The day of the truly terrible new car is mostly behind us—but these near-dozen let-downs brought back memories of malaise
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Our state-of-the-art deep-dive (probably AI-powered) reader analytics tool tells us you all, collectively, get a kick out of our annual round-up of our contributors’ favourite new-car reviews, like the one we published just yesterday. What the metrics also tell us, though, is what you dig even more is our collection of our least favourite new cars, the disappointments that left our testers sending the press loaner back with notes.
It’s almost 2026, and the day of buying a truly terrible brand-new car where corners were clearly cut in terms of engineering, manufacture, or quality control are largely behind us, absent a few lemons and the occasional recall or two (or hundred, if you’re Ford these past 12 months). But the 11 absolute let-downs we’ve rounded up here bring us back to those good bad ol’ days, reminding us of the who-approved-this garbage of 25-plus years ago.
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They come from a variety of different segments and price-points, but, you’re not going crazy if you see a trend—a lot of them are EVs. We’re not saying all electrified new vehicles are bad – nearly one-third of our favourites-of-2025 list yesterday was comprised of cars featuring battery power – but it seems like some automakers are still getting the hang of them, not to mention all of the other cutting-edge (definitely AI-powered) tech they’re cramming into these things.
Do you own one of the cars that let our reviewers down? Have some of your own thoughts on disappointing new vehicles? Let us know in the comments below.
3.80
out of 5
MSRP  $36,975 to $43,375
3.60
out of 5
MSRP  $28,340 to $36,600
3.60
out of 5
MSRP  $62,250
3.60
out of 5
MSRP  $32,550 to $45,550
3.38
out of 5
MSRP  $48,499 to $92,099
Truly bad cars don’t really exist anymore, which is what made the VinFast VF8 one of my most interesting drives of 2025. I didn’t expect much, but I hoped for a baseline passibility, a disruptively cheap EV for the masses. Instead, I got the closest I’ve yet experienced to the old days when journosaurs had to warn consumers that some shiny new cars were in fact bad.
Whereas even the saddest of modern cars are generally reasonably all right, my week with the VF8 counted a comically long list of malfunctions, oversights, and substandard materials that I didn’t think possible in this enlightened age. Then there were the only-above-80% power ratings, the seemingly impossible range and efficiency calculations, the laughable ride, and the windows that wouldn’t always close.
It was fun to spend a short time in a new car with turn signals that only work sometimes. It was also deeply worrying, for entirely too many Canadians have already been taken in by the allure of low monthly payments. The VinFast is a truly bad new vehicle of a sort that doesn’t much exist any more, and thank goodness for that. We auto journos shouldn’t still have to warn people about junk like this.
The Volvo EX30 exemplifies the dangers of automakers using customers as beta testers, rather than ensuring that a vehicle is ready for prime-time before it goes on sale. It’s absolutely bewildering to me that a vehicle whose launch was repeatedly delayed still managed to make it into showrooms with a significant number of its features either not working; or buggy to the point of feeling completely half-baked.
How did the EX30 disappoint me? Let me count the ways: a steering wheel that refused to turn while the vehicle was stationary; an EV all-wheel-drive system that couldn’t shift power to the front axles quick enough in the snow to prevent low-speed tail slides; a traction-control feature that brought the hatchback to a complete halt while driving through slush; Bluetooth service disappearing and reappearing over and over again while driving; the entire infotainment system being disabled by a “rear radar sensor blocked” message that took up enormous amounts of on-screen real estate and yet could not be removed; safety systems refusing to save any preferences; a heating system that could not keep up with outside temperatures; and a keyless entry system that lacked a passenger side sensor for the buttonless fob, making me walk around to the driver’s side to gain access to the cabin every single time.
I’ve never encountered a fresh-out-of-the-oven car with so many problems and design flaws, and it completely soured me on the potential for the pint-size hatch to make a splash among EV fans.
The Cadillac Vistiq was the most disappointing new vehicle for me this year overall; it didn’t feel as luxury as I wanted a $100k three-row EV to feel. It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable or anything, but there were a bunch of minor dealbreakers (no wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto) that added up to one big disappointment for me.
Additionally, after waiting years to drive the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, I was disappointed by it, but I think that had more to do with my built-up expectations for it than for it being a generally disappointing vehicle.
It’s true there are very few truly bad new cars on sale today; compare present experiences with that of the ’70s and ’80s, in which new vehicles were often delivered with major problems. Still, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been disappointed in 2025. An overpriced Chevrolet Equinox EV darkened my door this year, presenting itself with unreliable display operations and the unforgivable absence of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, typical of GM hubris.
My disappointment in the 2026 Honda Pilot TrailSport doesn’t really stem from the vehicle itself. Unlike some outdoorsy-looking SUV trims, this one actually does add some capability to the Pilot, which itself gets other things right, such as great use of interior space.
However, the Pilot TrailSport’s downsides make a notable difference in daily-driving performance. The body roll is enormous, the all-terrain tires are noisy, and it’s less fuel-efficient than most midsize three-row SUVs out there.
