Become a member at to find out how each vehicle we purchase performs in our tests.
What are the best cars you can buy right now? The Consumer Reports Top Picks list is a collection of cars, SUVs, and trucks with standout performance across the board. Each represents a key vehicle segment and shines for its combination of road test performance, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety, garnering a high-enough Overall Score to earn a coveted CR recommendation. We discuss the cars that made it to the top of the list, trends we're noticing in the automotive industry, and other interesting insights from our Autos Spotlight coverage.
SHOW NOTES
———————————–
00:00 – Introduction
00:13 – Top Picks Introduction
02:57 – Hybrid Trends
05:09 – Price Comparisons Between Hybrids and Gas Engine Vehicles
08:41 – Toyota and Lexus Trends
11:04 – New Car Models
12:03 – The Venerable
13:19 – Electric Vehicles
15:34 – Question: Why does the CR overall reliability score change over time?
———————————-
Cars
Which Car Brands Make the Best Vehicles?
Best and Worst New Cars
Best Cars of the Year: 10 Top Picks of 2023
Hot, New Electric Cars That Are Coming Soon
Will an Electric Car Save You Money?
Guide to Car Safety
———————————–
Subscribe to Talking Cars on Apple Podcasts!
Video version:
Audio version:
Have a question for our experts? Leave a comment on this episode, or reach out to us directly!
From your iOS device, iMessage us at TalkingCars@icloud.com to send a photo, video, or text directly to the Talking Cars team!
We love to feature our viewers on the show, so submit video questions at
Subscribe to Talking Cars on Spotify:
———————————–
Join CR at to find out how products scored in CR’s rigorous lab tests—and to access our comprehensive ratings for items you use every day—become a member. CR is a mission-driven, independent, nonprofit organization.
Check out for the latest reviews, tips, and recommendations and subscribe to our YouTube Channel:
Follow Us on Social:
TikTok:
Instagram:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Pinterest:
Any Hondas?
Cause Accord is redesigned and has no score so Camry takes the spot
It will be interesting to see the impact of yesterday’s announcement that Tesla will open some of its charging network to other EVs
❤Watching #399 now and can’t say this more;how much I appreciate Talking Cars.
Great stuff, as always when Jen’s in charge! Any insight whether the Corolla hatchback will get a hybrid engine?
The more people demand it, the more likely they will ship it over.
Probably not here in NA, since they want you to buy the Corolla Cross.
What about the cost of adding electric charging capability to homes? Not cheap.
It depends wildly on the home. It could be around $500 or north of $2000. Most are probably around $1000. Some utilities, cities, and states offer rebates to bring down the cost. (Also, many folks might be able to get by using a regular wall outlet. That adds about 3 mi/hr, so if you can park for 12 hours and drive less than 36 miles on a typical day, you don’t *need* 240V charging at home.)
How could any Toyota hybrid for that matter be on a recommended list when they want $10k markups. Just looked at the corolla hybrid with a 10k markup. How is that a good recommendation?
They get markups because they are popular
There are Toyota dealerships that have honor & ethics and sell at MSRP. You have to search for them, of course.
The markups are a DEALER problem not a Toyota Highlander hybrid problem.
Always enjoy the show. Hope to see a ‘Top Picks’ video featuring cars the hosts could would buy in spite of less than stellar reliability, especially if doesn’t have to be the daily driver.
8:10. The sun has never sent me an electric bill.
Akio Toyoda RUINED recent Toyotas by making them have louder engine noise penetrating inside the cabin, (some nonsense about being “sporty”.). Now that they booted his az to the curb NVH levels should DRASTICALLY improve.
Are people even buying the Corolla Cross? I haven’t seen a single one on the road
Buy one and then all of a sudden you’ll start noticing them.
CR, As the owner of a ‘CR Top Pick’ car from way, way back in 2005, I find it reassuring that the brand I put my hard earned money into still reigns supreme. 🤩 Conversely, it is not reassuring at all to see certain brands on and off the list in alternate years. 🤨 Focusing on the sensible Corolla Hybrid sedan for a moment, I believe its place would be even more justified if Toyota offered us the full range of Corolla Hybrids including hatch and wagon. Sadly, it is worth noting that Toyota has greedily de-contented some Corolla sedans with a return to a retrograde torsion beam rear suspension. At a time in which Toyota Motor Corporation reported a quarterly profit of nearly $9 Billion, such miserly cost-cutting is worthy of public scorn. 🤬
Oh no! The Tesla trolls will come for you for not giving Tesla the top 4 spots.
Jen is my favorite moderator!❤
She should be the moderator more often she’s fun and great 😊
Jen, your teen driver would prefer driving a Corvette I bet 🙂
Watch youtube video on (the new type of silencer) that removes all harmful emissions only water vapor is released into the atmosphere regards Graham Flowers
I would like to see some tire reviews.
2005 Outback owner here with a little pet peeve when talking about how much bigger new models are than their older counter parts. I know I’m venturing into “old man screams at clouds” territory, but I’m really hoping someone at CR actually reads this comment and addresses this the next time they talk generally about auto sizes. Namely, while the 2023 Forester is significantly bigger than its 2009 relative (3 inches longer, 2 inches wider, 2 inches higher roofline) it actually has LESS cargo capacity behind the 2nd row of seats by a fairly significant margin. The older “smaller” Forester has 33.5 cu ft of cargo room, while the bigger 2023 has only 28.9 cu ft. This is a trend I’ve observed in many new vehicles. They somehow manage to grow significantly larger on the outside without giving us a commiserate amount of interior space in the cargo compartments.
Nice plug for the fat crow restaurant with the Tesla chargers 😅
is a 2015-2018 ford edge a good first car for a teen?
What about cable gate?