If you’re in the market for a car this year, these are the ones we’ve deemed the best based on our in-depth testing and evaluation process.
In 2018, the editors here at Car and Driver tested almost 500 cars. We counted cupholders, rated seat comfort, loaded them with luggage to measure their cargo room, and took them to our test track to see how well they accelerated, braked, and turned. We crawled in, around, and under them to assess and quantify their qualities. From this wide range of cars, we have selected our 2019 Editors’ Choice winners; the list also includes the cars that won a spot on our 10Best Cars for 2019. In our collective opinion, these are the best cars for 2019, the ones we would recommend to those shopping in each of the categories below.
Looking for a truck, crossover, or an SUV? You’ll find the ones that we think are best here.
Jump to Hybrids and Electric Vehicles
Jump to Coupes and Convertibles
Sedans
While the market for SUVs continues to expand and the demand for sedans is dwindling, that doesn’t mean a four-door is a bad choice for your next set of wheels. Small cars are a great place to start your search; if you’re looking for more room, however, take a look at a mid-size family sedan. Got a bigger budget? Check out a luxury sedan. There are lots of choices, but we’ve made it easy: Below are our picks for the best sedans for 2019.
Subcompact Sedans
Hyundai Accent
Highs: Base version is a great bargain, well-made interior, we saw 41 mpg in our test.
Lows: Cramped rear seat, only offered as a sedan, coarse engine note.
Kia Rio
Highs: Quick acceleration, nice ride quality, sophisticated interior design.
Lows: Not a lot of cargo space, tight rear seat, no driver assists on base model.
Mercedes-Benz A-class
Highs: Roomy back seat, responsive engine, new tech is a class above.
Lows: Touchscreen a far reach for shorter drivers, some of the tech still needs work.
Toyota Yaris sedan
Highs: Well-made interior, fun to drive, excellent value.
Lows: Small rear seat, worse fuel economy in our testing than the top competitors.
Compact Sedans
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Highs: Transcendent feedback from controls, engaging handling, exhaust note.
Lows: Reliability woes, interior distinctly not luxurious, poor rear-seat legroom.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Highs: Centerfold bodywork, herculean performance, surprisingly livable ride.
Lows: No manual transmission, mediocre cabin quality, dubious reliability.
Audi A5 Sportback
Highs: Cargo-friendly rear hatch, strong powertrains, superb build quality.
Lows: Interior lacks luxuriousness, tight back seat, lacks in-cabin storage.
Genesis G70
Highs: Athletic V-6 option, sharp handling, handsome.
Lows: Small back seat, lackluster four-cylinder, manual doesn’t add to the experience.
Honda Civic
Highs: Fun to drive, optional turbo engine is efficient and powerful, standard safety features.
Lows: Rear seat lacks USB ports, lower trims lack features, sub-par braking performance.
Honda Civic Si
Highs: Tremendous performance bargain, practical interior, slick-shifting manual.
Lows: Engine note fails to stir passion, no hatchback, no driver-assist tech.
Kia Stinger
Highs: Seriously fast twin-turbo V-6, useful cargo area, great performance value.
Lows: Spartan interior, weak brakes on four-cylinder model, slow-responding infotainment.
Mercedes-AMG C43
Highs: Spectacular cabin quality, incredible quickness, multiple configurations.
Lows: Rides too stiff, more options mean more money, C63 version is quicker.
Mercedes-AMG C63
Highs: Jaw-dropping acceleration, fun to drive fast, simply exquisite inside.
Lows: Overly stiff ride, not budget-friendly, looks like the lesser C43 model.
Mercedes-Benz C-class
Highs: Looks like its big-sib S-class, lots of available safety tech, convertible option.
Lows: Cramped back seat, coupe and convertible have poor ride, no wagon.
Mid-size Sedans
Audi A6
Highs: Strong performance numbers, dazzling dashboard, quiet competence.
Lows: Barely evolved exterior design, dull to drive, engine lacks character.
Audi A7
Highs: Sophisticated styling, cohesive operation, state-of-the-art technology.
Lows: Looks too similar to old A7, maybe too subdued, distracting infotainment.
BMW M5
Highs: Supercar acceleration, finally a driver’s car again, now has all-wheel drive.
Lows: No more manual transmission, engine noise could be more visceral.
Honda Accord
Highs: Excellent engines, high-quality and spacious interior, comfortable ride.
