Our subscribers know what they want: everything. They want fun cars with a touch of luxury that do what's expected.
That's what we found in Consumer Reports' annual owner-satisfaction survey, covering 350,000 vehicles from one to three years old.
We asked subscribers whether they would get the same car all over again, and to consider attributes such as styling, comfort, features, cargo space, fuel economy, maintenance and repair costs, overall value, and driving dynamics. Owners of a sporty, luxurious, or fuel-efficient hybrid or electric- or diesel-powered vehicle were most likely to answer "definitely yes."
With a single model that checks all of those boxes, Tesla Motors has built a rabid following since the car's 2012 launch, reflected in 98 percent of Model S owners saying they would definitely purchase it again. Not only is the Tesla roomy, comfortable, and a lot of fun to drive, but it also has low operating costs—returning the equivalent of 84 mpg (a consolation, of sorts, for the car's $90,000-plus as-tested price).
Next-most-satisfying were four sports cars: The Chevrolet Corvette and a trio of German models from Stuttgart—the Porsche Cayman, Boxster, and 911.
Rounding out the top 10 were the Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec diesel, Porsche Cayenne SUV, BMW 328d (another diesel), muscular Dodge Challenger V8, and Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.
The unhappy car owner is rarer than you might think: Of the 280-plus models in our survey, only four vehicles had less than 50 percent of owners who would "definitely" purchase the car again.
Across all vehicles, the average satisfaction rate was about 70 percent.
And it seems our subscribers agree with our recommendations: All but two of the top 10 vehicles are "recommended" in Consumer Reports' overall Ratings of cars we tested. The exceptions: the Porsche Cayman, which we haven't tested, and the Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec, which doesn't have sufficient reliability data.
Visit our complete guide to car reliability and owner satisfaction.
When given a choice between traditional gas engines and alternative powertrains, owners rank hybrids, electric cars, and diesels as the most satisfying choices in almost every category in which they compete. The Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius topped our lists of compact cars, with 85 and 82 percent, respectively, of buyers saying they would buy those cars again. Among midsized sedans, the Honda Accord Hybrid and Ford Fusion Energi led the pack.
Fuel-efficient diesels also proved popular. The Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec diesel finished second to the Tesla among fuel-efficient cars, and 86 percent of BMW 328d buyers would buy another. Volkswagen's Passat, Beetle, and Jetta diesel variants also ranked high in their categories. In the pickup-truck category, all of the top scorers have diesel engines.
As far as fuel economy, it's all about meeting expectations. Owners were as happy with Chevrolet Corvettes as with four-cylinder Nissan Altimas. People recognize what they are getting into; less than 10 percent of owners felt OK about their thirsty Nissan Titans and Ford heavy-duty pickups.
SUV buyers expressed a preference for spacious, capable vehicles that are pleasant to drive, easy to see out of, and as efficient as possible. That includes the Porsche Cayenne (87 percent) in luxury SUVs, Subaru Forester (83) among small SUVs, Toyota Highlander V6 (82) in midsized SUVs, and Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and their GMC twins (84) in large SUVs.
You might think that more cargo space would be more satisfying. But it's more about perceptions. The smartly packaged Tesla was considered just as satisfying as beasts of burden such as the Suburban and Yukon XL. Hybrids with batteries that rob space in the trunk were the biggest disappointments. Only 18 percent of owners were very satisfied with the space in the Honda Accord Hybrid and just 7 percent with the Ford Fusion Energi.
But it turns out that prestige can take a backseat to value. Hyundai Equus buyers felt the most satisfied, with 88 percent saying they got what they expected for the price. Corvette owners felt they were getting exotic-car performance at a relatively budget price. But those who own the Range Rover Evoque, Mini Countryman, Infiniti QX70, and various iterations of the BMW 3 Series found the least value for their money—those models satisfied barely 50 percent of owners.
For related information about reliable and affordable used models read "The best used cars for under $20,000."
Luxury cars are more satisfying on the whole, our subscribers report. When we broke down owner-satisfaction results by brand, the six most satisfying makes were all luxury brands, led by Tesla. Perhaps it's no surprise, too, that Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Jaguar owners felt that they've made it and bought the car of their dreams.
The top-scoring mainstream brands were Subaru, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Honda, Chevrolet, and Mazda.