We can’t blame the automakers for this. They’ll sell whatever people will buy, especially when they can charge a premium. But too many people are spending more than they need to on off-road-ready features they’ll hardly use, mainly for appearances and to the detriment of their pocketbooks and the planet.
I’m picking on the Pilot TrailSport here only because it’s the most blatantly obvious demonstration of this trend among the vehicles I drove this year. But it does provide a good foil for my plea to you as a car buyer: if the most off-roading you’ll ever do is on a slightly pitted gravel road, you don’t need skid plates and recovery hooks. There are plenty of less expensive and more efficient SUVs out there that will serve your needs just fine.
Without a doubt, my drive of the 2025 Volvo EX90 was the most disappointing drive I took. A fantastic powertrain, a smooth ride, and a gorgeous design all ruined by a marriage to completely unfinished software and technology. That gross hump on the roof of the car hides a lidar sensor which should enable hands-free driving—but doesn’t. No such feature exists. The car has an expensive sensor just because.
Oh, do you want to unlock your car before you get to it? Too bad! No buttons on the key fob means you have to wander up to your dark car in a dark parking lot, and—wait, why isn’t it unlocking? This exact thing happened to me (while carrying my toddler, mind you) and I had to furiously tap the fob and key card all over the car in the hopes it would open again. Volvo, this isn’t an experience that anyone should aspire to, and it left me frustrated for my whole drive. The only positive thing is that my child dubbed my moves the “car-open dance” and asks me to do it every now and again.
I can’t say there was any one vehicle driven that truly disappointed me this year. That said, there were moments of disappointment. For instance, I crossed off a bucket-list item when I went to the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy this year. That was cool. But the assignment was pitched to me as “the reveal of Ferrari’s first electric supercar.”  Okay, no drive-time, but, well, still cool. Except it wasn’t a supercar. In fact, there was no “car” at all.
What Ferrari did was showcase the Elettrica’s (the working name of what smart money says will be some type of crossover) production-ready chassis and components, but nothing in the way of an actual body. A further reveal in early 2026, the company promises, will preview the interior design, followed by the world premiere of a production version a few months later. Ferrari allowed that the 1,000-hp Elettrica will have four doors and will be family-oriented, so, again, almost assuredly a crossover.
I am also saddened that Mazda has yet to introduce a new MX-5 Miata. It’s been more than 10 years since the fourth-generation ND model debuted, and Miata Nation (of which I am a member) is growing impatient for an NE. The company did celebrate the 35th anniversary of its iconic and perpetually cheerful roadster early this year with the launch of a special limited-edition model. It’s very pretty. Still, big sigh!
It was not so much a disappointment, but rather a drive that just left me uninspired. After some minor tweaking heading into 2024, the Canadian Subaru Solterra skipped 2025, but returned for 2026 with a significant makeover—the rejuvenated model addressed many of the complaints from customers and critics alike.
It has a revised style with fresh six-dot daytime running lights (although it is still way too Toyota BZ for its own good!); it has a larger battery that gives it a 25% boost in driving range; and the two electric motors bring a healthy 57% increase in horsepower. Inside, there’s a new 14-inch touchscreen that delivers faster access to the infotainment functions. It all bodes well—338 hp, a larger 77-kWh battery (up 4.2 kWh), and improved handling.
Sadly, in spite of the improvements, it is still only just matches the prevailing segment norms. It helps to look at the Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD—it, too, gets a larger 84-kWh battery (up 6.6 kWh) for 2026. Solterra’s new battery delivers 446 km of driving range, versus Ioniq 5’s 463 km. Solterra’s 150-kW peak charging, which is much faster than before, still gets toasted. Solterra’s battery goes from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes; Ioniq 5 with its 350-kW capability does the same in 18 minutes. Finally, the Solterra lacks a one-pedal drive; Ioniq 5 has iPedal.
Yes, these are small things, but cumulatively it was enough to make the Subaru Solterra my disappointing drive of ’25.
I wasn’t terribly happy with the Volvo EX30, and that bugged me because I wanted to like everything about it. This all-electric does just about everything right on the on-the-road side: it’s the right size for the city, it’s relatively roomy inside, the seats are very comfortable, its acceleration is quick but buttery-smooth, and it’s responsive and drives beautifully.
But like numerous new vehicles these days, especially electric ones, “buttons” are a bad word (there aren’t even any on the key fob, for that matter). Almost everything has to be done through the screen, and while I’m getting used to tapping the glass for temperature or vent modes on most vehicles, Volvo not only puts oft-used functions there, but then requires a few steps to actually make them work.
That includes something as basic as adjusting the mirrors—bring up the vehicle menu, then tap the mirror icon, then tap the left or right mirror icon, and then use the controls on the steering wheel to finally get the mirror to move. Volvo famously made its name with safety, but someone seriously thought all of that is less distracting than simply toggling a little joystick on the door?
You even have to go into the screen to open the glovebox door. And I often had to muddle around with some of the menus, because the owner’s manual – also in the screen – often tells you what a function will do, without explaining exactly how to make it do that. One tech step forward, three user-friendly steps back.

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