Car shopping is nerve-wracking. The right purchase can protect your finances, make you smile when you see it, feel like an extension of yourself on a winding road, and impress your friends. The wrong buy can be a daily disappointment you’re stuck with.
“Wouldn’t it be great if you could find out how happy car buyers are with their vehicles?” asks Consumer Reports.
Related: Consumer Reports Lists 10 Most Reliable Cars
Attempting to give that insight, the magazine singles out answers to one question from its annual owner satisfaction survey: “If you had it to do all over again, would you definitely buy or lease the same model?”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Chevrolet Corvette wins more loyalty than any other car in the survey. Today’s Corvette is a midengine marvel, offering Ferrari-like performance for a surprisingly affordable price. The 2024 Corvette Stingray base model starts at $69,995, including the $1,695 destination charge. That would be steep compared to a family car. But stacked against other V8-powered midengine cars with exotic looks, it’s shockingly low.
Consumer Reports studies are always worth a look in your car shopping research. But they’re also always worth an ounce of skepticism. The magazine surveys its subscribers. So its results don’t tell you what general car buyers think. They tell you what people who will pay a subscription fee for a magazine that ranks everything from mattresses to heat pumps think.
That approach can create a self-reinforcing cycle where subscribers buy the products the magazine likes, and then those products rank well again.
That makes a few names on this list particularly surprising. Electric-only automaker Rivian is just building its reputation and already has both of its current products in CR’s top 10. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is also brand new and already a favorite.
Other names are well-known and long-established. The Mazda MX-5 Miata, for instance, may be responsible for more smiles than any other affordable vehicle in history. It’s a cute, reasonably priced convertible that’s fun to drive at neighborhood speeds. Of course, Miata owners like their cars.
Notably, Honda Pilot owners are almost as satisfied. Americans buy more midsize SUVs than any other type of vehicle. Not every midsize SUV from a mainstream manufacturer leaves its owners wanting more.
CR’s 10 Most Satisfying Cars to Own:
Cox Automotive, the parent company of Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader, is a minority investor in Rivian.