Not all luxury brands proved very satisfying; Cadillac, Acura, and Infiniti all ranked in the bottom half. The least satisfying brands were Buick, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, and Mitsubishi.
*Data based on one model year only.
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Tesla Model S |
98% |
Chevrolet Volt | 85 |
Honda Accord Hybrid* | 85 |
Ford Fusion Energi | 84 |
Toyota Prius | 82 |
Lexus ES 300h Hybrid |
81 |
Toyota Avalon Hybrid |
80 |
Ford C-Max Energi | 79 |
Toyota Camry Hybrid |
78 |
Nissan Leaf | 77 |
Toyota Prius V | 77 |
Ford Fusion Hybrid |
74 |
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid |
74 |
Toyota Prius C |
73 |
Honda CR-Z |
72 |
Ford C-Max Hybrid | 70 |
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid | 69 |
Honda Civic Hybrid | 68 |
Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid | 66 |
Lexus CT 200h | 66 |
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid |
60 |
Kia Optima Hybrid | 56 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Mazda3 (2.5L)* | 79% |
Mazda3 (2.0L)* | 77 |
Volkswagen Beetle TDI | 76 |
Volkswagen Jetta TDI | 72 |
Toyota Corolla* | 71 |
Kia Forte* |
70 |
Dodge Dart (2.0L) |
70 |
Honda Civic Coupe |
70 |
Fiat 500L* | 69 |
Volkswagen Beetle (2.0T) | 68 |
Dodge Dart (1.4T)* | 68 |
Subaru Impreza | 68 |
Kia Soul* | 67 |
Chevrolet Cruze (1.4T) | 65 |
Honda Civic Sedan |
65 |
Scion xB | 63 |
Volkswagen Jetta (1.8T)* | 61 |
Hyundai Elantra Sedan | 60 |
Hyundai Elantra GT | 57 |
Chevrolet Cruze (1.8L) | 56 |
Ford Focus |
54 |
Volkswagen Jetta (4-cyl., nonturbo) | 51 |
Nissan Sentra | 47 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Fiat 500 | 64% |
Chevrolet Sonic | 62 |
Chevrolet Spark | 62 |
Nissan Versa Note* | 60 |
Smart ForTwo | 58 |
Toyota Yaris | 57 |
Hyundai Veloster | 56 |
Mazda2 | 56 |
Hyundai Accent | 55 |
Ford Fiesta | 51 |
Kia Rio |
46 |
Nissan Versa Sedan | 42 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Audi S5 | 79% |
Audi A5 | 77 |
Honda Accord Coupe (V6) |
75 |
BMW 4 Series* | 75 |
Honda Accord Coupe (4-cyl.) |
74 |
Volkswagen Eos | 73 |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe & Convertible | 71 |
Lexus IS Convertible | 70 |
Infiniti Q60 | 68 |
BMW 6 Series | 62 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Mazda6* | 81% |
Volkswagen Passat TDI | 80 |
Honda Accord Sedan (4-cyl.) |
76 |
Honda Accord Sedan (V6) | 73 |
Ford Fusion (2.0L EcoBoost) | 71 |
Kia Optima (turbo) | 70 |
Ford Fusion (1.5L EcoBoost) | 68 |
Toyota Camry | 68 |
Volkswagen Passat (1.8T)* | 65 |
Chevrolet Malibu (4-cyl.) |
64 |
Kia Optima (4-cyl.) |
62 |
Ford Fusion (4-cyl., nonturbo) | 62 |
Nissan Altima | 59 |
Volkswagen Passat (V6) | 56 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray* | 95% |
Porsche Cayman | 91 |
Porsche Boxster | 91 |
Porsche 911 | 88 |
Dodge Challenger (V8) | 86 |
Chevrolet Camaro (V8) | 84 |
Mazda MX-5 Miata |
84 |
Mercedes-Benz SL | 80 |
BMW Z4 | 80 |
Audi S4 | 78 |
Fiat 500 Abarth* | 74 |
Dodge Challenger (V6) | 73 |
Scion FR-S | 71 |
Subaru BRZ | 71 |
Mercedes-Benz SLK |
70 |
Chevrolet Camaro (V6) | 70 |
Honda Civic Si |
69 |
Ford Focus ST |
68 |
Nissan 370Z | 66 |