Lows: Lacking interior storage, limited rearward visibility, hybrid can be noisy.
Mazda 6
Highs: Quiet, near-luxury interior; satisfying controls; ample trunk space.
Lows: Turbo engine limited to top trims, back seat hard to fold flat.
Mercedes-AMG E53
Highs: Extravagant cabin, equal parts luxury and sport, cutting-edge technology.
Lows: Options inflate cost, dainty shift lever, inferior warranty versus rivals.
Mercedes-AMG E63
Highs: Insane power, rear-drive mode offers tail-happy handling, badass exhaust note.
Lows: Stiff suspension, uncomfortable ride, the wagon is the better all-around version.
Mercedes-Benz E-class
Highs: All-encompassing elegance, graceful ride and handling, chock full of tech.
Lows: Weak base engine, confusing infotainment menus, cheap-feeling column shifter.
Nissan Altima
Highs: Roomy cabin, comfortable front seats, available all-wheel drive.
Lows: Ride can be harsh, too much road noise for rear passengers, can’t pair turbo and AWD.
Toyota Camry
Highs: Lots of standard driver-assist tech, roomy interior, offers a hybrid.
Lows: Lower-trim interiors feel cheap, hybrid’s brakes are touchy at low speed.
Full-size Sedans
Audi A8
Highs: State-of-the-art interior, excellent ride comfort, very quiet interior.
Lows: Exterior too subtle for a flagship, autonomous tech needs work, screens are fussy.
Genesis G90
Highs: Superb value proposition, smooth ride, quiet interior, refined powertrains.
Lows: Lacks brand cachet, ride can be floaty, fewer tech features than competitors.
Kia Cadenza
Highs: Commodious interior, huge trunk, feels more upscale than its price tag indicates.
Lows: Steering feels imprecise, lacking overall definitive character, slower than competitors.
Mercedes-AMG S63/S65
Highs: Absurd acceleration, out-of-this-world luxury, still has an available V-12.
Lows: We can’t afford the $150,000 S63, we can’t afford the $230,000 S65.
Mercedes-Benz S-class
Highs: Sublime engines, super-luxe interior, plenty of active-safety features.
Lows: Convertible has small back seat, V-6 model lacks effortless surge of power.
Nissan Maxima
Highs: Roomy front seat, punchy V-6, recorded an impressive 32 mpg in our test.
Lows: Small trunk, limited rear-seat headroom, chintzy interior bits.
Hatchbacks
Hatchbacks forgo the traditional trunk of a sedan in favor of a rear liftgate that opens up to reveal sometimes surprisingly large cargo bays. Fold down the rear seats and these versatile vehicles can even swallow luggage like crossovers twice their size and can handle bulky cargo better than four-door alternatives. Here is our list of 2019’s best hatchbacks.
Subcompact Hatchbacks
Chevrolet Spark
Highs: Lots of features for the money, comfortable ride, rated 38 mpg highway.
Lows: Small rear seat, limited cargo space, slow acceleration.
Kia Rio
Highs: Quick acceleration, nice ride quality, sophisticated interior design.
Lows: Not a lot of cargo space, tight rear seat, no driver assists on base model.
Compact Hatchbacks
Honda Civic
Highs: Fun to drive, optional turbo engine is efficient and powerful, standard safety features.
Lows: Rear seat lacks USB ports, lower trims lack features, sub-par braking performance.
Honda Civic Type R
Highs: Unreal handling, near-perfect powertrain, excellent gear shift.
Lows: Boring exhaust note, lacks any driver-assist tech, huge wing blocks rear visibility.
Hyundai Veloster N
Highs: Great performance value, excellent sport seats, stable and quiet at speed.
Lows: Economy-car cabin, less impressive without Performance package, oddball doors.
Volkswagen Golf
Highs: Drives like a luxury car, pleasant and practical cabin, large cargo area.
Lows: Limited personalization, small center console, limited power-seat adjustments.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Highs: Powerful turbo four, slick transmissions, balance of comfort and performance.
Lows: Slow-responding infotainment, small center console, not in our driveway.
Volkswagen Golf R
Highs: Bad-boy performance, grown-up looks, all-wheel drive, standard driver-assist tech.
Lows: Costs Audi money, small center console, questionable value vs. Golf GTI.
