Ford Mach-E Wins AAA Award As Best All-Around 2022 Vehicle

Ford's Mustang Mach-E continues to reap awards. Last year and the year before, the Mach-E, Ford's first true electric vehicle (EV), reaped many "car of the year" awards.

Mach-E Has Won Number Of Awards

For example, the Ford electric received plaudits from Car and Driver, Cars.com, AutoGuide, and AutoWeek. Here are some of the specific awards:

• Car and Driver: Editor's Choice
• Car and Driver: Electric Vehicle of the Year
• Cars.com: Eco-Friendly Vehicle of the Year
• AutoGuide: Utility of the Year
• AutoGuide: Green Vehicle of the Year
• AutoWeek: Car Buyer's Award

It's quite an impressive list of wins, to which has been added the American Automobile Assn.'s Best Overall Car for 2022. The auto club announced this week in its' "AAA Car Guide."

The car club noted that "new vehicle shoppers primarily want two things in their next ride – better fuel efficiency and more driver-assist safety features. According to AAA, nearly 80 percent of drivers want automakers to focus on improving fuel economy. And 76 percent want active-driving assistance systems (ADAS), like automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, and adaptive cruise control. Addressing these twin desires can be accomplished with the newest batch of EVs, which are often the most technologically cutting-edge and the most fuel-efficient."

’Car Guide’ Helps Consumers

Many of the world's major automakers have announced plans to dramatically increase electric vehicle production or phase out gasoline-powered vehicles entirely by 2035. The "AAA Car Guide" helps consumers navigate the changing automotive marketplace by ranking and rating the newest vehicles available for sale, including alternative fuel vehicles.

For the 2022 edition of the guide, the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD earned the overall top score. Researchers noted that this Mustang has a dramatic new profile. It is powerful, electric, quiet, quick, roomy, and fun to drive. As the AAA notes, the guide "provides consumers with reviews highlighting how many advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are included in the vehicle and other criteria and information. All category winners for 2022 are electric, plug-in electric hybrid, or hybrid vehicles. In addition to being highly fuel-efficient, the winners are also loaded with the latest in advanced driver-assistance systems."

In 2021, electric vehicle sales rose to nearly 477,000, representing 3.3 percent of total vehicle sales – but a whopping 81.5 percent increase over 2020 sales. Six are electric of the 62 vehicles reviewed for the "2022 Car Guide."

"EV sales, while small, are growing, and the signs are everywhere that the future is electric," said Megan McKernan, manager of the Automotive Research Center. "And that future may arrive faster with consumer preferences changing because of factors such as high gas prices and the gradual phasing-out of gasoline-powered vehicles in some areas."

2022 Guide Has Comprehensive Reviews

The 2022 guide includes comprehensive reviews of each vehicle based on 12 criteria, including the number of ADAS safety features, fuel efficiency, emissions, braking, handling, ride quality, and acceleration. These vehicles are tested, scored, and placed in one of five vehicle categories by the Automotive Research Center (ARC) of the Automobile Club of Southern California, a member of the AAA federation of motor clubs.

"Our research is designed to eliminate the guesswork for consumers when they are looking to purchase a new vehicle," continued McKernan. "The AAA Car Guide is an easy-to-understand resource that can help improve consumers' decisions when it comes to car buying."

Industry analysts forecast that the COVID-19 pandemic, the semi-conductor chip shortage, and the proliferation of EVs will affect the availability, types, and prices of new and used cars in 2022. For those in the market for newer used vehicles, the online AAA Car Guide also contains links to the two prior editions in 2021 and 2020.

Each of the 2022 guide winners has numerous ADAS safety features and achieves high fuel efficiency by being hybrid or all-electric, generating a higher score. The highest scoring ranked by category are:

• Category Vehicle
• Overall 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD (electric)
• Small 2021 BMW 330e (plug-in hybrid)
• Midsize 2021 BMW 530e (plug-in hybrid)
• Large 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580 4MATIC Sedan (hybrid)
• Pickup 2021 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew Hybrid 4×4
• SUV/Minivan 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD (electric)
• Best Under $35K 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited
• Best $35K – $50K 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 1st Edition (electric)
• Best Over $50K 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD (electric)
Winners Can Be Found Online

Winners, detailed evaluation criteria, vehicle reviews, and an in-depth analysis of the ADAS technology can be found at www.aaa.com/carguide.

The guide also contains detailed information about AAA's recent research on current automotive technologies and topics, such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), gasoline quality, headlight effectiveness, and safely transporting a pet in the vehicle.

Started in 1902 by automotive enthusiasts who wanted to chart a path for better roads in America and advocate for safe mobility, AAA has transformed into one of North America's largest membership organizations. Today, AAA provides roadside assistance, travel, discounts, and financial and insurance services to enhance the life journey of 62 million members across North America, including 56 million in the United States. To learn more about all AAA offers or become a member, visit AAA.com.

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971 when an otherwise normal news editor said, "You're our new car editor," and dumped about 27 pounds of auto stuff on my desk. I was in heaven as I have been a gearhead from my early days. As a teen, I spent the usual number of misspent hours hanging out at gas stations Shell and Texaco (a big thing in my youth) and working on cars. From there on, it was a straight line to my first column for the paper, "You Auto Know," an enterprise that I handled faithfully for 32 years. Not many people know that I also handled computer documentation for a good part of my living while writing YAN. My best writing, though, was always in cars. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, etc. You can follow me on: Twitter or Facebook.