Consumer Reports Best American Cars, SUVs, and Trucks

In a recent Consumer Reports “Best of…” style ratings report, CR analysts provided a lesser-seen category of ratings titled “Best American Cars, SUVs, and Trucks.” To be clear, however, this is not to imply that the vehicles listed are actually entirely “Made in America” but rather, is a focus on TRADITIONAL U.S. brands.

According to CR recent newsletter. “Naming the American cars with the best Overall Scores first requires defining what we mean by “American.” This is complicated because some U.S. brands, like Buick and Ford, build many of their vehicles in other countries. Similarly, some foreign brands, such as Honda, Subaru, and Toyota, produce many American-market vehicles here in the U.S. For this roundup, we focused on American-founded and -based companies, including Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and Tesla.

Related article: Are Toyota's Made in Japan Better than Toyota's Made in America? Let’s Find Out!

However, this minor detail should not detract car shoppers from Consumer Reports’ rigorous attention to rating vehicles based on road tests, reliability, owner satisfaction, and overall car model safety.

Related article: Best Tire Brands Recommended by Consumer Reports Experts

Best American Cars, SUVs, and Trucks

That said and clarified, in this latest “Best Of” ratings offering, CR analysts have selected what they found to be the best based on their Overall Score rating system to help guide car shoppers toward identifying at least one make and model for them that makes good consumer sense toward buying a new vehicle.

LUXURY COMPACT CAR

Cadillac CT4 2024

Price Range:  $34,595 - $61,495

CR MPG:  Overall 25 / City 16 / Hwy 38 mpg

#4 of 7 Luxury entry-level cars

Predicted Reliability Score: 45/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 3/5

LUXURY ELECTRIC CAR

Tesla Model 3 2024

Price Range:  $38,990 - $45,990

CR MPGE:  Overall 130 / City 136 / Hwy 123 mpge

#3 of 12 Electric luxury cars

Predicted Reliability Score: 47/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 4/5

SPORTS CAR

Chevrolet Corvette 2024

Price Range:  $68,300 - $130,650

CR MPG:  Overall 19 / City 12 / Hwy 29 mpg

#3 of 8 Sports cars 2-seat

Predicted Reliability Score: 43/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 5/5

COMPACT SUV

Chevrolet Equinox 2024

Price Range:  $26,600 - $33,400

CR MPG:  Overall 25 / City 17 / Hwy 34 mpg

#14 of 29 Compact SUVs

Predicted Reliability Score: 56/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 2/5

MIDSIZED 2-ROW SUV

Ford Edge 2024

Price Range:  $38,465 - $47,205

CR MPG:  Overall 22 / City 15 / Hwy 31 mpg

#1 of 17 Midsized SUVs

Predicted Reliability Score: 68/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 3/5

LUXURY COMPACT SUV

Lincoln Corsair 2024

Price Range:  $38,830 - $53,925

CR MPG:  Overall 23 / City 15 / Hwy 33 mpg

#6 of 24 Luxury compact SUVs

Predicted Reliability Score: 45/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 3/5

LUXURY 3-ROW SUV

Buick Enclave 2024

Price Range:  $43,900 - $59,500

CR MPG:  Overall 18 / City 12 / Hwy 26 mpg

#2 of 11 Luxury large SUVs

Predicted Reliability Score: 68/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 3/5

ELECTRIC SUV

Ford Mustang Mach-E 2024

Price Range:  $43,495 - $58,995

CR MPGE:  Overall 90 / City 96 / Hwy 84 mpge

#2 of 13 Electric SUVs

Predicted Reliability Score: 45/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 4/5

LUXURY ELECTRIC SUV

Tesla Model Y 2024

Price Range:  $43,990 - $52,490

CR MPGE:  Overall 121 / City 127 / Hwy 114 mpge

#4 of 16 Electric luxury SUVs

Predicted Reliability Score: 41/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 4/5

MINIVAN

Chrysler Pacifica 2024

Price Range:  $39,090 - $61,960

CR MPG:  Overall 21 / City 13 / Hwy 33 mpg

#4 of 6 Minivans 3-row

Predicted Reliability Score: 43/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 3/5

SMALL PICKUP

Ford Maverick 2024

Price Range:  $23,815 - $34,855

CR MPG:  Overall 23 / City 16 / Hwy 32 mpg

#1 of 3 Small pickup trucks

Predicted Reliability Score: 71/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 4/5

FULL-SIZED PICKUP

Ram 1500 2024

Price Range:  $39,420 - $96,340

CR MPG:  Overall 17 / City 11 / Hwy 24 mpg

#1 of 17 Full-sized pickup trucks

Predicted Reliability Score: 49/100

Predicted Customer Satisfaction Score: 4/5

Related article: Most Reliable Used Pickup Trucks Consumer Reports Recommends

For additional articles about recent Consumer Reports recommended vehicles, here are a few for your consideration:

• Used Midsized Sedans with the Best Fuel Economy
• Consumer Reports' Most Popular New Cars and SUVs
• Consumer Reports Best Used Cars, SUVs and Trucks for Less Than $5,000

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on  “Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair” website, the Zen Mechanic blog and on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites  and Facebook for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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