Sales of electrified vehicles are growing in the U.S., and so is their credibility. Consumer Reports has just revealed its 10 Top Picks for 2024 and the list is dominated by cars featuring, or available with, some kind of electric drive system.
CR’s annual list divides vehicles into market segments then scores them based on their road test performance, predicted reliability, safety and reported levels of customer satisfaction. Subaru, one of only two brands in the list whose entries didn’t include a hybrid or EV option, claimed two different awards, the Crosstrek being ranked best subcompact SUV and the Forester, best compact SUV.
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And Toyota performed twice as well, taking home four gongs. The automaker’s Prius and Prius Prime were named best hybrid/PHEV, the Camry Hybrid came away with the best midsize car award, the Highland Hybrid was best midsized SUV and CR picked the RAV4 Prime as its favorite PHEV SUV.
Top Model Picks
The sole EV on the list is the Tesla Model Y, which the study declared best electric vehicle, praising its packaging, long driving range and the reliability of its Supercharger charging network, while also noting that in most cases drivers spend their energy dollars more efficiently when they choose a full EV. But CR warned that owners in states with higher electricity costs might be better off with a hybrid.
Consumer Reports’ team also published its annual brand report card for 2024, again using the same criteria of road test impressions, safety, reliability and customer satisfaction. BMW came out tops, with Subaru, Porsche, Honda and Lexus occupying the next four spots on the positive end of the league table.
The spaces at the other end were filled by the same old brands we always seem to see getting a kicking in these kinds of studies. Jeep came dead last, taking 34th spot and beating out Land Rover and Jaguar, but Mercedes (29th) and Rivian (30th) won’t be happy with their performances.