Consumer Reports Names Top 10 Best Vehicles To buy for 2022
When you’re seeking the perfect car for you and your family, there’s an overwhelming selection to choose from. To help you zero in on the best options, Consumer Reports an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy presents its annual 10 Top Picks: the best cars, SUVs, and trucks their experts recommend without hesitation.
To be in this group, a vehicle must have an Overall Score among the highest in its category, factoring in road tests, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety. Top Picks also must come standard in all trims with Forwarding Collision Warning (FCW) and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection safety features we consider critical because they have proved to save lives.
New this year: CR is requiring Top Picks to have highway-speed AEB, also now add 2 points to a vehicle’s Overall Score if it has an active driver assistance system that includes an adequate driver monitoring system. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is the only one of our Top Picks this year that received the added points because its active driver assists system has effective driver monitoring that gives appropriate warnings when the driver looks away from the road for too long.
Meet the Consumer Reports top 10 Vehicles
2021 Honda Accord Hybrid
Consumer Reports calls Accord “the definitive family sedan,” and gives thumbs up to “generous interior space, a pleasant ride, ample power, and impressive efficiency.”
There are enough choices in engines and interiors that you can outfit as a basic salesman’s schlepper to an incognito lux-mobile, “with leather and all the trimmings,” Consumer Reports says.
- Crash-test scores: NHTSA 5-star, IIHS Top Safety Pick +
- MPG: 47 (hybrid)
2022 Nissan Rogue Sport
The Rogue Sport gets its pick for the same reasons the Sentra does, only in a more chic package. CRs calls this vehicle “more mature and substantial” than most rivals. “Front access is a snap, and the driver is treated to an elevated seat height that aids visibility and offers abundant headroom.”
Predicted reliability is “commendable,” and the SUV has a roster of safety equipment that humbles pricier models, with Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Alert, Rear Cross-Traffic Warning and Rear Automatic Braking all standard.
- Be aware: Significantly lower-than-average owner satisfaction.
- Crash test score: Not yet rated
- MPG: 26
2022 Kia Telluride (MIDSIZED THREE-ROW SUV)
The 2022 Kia Telluride separates itself from the herd of three-row, mid-size crossovers with its handsome looks, unexpected luxuriousness, and unrivalled value. Of course, the largest Kia also flawlessly executes its core mission, which is to comfortably ferry families and their cargo.
Consumer Reports announced its top 10 car, truck and SUV picks for 2022 on Thursday and the results are, predictably, a selection of safe, good-value vehicles. The independent product tester’s picks range in price from under $25,000 up to $55,000 and include internal combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles. CR’s selections are based on its own rankings, with special consideration given to vehicles that offer more standard safety tech.
- Be aware: Not very agile
- Crash test scores: NHTSA 5-star, IIHS Top Safety Pick
- MPG: 21
2021 Lexus RX450h (LUXURY MIDSIZED SUV)
“The RX pioneered the midsized luxury SUV back in the late 1990s,” Consumer Reports says, “and it continues to be the exemplar for this popular segment” because of a blend of “comfort, performance, safety, and reliability.” Harking back to Fisher’s take on evolution vs. big changes, RX’s “ongoing refinements, including the suspension and the infotainment system, have kept the RX line fresh” despite being six years into the current generation, the magazine says.
The hybrid version, called 450h, “feels quicker with abundant torque generated by its electric motors, plus it returned 7 more miles per gallon overall” than the 350 non-hybrid models, for a total of 29 miles per gallon overall.
- Be aware: Rear visibility is restricted and handling may be clumsy. Transition between hybrid and electric power sometimes is rough in the 450h.
- Crash test scores: NHTSA 4-star, IIHS Top Safety Pick
- MPG: 29
2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E (ELECTRIC VEHICLE)
Ford’s Mustang Mach-E may be the company’s first built-to-purpose electric vehicle, but it’s one hell of an achievement and one of our favourite vehicles in its class. It’s also the only EV on Consumer Reports 2022 list.
Purists will tell you it’s hardly worthy of the Mustang name, but the electric crossover SUV does borrow some of the sporty car’s styling cues and, as Consumer Reports notes, “stands out in this emerging category for being enjoyable to drive, with quick acceleration, agile handling, and a well-mannered ride. The Mach-E stable goes from tame pony at 266 horsepower to wild stallion at 480 horsepower.” Consumer Reports notes the vehicle had a 270-mile range on a charge, and other versions can go more than 300 miles. Consumer Reports’ conclusion: “This well-executed new model catapults Ford into the burgeoning market with its first purpose-built EV that blends being green with character and driving fun.”
- Be aware: Takes a long time to recharge, the range is limited, and door handles are fussy.
- Crash test score: NHTSA, not yet rated; IIHS Top Safety Pick
- MPG: 90
2022 Nissan Sentra (SMALL CAR)
The Nissan Sentra represents Consumer Report’s most affordable pick in 2022, thanks to its inclusion of lots of standard safety tech.