Hyundai Genesis Coupe |
58 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
BMW 328d (diesel)* | 86% |
BMW 335i | 76 |
Lexus IS 250 Sedan* | 73 |
Audi A4 | 71 |
Volvo S60 | 71 |
BMW 320i, 328i (AWD) | 68 |
Lexus IS 350 Sedan* | 68 |
Cadillac ATS (V6) | 67 |
BMW 320i, 328i (RWD) | 66 |
Infiniti G Sedan | 65 |
Buick Regal | 64 |
Buick Verano | 63 |
Cadillac ATS (turbo) | 63 |
Volkswagen CC | 62 |
Mercedes-Benz CLA 250* | 61 |
Acura ILX | 57 |
Cadillac ATS (4-cyl.) |
56 |
Infiniti Q50 (V6)* | 54 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan (diesel)* | 88% |
Audi A7 | 84 |
Audi A8 | 84 |
Audi A6 | 84 |
Cadillac CTS (V6)* | 83 |
Lexus LS | 81 |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan (V8) | 81 |
Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 81 |
BMW 5 Series (V8) |
81 |
Hyundai Equus | 80 |
Lincoln MKZ (V6) | 80 |
Porsche Panamera | 80 |
Lexus ES (V6) | 79 |
Mercedes-Benz CLS |
78 |
Jaguar XJ | 77 |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan (V6) | 75 |
Jaguar XF |
74 |
Lexus GS (V6) | 74 |
Volvo S80 | 73 |
Lincoln MKZ (4-cyl. EcoBoost) | 71 |
BMW 5 Series (6-cyl.) |
70 |
Infiniti Q70 | 68 |
BMW 5 Series (4-cyl.) | 68 |
BMW 7 Series | 66 |
Lincoln MKS | 66 |
Cadillac XTS | 66 |
Acura RLX* | 59 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Dodge Charger (V8) | 82% |
Chevrolet Impala (V6)* | 80 |
Ford Taurus SHO | 78 |
Chrysler 300 (V8) | 77 |
Dodge Charger (V6) | 76 |
Chrysler 300 (V6) | 75 |
Kia Cadenza* | 71 |
Toyota Avalon (V6) | 69 |
Hyundai Azera | 69 |
Nissan Maxima | 69 |
Chevrolet Impala (4-cyl.)* | 67 |
Ford Taurus (FWD) | 65 |
Buick LaCrosse (V6) | 62 |
Buick LaCrosse (4-cyl.) | 53 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Chevrolet Suburban* | 84% |
GMC Yukon XL* | 84 |
Chevrolet Tahoe* | 84 |
GMC Yukon* | 84 |
Dodge Durango (V8)* | 81 |
Ford Flex (V6) | 80 |
Ford Flex (EcoBoost) | 72 |
Dodge Durango (V6)* | 71 |
Toyota Sequoia |
69 |
Chevrolet Traverse | 66 |
GMC Acadia | 63 |
Nissan Armada | 57 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Audi Q5 (diesel)* | 84% |
Mercedes-Benz GLK (diesel) |
82 |
Audi Q5 (gas) | 77 |
Mercedes-Benz GLK (V6) | 72 |
BMW X3 (4-cyl.) | 71 |
Acura RDX | 70 |
Volvo XC60 (6-cyl.) | 68 |
BMW X3 (6-cyl.) | 68 |
Buick Encore | 67 |
Cadillac SRX |
66 |
Infiniti QX50 | 65 |
BMW X1 | 64 |
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque | 63 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Subaru Forester (nonturbo)* | 83% |
Subaru Forester (turbo)* | 80 |
Jeep Cherokee (V6)* |
77 |
Mazda CX-5 (2.5L) | 76 |
Honda CR-V | 71 |
Subaru XV Crosstrek | 70 |
Nissan Rogue* | 68 |
Mazda CX-5 (2.0L) | 66 |
Mini Countryman |
66 |
Ford Escape (2.0L EcoBoost) | 64 |
Toyota RAV4 | 64 |
Volkswagen Tiguan |
61 |
Nissan Juke | 58 |
Jeep Cherokee (4-cyl.)* | 58 |
Kia Sportage | 57 |
Mitsubishi Outlander* | 55 |
Jeep Patriot |
55 |
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | 55 |
Ford Escape (1.6L EcoBoost) | 54 |
Ford Escape (4-cyl., nonturbo) |
54 |
Hyundai Tucson | 53 |
Jeep Compass | 43 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Porsche Cayenne | 87% |
Lexus LX | 84 |
Volkswagen Touareg | 80 |
Lexus RX | 78 |
