NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Is it time for a new car? There are a lot of models and brands to choose from.
Consumer Reports engineers and automotive experts put every car it buys through more than 50 tests.
“Everything from acceleration and braking and high-speed maneuvers on the track,” said Alex Knizek.
Consumer Reports compares over 250 models on road performance, comfort, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety. And testing doesn't end at the office –
“We live with these vehicles every single day. We take them home, we drive them on public roads, we put our families in them, we go to the
grocery store and we use all of this data, combined with our survey information to figure out who makes the best cars,” explained Knizek.
Among the 32 brands in Consumer Reports' 2025 report card, the top five remain unchanged from last year, with one significant shift – Subaru claims the top spot.
One reason? Reliability –
“When they design or redesign a new model, they tend to iterate on last year's models," Knizek added. "And this approach tends to lend itself towards good reliability because they work out the kinks, so to speak, over time. On top of that, their vehicles perform well in our testing.”
Also making the grade – BMW, Lexus, Porsche, and Honda.
“Part of buying, testing, and living with these vehicles is not only experiencing what is good about the best scoring vehicles, but also the
things that are maybe annoying or not so good.”
Dodge, GMC, Land Rover, Rivian, and Jeep - were ranked at the bottom.
“Even top scoring brands can have vehicles that don't score so well," Knizek said. "So it's really important that you do your research and you check the ratings for the vehicles that you're specifically interested in.”
Consumer Reports says this is especially true for bigger brands.
Consumer Reports also ranks brands that make the best used cars and those include includes Lexus, Toyota and Mazda.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at jennifer.kraus@newschannel5.com.
We all know Dolly Parton as a Tennessee treasure, I believe Mr. Jimmy Wren might join her. In honoring his 101st birthday, we got to know this WWII veteran and Orlinda native. His stories are captivating, and he'll leave you in stitches. Enjoy this story from Chris Davis and photojournalist, Catherine Steward.
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