Consumer Reports’ Best Cars of 2023 Are Mostly Toyotas and/or Electrified
The number of electrified vehicles on this year’s list almost doubled last year’s.
Every year, Consumer reports compiles a list of the ten best cars on sale, based on a combination of performance, safety, reliability, and owner satisfaction. Toyota typically dominates the list, so the fact that there are more Toyotas featured on this list than any other brand isn't surprising. What is surprising, though, is just how many electrified cars there are on the list, especially when two of CR's most popular models—the Toyota Prius and Lexus RX350h—weren't on sale during the making of this list.
Instead of listing how many electrified cars there are on CR's 2023 list, it's faster to list the number of non-electrified cars. Of the ten best cars for 2023, only three are powered purely by piston engines. Those three cars are the Toyota Corolla Cross, Subaru Forester, and Kia Telluride. That leaves seven of the ten with hybrid or fully electric powertrains, proving the shift toward electrification in the industry.
While both plug-in hybrids and EVs made the list, it was the former that dominated, with five different models. Here's the full list of CR's ten top picks:
- Toyota Corolla Hybrid
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Subaru Forester
- Ford Maverick Hybrid
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Nissan Leaf
- Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
- Kia Telluride
- Lexus NX350h Hybrid
- Tesla Model 3
Predictably, Toyota far exceeded every other automaker. It had three spots on the list (four if you count Lexus), versus every other brand's lone appearance. Why does Toyota always dominate CR's ten top picks lists? According to CR, Toyota's always impress with "good all-around performance, fuel economy, and reliability."
This year's seven electrified cars beats out last year's list, which only had four. Much of that had to do with the increase in hybrid models on sale this time around, with cars like the Maverick Hybrid and Corolla Hybrid being new to the market. But it's still an interesting jump in electrified cars versus last year.
It also shows the direction customers are heading, as owner satisfaction is a big part of CR's criteria. More and more customers are buying hybrid and electric vehicles and, according to this list, they're enjoying them. In the case of the Maverick, the hybrid reportedly accounted for roughly half of all Maverick sales.
Don't expect electrified vehicles to slow down, either. Next year, it's entirely possible that every car on the list has some sort of electric motor under its skin, especially after the return of the Prius and Lexus RX.
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