Lexus RX Hybrid | 78 |
Land Rover Range Rover Sport* |
76 |
Audi Q7 | 76 |
Lexus GX |
75 |
Acura MDX* | 75 |
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class | 73 |
Infiniti QX80 | 73 |
Buick Enclave | 72 |
Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 72 |
BMW X5 (6-cyl.) | 71 |
Lincoln MKX | 65 |
Infiniti QX70 | 61 |
Infiniti QX60 | 60 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Toyota Highlander (V6)* | 82% |
Jeep Grand Cherokee (diesel)* | 79 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee (V8)* |
78 |
Jeep Wrangler |
74 |
Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
74 |
Hyundai Santa Fe (V6) | 73 |
Toyota Highlander (4-cyl.) | 72 |
Kia Sorento (V6)* | 72 |
Ford Explorer (V6, EcoBoost) | 72 |
Toyota 4Runner (V6) | 71 |
Nissan Xterra | 71 |
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (turbo) | 70 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee (V6)* | 70 |
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (4-cyl.) | 68 |
Honda Pilot | 68 |
Ford Explorer (V6) |
65 |
Ford Edge (4-cyl.) | 64 |
Mazda CX-9 | 63 |
Ford Explorer (4-cyl.) | 63 |
Chevrolet Equinox (V6) | 61 |
GMC Terrain (V6) | 61 |
Ford Edge (V6) |
61 |
Chevrolet Equinox (4-cyl.) |
60 |
GMC Terrain (4-cyl.) | 60 |
Kia Sorento (4-cyl.) | 56 |
Dodge Journey | 54 |
Nissan Pathfinder | 52 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon | 80% |
Volvo XC70 | 79 |
Audi Allroad |
79 |
Honda Crosstour |
66 |
Toyota Venza (V6) | 63 |
Toyota Venza (4-cyl.) |
58 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Honda Odyssey | 76% |
Toyota Sienna (FWD) | 73 |
Toyota Sienna (AWD) | 69 |
Chrysler Town & Country |
65 |
Dodge Grand Caravan | 65 |
Nissan Quest | 64 |
Mazda5 | 63 |
Make & model | Definitely buy again |
---|---|
Ford F-250 & F-350 (diesel) | 80% |
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 & 3500 HD (diesel) | 79 |
GMC Sierra 2500 & 3500 HD (diesel) | 79 |
Ram 2500 & 3500 (diesel) | 77 |
Ram 1500 (V8, 2WD) | 77 |
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (V8)* | 75 |
GMC Sierra 1500 (V8)* | 75 |
Ram 1500 (V8, 4WD) | 74 |
Toyota Tundra (V8) | 73 |
Ram 1500 (V6) |
71 |
Toyota Tacoma (V6) | 70 |
Toyota Tundra (V6) | 68 |
Ram 2500 & 3500 (gas) | 67 |
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (V6)* | 64 |
GMC Sierra 1500 (V6)* | 64 |
Ford F-250 & F-350 (gas) | 61 |
Toyota Tacoma (4-cyl.) | 61 |
Nissan Frontier | 60 |
Nissan Titan | 57 |
Owner-satisfaction results based on the average score across all model lines.
Brand | Average score |
---|---|
Tesla | 98 |
Porsche | 87 |
Audi | 79 |
Mercedes-Benz | 76 |
Lexus | 76 |
Jaguar | 75 |
Subaru | 74 |
Ram | 73 |
Dodge | 73 |
Volvo | 73 |
Chrysler | 72 |
Honda | 72 |
Chevrolet | 72 |
Mazda | 72 |
BMW | 71 |
GMC | 71 |
Lincoln | 71 |
Toyota | 70 |
Land Rover | 70 |
Fiat | 69 |
Ford | 67 |
Volkswagen | 67 |
Scion | 67 |
Jeep | 67 |
Cadillac | 67 |
Mini | 66 |
Acura | 65 |
Infiniti | 64 |
Buick | 64 |
Hyundai | 63 |
Kia | 63 |
Nissan | 61 |
Smart | 58 |
Mitsubishi | 55 |
This article also appeared in the January 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
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