Peter Lyon
March 5, 2025
For as long as we can remember, Consumer Reports (CRs) has been showcasing the cars, SUVs, and trucks that stand out the most in its comprehensive road tests and confidential member surveys with its popular 10 Top Picks. Their crash performance and available safety features are particularly noteworthy. CRs is now applying these criteria to its top 10 Used Car Picks. But to keep things short, sharp and sweet and save space we are going to focus today on the top 5 picks.
Put simply, vehicles are judges on performance, reliability, consumer satisfaction and safety, with all cars on the list offering automatic emergency braking as standard equipment.
For anyone wishing to save money on a car purchase, buying a used car is an appealing alternative due to inflation and tariff-related cost uncertainties. According to Alex Knizek, associate director of vehicle test development at Consumer Reports, “more and more people are naturally looking to the pre-owned market in search of a better bargain because new autos are so expensive these days. However, customers shouldn’t have to forgo dependability, safety, or fuel efficiency in order to stick to their spending plan. For this reason, we have increased our coverage and insights on used cars and are now presenting Used Car Top Picks.”
Topping the list for compact SUVs was the Subaru Forester which was awarded a score of 93/100, one of the highest scores in recent years. It also just happens to be the most reliable on the market and gets mileage of 29 mpg.
Taking the top spot among luxury mid-sized SUVs is the BMW X5 with a score of 87/100. Meanwhile, Toyota has three vehicles among this year’s finalists — the list’s most fuel-efficient vehicle in the RAV4 plug-in hybrid with 88/100. The Highlander Hybrid gets top marks among midsized SUVs with an 81/100 and the big-selling Camry is rated as the best mid-sized car with 82/100.
And for motorists wanting to stay clear of gasoline-powered cars, the Tesla Model Y earns the top spot among electric vehicles with an acceptable 73/100. Apart from the fact that it’s quick, quiet and handles well, one aspect that elevates Tesla’s customer satisfaction scores is their unique Supercharging network.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Consumer Reports offers some of the best advice for car buyers in the business with a team of neutral evaluators who put each car through its paces and arrive at easy to understand ratings and appraisals. The Forester was a surprise winner this year given its AWD powertrain that has not been known for good mileage. But it sailed through all of the other criteria launching it to No 1.
