Consumer Reports rates everything from refrigerators to baby goods and products in between. New cars are a significant part of its business, and the publication recently released its list of recommended cars for 2024. While the top 10 is packed with electrified vehicles this year, the five worst brands have some work to do.
Consumer Reports did its full ranking of major auto brands, and in this post we wanted to focus on the bottom dwellers.
The five worst brands for 2024:
VW, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, and Mercedes-Benz were also near the bottom of the list.
Tesla was nowhere near the bottom five but fell one spot to 18th this year. Ford climbed six places to 17th, which CR said is its best performance since 2016. Cadillac had a tremendous year, jumping 11 places to 14th.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, CR recommended every vehicle from BMW, Honda, Mini, Kia, Porsche, and Acura. The publication said that Lucid, Polestar, and Ram were excluded because it only tested one model from each brand.
Top individual vehicle models include the Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota Prius/Prius Prime, and the Tesla Model Y. Of the 10 top vehicles, seven are electrified, and much of the list starts at under $30,000. Plug-in hybrids made a strong showing this year, but CR noted that determining if one is right for you takes more research and planning than a traditional gas or hybrid. Beyond the Crosstrek, the Subaru Forester and Mazda3 were the only other gas models on the top 10 list.
The publication noted that PHEVs cost more up front, but said that the fuel savings could add up to significant savings over a comparable gas model. Many are also eligible for federal tax credits that can knock thousands off the bottom-line price, and their gas engines make it possible to travel long distances without worrying about electric range.
