Consumer Reports Best New Car Value - Toyota Prius

For the second year in a row, Consumer Reports has named the Toyota Prius the best new car value among all cars. The car relies again on its reliability and low cost of ownership to win the award. 

Consumer Reports Best New Car Value - Toyota Prius

Want the best value from a new car? You should be looking at a Toyota Prius.

The Toyota Prius has proven since its inception that it is reliable and has a low cost of ownership. Consumer Reports says that it has calculated the Prius averages to be just 47 cents per mile. In naming the car a top value, Consumer Reports automotive editor Rik Paul said, “The Prius’ 44 mpg overall is the best fuel economy of any non-plug-in car that Consumer Reports has tested. Though it’s not particularly cheap to buy, the Prius’ depreciation is so low that it costs less to own over the first five years than its initial MSRP. We call that a bargain.”

Also finishing high for Toyota were the Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited (Best Large Car) and the Lexus ES 300h (Best Luxury Car).

While there are those who criticize the magazine for being “biased” toward the Japanese brands, the awards and results are developed in part through owner surveys. They are also very vigorous in their testing.

The full results of the top values are:

  •  Best Compact /Subcompact Car: Toyota Prius Four
  •  Best Midsized Car: Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium
  •  Best Large Car: Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited
  •  Best Luxury Car: Lexus ES 300h
  •  Best Sports Car/Convertible: Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring
  •  Best Wagon/Minivan: Mazda5 Grand Touring
  •  Best Small SUV: Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium
  •  Best Midsized SUV: Nissan Murano SL
  •  Best Luxury/Large SUV: BMW X1 xDrive28i
  •  Best Pickup: Honda Ridgeline RTS

On the flip side are the cars that scored the worst:

  •  Worst Compact /Subcompact Car: Volkswagen Beetle 2.5L
  •  Worst Midsized Car: Nissan Altima 3.5 SL
  •  Worst Large Car: Ford Taurus Limited
  •  Worst Luxury Car: BMW 750Li
  •  Worst Sports Car/Convertible: Chevrolet Camaro convertible 2SS (V8)
  •  Worst Wagon/Minivan: Chrysler Town & Country Touring-L
  •  Worst Small SUV: Ford Escape SE (1.6T)
  •  Worst Midsized SUV: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
  •  Worst Luxury/Large SUV: Nissan Armada Platinum
  •  Worst Pickup: Ford F-250 Lariat (6.7L V8)

Complete results will be released in the February 2014 issue.