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Best Car Picks 2026
by Larry Carley copyright 2026 AA1Car.com
With every new model year comes lists of which cars, trucks and SUVs are considered the best. So I might as well post my favorites too.
The challenge when picking "best" vehicles in any category is trying to sort out the models that truly offer something new, or great styling, or great performance, or great value or reliability. Ideally, the top picks are vehicles that the average person can actually afford, and will provide them with reliable transportation, practicality and good value for their money.
What "best" means to a potential new car buyer will depend on who you are, what kind of vehicle you want to drive, what kind of features and options are important to you, and how much you can afford to spend. Consequently, there is no right or wrong answer as to which vehicle might be best for you.
People often rely on recommendations made by self-proclaimed "experts" when car shopping. The editorial staffs at various online and print media such as Consumer Reports, U.S. News, Cars.com, Edmunds.com, Car & Driver and others list their Best Car picks based on a wide range of criteria. Most of these outlets have people who actually test driver a range of vehicles to evaluate their performance. Others just pick their Best Cars based on their own personal preferences, opinions, prejudices or who is adverting on their website, podcast, YouTube channel or social media platform.
Keep in mind the fact that such Best Car picks may be biased or entirely wrong. Years ago (early 1970s), GM and Ford both introduced new compact economy cars to cater to the public's desire for more affordable and fuel-efficient transportation. In 1970, Ford introduced the Pinto, which initially drew much praise for its European-like ride and handling. Two years later (1972), General Motors launched the Chevy Vega. It was a sporty-looking compact car with a new aluminum block engine. Motor Trend magazine named the Vega the "Car of the Year" (a choice they later regretted)
.The Chevy Vega's aluminum engine had an unquenchable thirst for oil. I know first hand because I owned one. Worse yet, the body quickly succumbed to rust in states that used road salt during the winter driving season or any place where it rained. My Vega looked like swiss cheese by the time I got rid of it.
Ford sold a lot of Pintos, but it soon earned a reputation for being a death trap due to the poor location of its fuel tank. The top of the fuel tank also served double-duty as the floor of the trunk. If the car was rear ended, the fuel tank could rupture and quickly engulf the car in flames. Thus, the Pinto earned a spot at the top of Mother Jones magazine's "Most Dangerous Vehicles of All Time" list.
The point here is that Best Car lists may or may not turn out to be accurate as time and mileage take their toll.
Tesla has been praised for their many innovations with electric cars. But they have also garnered much criticism for the short comings of their basic Autopilot self-driving feature (which as of February 2026 has been discontinued on their Model 3 and Model Y cars in the U.S.). Although Autopilot can provide self-driving capabilities on controlled access highways, it is by no means truly capable of driving a vehicle safely under all road and traffic conditions. There have been a number of fatalities that have resulted from Autopilot failing to recognize emergency vehicles stopped in the road with lights flashing. The car continued on as if there was nothing in the road and plowed into the emergency vehicles. Autopilot has also failed miserably in construction zones and on two-lane roads where it has failed to recognize cross traffic
.Another concern with relying on Best Car lists is the potential down the road for troublesome recalls, which can affect ANY make or model of vehicle, even auto makers that have earned a solid reputation for reliability (like Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Mazda, Honda, Hyundai and KIA). Mistakes and defects can happen at any stage in the manufacturing process. A component provided by a third party supplier may turn out to be defective, or a part was installed incorrectly at the factory, or a safety issue developed that nobody foresaw (like the massive Takata airbag recalls that have affected millions of vehicles from almost all of the auto makers in recent years).
Best Car lists usually consider a vehicle's recall and reliability history, but as they say on Wall Street, past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
Buying a new car is always a risk. Hopefully, your new vehicle purchase will not be a problem, and hopefully if there is recall or warranty issue it will be dealt with in a timely manner
.In conjunction with the Chicago Auto Show, the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) has its members evaluate and pick favorites in the following categories. This year's picks are as follows:
Favorite Off-Road Vehicle: 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
Favorite Luxury Vehicle: 2026 Genesis GV70 3.5T Prestige
Favorite Pickup Truck: 2026 RAM 1500 5.7L Hemi
Favorite Affordable Vehicle: 2025 Volkswagen GTI
Favorite Performance Vehicle: 2025 BMW M5 Touring
Favorite Plug-in Vehicle: 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Calligraph
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy was named the overall winner for 2026 by MAMA, while the IONIQ 9 won "Favorite Electric Vehicle".