The Sentra is what today, at least, passes for as a low-cost, high-value sedan. Consumer Reports says it feels more premium than rivals: its 2.0-litre, the four-cylinder engine accelerates quicker than most in its class, and it has a “comfortable ride and nimble handling,” and a passenger compartment that’s “nicely appointed for the price.” Visibility is good; infotainment and climate controls are “a model of simplicity.” All versions come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capabilities as well as Nissan’s Safety Shield 360, including Blind Spot Warning.
- Be aware: Owner satisfaction is below average.
- Crash test score: NHTSA 5-star
- MPG: 32
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness
The Forester remains a safe, practical and efficient SUV and its EyeSight safety tech gets it a spot on CR’s list. Marking its ninth consecutive Top Picks appearance, the Forester received a “light freshening” for 2022 and added a black exterior trim that Subaru calls both “protective” and “eye-catching.”
Consumer Reports notes: “The secret to Forester’s success has been its efficient, spacious design; strong fuel economy; focus on safety; great road-test performance; and strong reliability history.” The upright shape gives it outstanding roominess and “fishbowl-like outward visibility.” Buyers get “responsive handling and a supple ride,” and the “latest EyeSight suite of safety features is standard.”
- Crash test score: NHTSA 5-star
- MPG: 28
2022 Toyota Prius (HYBRID)/PRIUS PRIME (PLUG-IN HYBRID)
The aerodynamic Prius continues to set the standard for fuel-efficient transportation: “A phenomenal 52 mpg overall in [CR’s] tests,” and it “shines for its consistent reliability and owner satisfaction.”
The Prius Prime plug-in hybrid is good for about 25 miles of electric-only driving before reverting to regular hybrid operation, with 69 mpg overall. Either version has “an epic 590-mile range between fill-ups. Both versions are pleasant to drive, with a comfortable, steady ride and secure handling. The cabins have a high-tech feel, especially when fitted with the large 11.6-inch centre screen.”
- Be aware: Rear visibility is hampered, acceleration is ho-hum, and controls take getting used to.
- Crash test score: NHTSA 5-star
- MPG: 52
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime
Toyota’s RAV4 Prime takes everything good about the regular RAV4 and amps it up. It’s faster, more engaging and a wee bit nicer inside.
The RAV4 Prime is a plug-in hybrid that “transforms the laudable RAV4, endowing it with more power, greater efficiency, a comfortable ride, and a hint more coddling in the cabin,” Consumer Reports says. What’s more, the eco-mobile’s 302 horsepower is “much more than any other mainstream small SUV” and is the second-quickest car in Toyota’s line. You can get up to 42 miles of electric-only range.
- Be aware: Takes longer to stop than usual; emits a high-pitched warning noise in reverse.
- Crash test scores: None recorded
- MPG: 72
2021 Honda Ridgeline
The Ridgeline is often derided as not being a real truck, but we’ve always felt it’s 100% of the truck that 90% of people need and it offers increased comfort and efficiency over more traditional body-on-frame trucks. The Ridgeline “offers rarefied refinement in a pickup body style, with the ride, handling, and interior comfort more akin to the Honda Pilot than a typical work truck.
It uses a smooth 280-horsepower V6 engine and a nine-speed automatic, adding to the polished driving experience,” Consumer Reports points out. Cleverly, the tailgate can fold down or swing to the side, “allowing easy access to a large, lockable storage box under the [cargo] bed.”
Overall, Consumer Reports says, Ridgeline is “well suited for the commuter, family chauffeur, and weekend warrior, as well as the active lifestyle driver who is all those things.”
- Be aware: Bed is shallow; off-road capabilities are limited.
- Crash test score: NHTSA 5-star
- MPG: 20
Consumer Reports 2022 Brand Report Card
| Brand | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subaru | 81 |
| 2 | Mazda | 78 |
| 3 | BMW | 78 |
| 4 | Honda | 77 |
| 5 | Lexus | 77 |
| 6 | Audi | 75 |
| 7 | Porsche | 74 |
| 8 | Mini | 74 |
| 9 | Toyota | 74 |
| 10 | Infiniti | 72 |
| 11 | Buick | 72 |
| 12 | Acura | 72 |
| 13 | Chrysler | 71 |
| 14 | Hyundai | 70 |
| 15 | Nissan | 68 |
| 16 | Dodge | 67 |
| 17 | Volkswagen | 67 |
| 18 | Kia | 65 |
| 19 | Genesis | 64 |
| 20 | Volvo | 64 |
| 21 | Chrysler | 63 |
| 22 | Ford | 62 |
| 23 | Tesla | 60 |
| 24 | Chevrolet | 60 |
| 25 | Mercedes-Benz | 60 |
| 26 | Lincoln | 57 |
| 27 | Jaguar | 54 |
| 28 | Alfa Romeo | 50 |
| 29 | Land Rover | 49 |
| 30 | Mitsubishi | 49 |
| 31 | GMC | 48 |
| 32 | Jeep | 45 |
Source: Consumer Reports
