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Skip high-selling models with low scores or reliability ratings and consider these winners instead
With the average transaction price of a new car hovering just under $50,000 in October 2025, choosing which vehicle to buy is a high-stakes financial decision—and an emotional decision, too.
Buyers must weigh how much car they can get for the money and how factors like cargo room will work for them. Then there are the more subjective considerations, such as the car’s appearance, the image it conveys, and the brand’s reputation. The models that allow buyers to check those key boxes attract them in droves.
“Consumers tell us they prioritize factors such as reliability and safety when shopping for a car, but when it comes time to buy, very often a car’s styling or its image tips the decision,” says Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.
That’s why it’s important to approach each new-car shopping experience with an open mind and use CR’s ratings to find the best-performing vehicles in the class and price range you’re considering. Our testing shows that some new cars outperform others you see on the road everywhere you go.
“Don’t just follow the crowd when buying a new car,” Fisher says. “Your neighbor might like their new car, but when it’s time for you to choose, take the advice of experts who have compared that model to every one of its competitors and incorporated the feedback from hundreds of thousands of owners.”
We rate and rank cars based on testing and what our members tell us in surveys. The cars that excel in all the areas we examine earn the highest Overall Score. (Learn how Consumer Reports tests cars.)
To help guide you to better choices, we present some of the top-selling models (based on sales and registration data) in nine key categories and provide compelling alternatives that have a higher Overall Score. All these models come standard with automatic emergency braking (AEB), AEB that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning (BSW), and rear cross traffic warning (RCTW), unless otherwise noted.
If you’re a CR member, this article and the list below are already available to you. But if you haven’t signed up, click below and become a member to access the list and all our exclusive ratings and reviews for each vehicle we buy and test. Joining also gives you full access to exclusive ratings and reviews for every product we buy and test, including grills, mobile phones, appliances, and flat-screen TVs.
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We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.
Jon Linkov
Jon Linkov is the deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2002, covering varied automotive topics including buying and leasing, maintenance and repair, ownership, reliability, used cars, and electric vehicles. He manages CR’s lineup of special interest publications, hosts CR’s “Talking Cars” podcast, and writes and edits content for CR’s online and print products. An avid cyclist, Jon also enjoys driving his ’80s-era sports car and instructing at track days.
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