Consumer Reports (which I trust for accurate and fair comparisons) recently announced their Best Car picks for 2026:
Best small car: Honda Civic
Best midsize car: Toyota Camry
Best subcompact SUV: Subaru Crosstrek
Best compact SUV: Subaru Forester
Best midsize SUV: Toyota Grand Highlander
Best luxury compact SUV: Lexus NX
Best luxury midsize SUV: BMW X5
Best electric vehicle: Tesla Model Y
Best small pickup truck: Ford Maverick
Best full-size pickup truck: Ford F-150
One of the most comprehensive Best Car lists I found while researching this blog post was one posted by US News. They not only had more categories than anybody else but also listed their 1st, 2nd and 3rd place choices for each:
2025 Honda Civic Type R
2026 Honda Civic
2026 Honda Civic Hybrid
2026 Acura Integra
2025 Audi A4
2025 BMW 3-Series
2025 Honda Civic Type R
2026 Honda Civic
2025 Hyundai Elantra N
2026 Honda Civi
2026 Mazda Mazda3
2026 Kia K4
2025 Nissan Versa
2026 MINI Cooper
2026 Honda Accord
2026 Hyundai Sonata
2025 Kia K5
2026 Genesis G80
2025 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
2025 Audi A6
2025 Genesis G90
2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
2025 Audi A7
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6
2025 Dodge Charger Daytona
2025 FIAT 500e
2026 Lucid Air
2025 Tesla Model 3
2025 BMW i7
2026 Toyota GR86
2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata
2025 Subaru BRZ
2025 Chevrolet Corvette
2025 Porsche Boxster
2025 Porsche Cayman
2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata
2026 Ford Mustang
2026 MINI Cooper
2025 Chevrolet Corvette
2025 Porsche Boxster
2025 Porsche 911
2025 Audi A6 Allroad
2025 Volvo V60
2025 Audi A4 Allroad
2026 Toyota Camry
2026 Honda Civic Hybrid
2026 Honda Accord Hybrid
2025 Honda Civic Type R
2025 Hyundai Elantra N
2025 Volkswagen GTI
2025 Acura Integra Type S
2025 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing
2025 Audi S3
2025 Audi S6
2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
2025 BMW M5
2025 Audi S8
2025 Audi RS 7
2025 Audi S7
There are quite a few models from which to choose on all of these lists, so what it all boils down when you are trying to decide what to buy is choosing the type of vehicle you want, comparing their features and prices, and something which is extremely important but often ignored is TEST DRIVING BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING.
Many people today never test drive a vehicle before they buy it online. They just shop for the best price, make the purchase online then pick it up at the dealership or have it delivered to their driveway. Convenient, yes, but a BIG MISTAKE if it turns out they later regret what they bought!
I can tell you from my own first hand experience that you should never judge a book (or a car) by its cover or what the critics say about it. As part of my job as an automotive writer, I have driven many new vehicles both on test tracks and on the street. Some vehicles that initially seemed like they would be fun to drive and own turned out to be a real disappointment. They underperformed, did not handle or brake well, got lousy fuel mileage, had rattles or squeaks, had limited visibility, had controls that were awkward or confusing to operate, had uncomfortable seats or seats with limited adjustments, had poor climate control performance (heating and/or cooling and/or defrosting), had rear seats that were cramped or difficult to access, had limited cargo room in the trunk or behind the rear seat in a SUV or hatchback, or were NOT fun to drive.
By the same token, I have also been pleasantly surprised by some vehicles that I would not have considered as a Best Car pick, but turned out to be fun to drive, easy to operate, practical and economical.
This is why I say always try before you buy so there are no surprises or regrets later. And don't just drive the one vehicle you are most interested in, but test drive some competitive vehicles at a different dealership to see how they compare. You might end up liking another brand you had not considered before.
A test drive can be a challenge if you have a high pressure salesman who doesn't want to let you slip through their fingers. But it is your car purchase decision, not theirs, and it is you who will have to live with that decision as you make payments for the next 36, 60, 72 or 84 months.
My pick is easy. It is what I currently drive. I recently bought a 2025 KIA Sportage because our beloved 2012 Kia Sedona minivan finally reached the end of the road. The Sedona was a great minivan, practical, reasonably good highway fuel economy, very comfortable on road trips, plenty of room and cup holders for everybody, and affordable. The Sedona also came with KIA's popular 10 yea/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. During the 13 years we owned the Sedona we never needed the warranty. Other than normal maintenance (oil and filter changes, tires, brake pads and a battery), we had ZERO problems. There were a couple of recalls (airbags and a fuel line) but nothing else to cause inconvenience or break the budget. Because of our experience with the Sedona, we opted to stick with the KIA brand.
Over the years, we have owned six minivans (a Dodge Caravan, an Plymouth Voyager, two Ford Windstars, a Mazda MPV and the KIA Sedona). We had serious (and expensive) transmission problems with the Caravan and Voyager at 50k miles, a transmission failure with one of the Windstars at 60k miles, and head gasket failures with the other Windstar at 60k miles. No problems with the MPV or the Sedona after 150k miles.
I would agree that most of the Best Cars listed for 2026 by other media outlets are reasonably accurate and probably good buys if you are shopping for a new car, truck or SUV. I did not see the 2025 Kia Sportage, Telluride or Carnaval listed on any of these other lists, but KIA is selling a lot of these models.
I bought my 2025 KIA Sportage because I like the styling (which I think has a better looking front end than the newer 2026 model). I also like the practicality, the affordability, the fuel economy (I have the front-wheel drive version, which gets about 2 mpg better than the 4WD) and the10/100 powertrain warranty.
However, I do NOT like touch screen controls but you can't avoid touch screens on most new vehicles. I much prefer traditional knobs (the KIA has two multi-function knobs, which I think are clumsy to use and confusing if you happen to be in the wrong mode for radio/volume/climate control knob). I also do not feel a need for the many electronic driver assist features that are standard, except for blind spot warning and backup side traffic detection which I do like. I deactivated lane assist, automatic braking and engine idle stop/start, which I find to be especially annoying. But at least KIA gives you the option to turn off driver assist features you do not want to use.
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