Toyota hybrid cars for sale at a dealer in Chicago on February 6, 2024.
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Hybrids topped a ranking of the top cars of 2024 released Tuesday by influential product-testing organization Consumer Reports.
Such “electric” vehicles, including plug-in hybrid models, account for six of the nonprofit consumer group’s top 10 choices.The non-hybrid models on the list are fully electric Tesla the Model Y crossover and three gasoline-powered models, excluding hybrid models.
This marks the second year in a row that seven electric or all-electric vehicles have been named to Consumer Reports’ top picks, as automakers release a variety of models to meet consumer demand and tightening federal fuel economy regulations.
Toyota Automotive It has the most top picks among all automakers at 4, followed by Subaru at 2. Tesla, Ford, Mazda and BMW each have one model on the list.
Toyota’s All four cars in the top 10 are hybrids or plug-in hybrids.
“The market is changing. There are more powertrain options than ever before,” Jake Fisher, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, told CNBC. “When we look at the top vehicles, the top vehicles, a lot of them are electrified options because they tend to do what people really want their cars to do.”
Hybrids and plug-in hybrids both combine traditional engines with electric vehicle technology. Traditional hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius are equipped with electrified components, including small batteries to assist the engine in providing better fuel economy. Plug-in hybrids typically have larger batteries that can provide all-electric driving for a certain number of miles until the engine or electric motor is needed to power the vehicle.
Fisher said that plug-in hybrid vehicles bridge the gap between ordinary hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles and are a “dark horse” in the U.S. auto industry that many consumers are just beginning to understand.
This year’s Consumer Reports ranking includes three plug-in hybrid vehicles, the most on the annual list.
“In terms of surprising aspects and what we’ve learned this year, it’s really about plug-in hybrids,” Fisher said. “They’re not well understood yet, but depending on your situation, it could be the best of both worlds for electric cars and gasoline cars.”
Consumer Reports selects the top cars in different price points and categories based on new car testing. The organization tests about 50 new vehicles each year.
Here is the full list:
- Small car: Mazda3
- Mid-size car: Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Hybrid/plug-in hybrid vehicles: Toyota Prius/Prius Prime plug-in hybrid
- Subcompact SUV: Subaru Crosstrek
- Compact SUV: Subaru Forester
- Mid-size SUV: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- Luxury SUV: BMW X5/X5 PHEV
- Pickup truck: Ford Escape/Escape Hybrid
- Plug-in hybrid SUV: Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid
- Electric car: Tesla Model Y
Last year, the Tesla Model Y dominated the U.S. and beyond. After Tesla’s entry-level Model 3 made the list last year, it appears to have replaced that model in the top ten.
According to data from Kelley Blue Book, a subsidiary of Cox Automotive, 1.1 million pure electric vehicles were sold in the United States last year. Nearly 655,000 of those were Tesla electric vehicles, including 394,497 Tesla Model Ys, with sales driven in part by domestic discounts and tax credits.
While sales of all-electric vehicles are still growing, hybrids remain a favorite among many U.S. car buyers, in part because charging infrastructure is not yet as widespread or reliable as in countries such as Norway that have more broadly adopted all-electric vehicles.
Top picks are included in Consumer Reports’ annual Auto Brand Report Card based on reliability, safety and overall customer satisfaction from internal testing as well as owner surveys.
BMW ranks first in the overall brand rankings, followed by Subaru, Porsche, Honda and Lexus rounded out the top five.The bottom one is Rivian, GMC, Jaguar, Land Rover and Jeep.
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