Auto owners rank the 10 most satisfying cars to drive
There are countless ways to evaluate whether a particular car model is right for you, from tallying every cost to taking it for a test drive. But what if you could pick the brains of regular folks who currently drive that car?
That’s what Consumer Reports does every year through a survey of the nonprofit publication’s subscribers. Among other factors, CR asks about owner satisfaction, which the publication describes as a “survey-based measure of how pleased car buyers are with the vehicle they own.”
CR gauges satisfaction by asking subscribers if they would definitely buy or lease the same model car they currently drive, if given the opportunity to make that choice again.
The publication also looks at how drivers rate their cars in certain categories, such as driving experience and comfort.
CR explains:
“From this data, we find that the vehicles that lived up to their promises — and their owners’ expectations — are rated as the most satisfying.”
In the latest annual survey — to which CR received some 567,000 responses — the Tesla Model S ranked No. 1 for satisfaction. The vast majority — 92.5 percent — of Model S owners said they would choose the model again.
The 10 highest-ranked car models based on owner satisfaction are:
The least satisfying cars
At the other end of the spectrum, the Mercedes-Benz GLA ranked last, making it the least satisfying car.
Consumer Reports found that the 10 least satisfying models among its readers are:
Perennial favorites
Some of the most satisfying vehicles among Consumer Reports readers are perennial favorites. They often earn awards or are otherwise recognized as standouts for various reasons, not just driver satisfaction.
In November, the Honda Odyssey received Kelley Blue Book’s 2018 Best Buy Award for minivans.
Also in 2017 alone, the Odyssey has also been recognized for how likely it is to last for 200,000 miles and for having the cheapest auto insurance premiums.
The Toyota Prius and Mazda MX-5 Miata were named among the best used cars in 2017.
For more of the latest car news and advice from Money Talks News, check out the autos page.
So, what about you? If you could do it all over again, would you buy your current car? Let us know why or why not by commenting below or on Facebook.
