The numbers were down 17.3% for the month and 15.1% for the year. Now at the end of May, the sun is shining on the Soul Red paint. Mazda sold 39,066 vehicles, a whopping 40.2% more than a year ago. That nearly canceled out the drops across the rest of the year, with total sales now at 164,667, down 6.9%.The Mazda CX-50 was the big winner for the month. Sales of that SUV were up 107%, with 14,897 moving out the door. It's the first time the CX-50 has outsold the CX-5, which as you can probably guess, was the only Mazda that lost sales in May, and it's the first time that the CX-5 has been out of Mazda's top sales slot in about 10 years.It's not a surprise that CX-5 sales slipped slightly. The Japanese automaker is rolling out a new model, so availability is likely not what it needs to be. We suspect the CX-5 will probably get its top spot back soon. For the record, CX-5 sales were down 17.9% to 7,805.Mazda's two largest vehicles also saw sales rise. The CX-90 flagship hit 4,046 units, up 16.9% and reversing the trend that has it down 30.5% this year. The CX-70, which is a CX-90 without a third row, saw its sales up 31.5% to hit 1,402 for the month. Mazda's smallest SUV, the CX-30, moved 5,060 units, an increase of 16.9% for a vehicle that's otherwise down 46% for the year. May 2026 Mazda Sales Mazda's Compact Car Posts Best Month In Five Years Mazda Buyers were flocking to Mazda's two most affordable vehicles and its last cars. Both the Mazda3 sedan and hatch posted strong gains, with the company selling 2,781 with a trunk and 1,340 without. That 4,121 total is the best for the 3 since 2021; it's up 68% on the month and 13.4% for the year.Mazda doesn't break out its sales for hybrids versus gas models, but it did say that this was the best month ever for the CX-50 hybrid. That version of the SUV uses a Toyota-sourced hybrid system to return an estimated 38 miles per gallon combined versus the 26 mpg of the gas model.Used Mazda sales were also strong. The company reports its certified pre-owned figures, and it was just eight shy of 8,000 last month. That's 7.2% more than a year ago, and nearly 1,000 more than the company sold in April. Combine that with the strong sedan sales, and it's easy to see that even if not all buyers are looking at more affordable vehicles, then at least a large portion are. CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters Seeing the CX-5 out of the top spot at Mazda is a huge surprise, but it's explainable by the change to the new generation. Mazda's dealers, though, are now fully stocked with the 2026 CX-5. If the trend doesn't reverse in June, it could be a sign that buyers don't love the changes, including a massive new center screen and reliance on on-screen controls instead of buttons and Mazda's center control dial. We'll be very curious to see what happens in June.