Hybrids and Electric Vehicles
Buy a hybrid or an electric vehicle so you can help save the planet—or at least save some gas money. This category encompasses a broad range of vehicles that includes small hatchbacks, large sedans, and even some SUVs. They all have one thing in common, however: electricity aids their propulsion. Hybrids use both electricity and gasoline but if you’re looking for a vehicle that runs only on electricity, you’ll find them here, too. Read on to see our choices for the best hybrids and the best electric vehicles for 2019.
Honda Accord hybrid
Highs: Excellent engines, high-quality and spacious interior, comfortable ride.
Lows: Lacking interior storage, limited rearward visibility, hybrid can be noisy.
Honda Insight
Highs: Smooth acceleration, 51-mpg highway rating, comfortable ride.
Lows: Engine sounds strained at speed, lacks hybrid visual cues, pricier than a Civic.
Hyundai Ioniq
Highs: Desirable standard features, hatchback practicality, engine has 10-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Lows: Sluggish acceleration, plug-in model has less cargo space, cheap interior materials.
Chevrolet Volt
Highs: Best-in-class all-electric range, user-friendly touchscreen, comfy front seats.
Lows: Small rear seat, no fast-charging technology, low-rent interior.
Tesla Model S
Highs: Otherworldly acceleration, dynamite to drive, premier all-electric range.
Lows: Pricey but not luxurious, lack of intuitive controls, no back-seat cubbies.
Toyota Camry hybrid
Highs: Lots of standard driver-assist tech, roomy interior, offers a hybrid.
Lows: Lower-trim interiors feel cheap, hybrid’s brakes are touchy at low speed.
Volkswagen e-Golf
Highs: As pleasant to drive as a regular Golf, as practical as a regular Golf, uses no gas.
Lows: Uncompetitive driving range, high price, only available in certain states.
Station Wagons
Despite not being the family transporter of choice for many years, station wagons remain some of the most useful vehicles currently sold, not to mention some of the coolest looking. Many of them are simply long-roof versions of popular sedan models, but they all serve as more athletic and practical alternatives to the omnipresent crossover and SUV crowd. Here are our picks for the best station wagons for 2019.
Mercedes-AMG E63 S wagon
Highs: Bahn-burning speed, still a solid grocery-getter, scandalous exhaust note.
Lows: Lacks the E450’s third-row seats, lacks nothing else.
Mercedes-Benz E-class wagon
Highs: Robust engine, tech-rich cabin, ideal blend of luxury and practicality.
Lows: Expensive semi-autonomous gear, too-basic warranty, cubby space merely adequate.
Subaru Outback
Highs: Elevated seat height, all-wheel drive is standard, high marks for safety.
Lows: Slowest in class; loud, coarse engines; humdrum driving experience.
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
Highs: High-quality cabin, spirited handling, more cargo space than some SUVs.
Lows: Raised ride-height reduces fuel economy, less ground clearance than Subaru Outback, won’t tow.
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen
Highs: Crisp steering and handling, cargo-friendly cabin, unbeatable value.
Lows: Not as stylish as Alltrack, pricey driver assists, AWD only offered on base model.
Volvo V90
Highs: Gorgeous cabin, mammoth cargo capacity, dazzling exterior styling.
Low: Harsh ride, more road noise than expected, special order only.
Volvo V90 Cross Country
Highs: Upscale design, lovely and spacious cabin, more practical than an SUV.
Lows: More expensive than standard V90, unrefined powertrain, mundane driving dynamics.
Coupes and Convertibles
Coupes and convertibles sacrifice spacious back seats and curtail everyday practicality compared with most four-door alternatives, but many models overcompensate with look-at-me styling and sportier driving responses. Whether it’s a budget-friendly compact, a swanky boulevard cruiser, or a rip-roaring sports car, these particular vehicles are guaranteed to make some kind of statement. Below are our picks for the best coupes and convertibles for 2019.
Subcompact Coupes and Convertibles
BMW 2-series
Highs: Great turbocharged engines, great to drive, great to look at.
Lows: Interior is cramped, tech is becoming outdated, only available as a two-door.
BMW M2 Competition
Highs: Incredible performance, sharp reflexes, standard manual transmission.
Lows: Harsh ride, dull interior materials, milder M240i is a better value.
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Highs: A pure sports-car experience, RF retractable hardtop, light and lovely.
Lows: Tight cabin space, tight trunk space, tight cubby space, bland paint colors.
Compact Coupes and Convertibles
Honda Civic
Highs: Fun to drive, optional turbo engine is efficient and powerful, standard safety features.
Lows: Rear seat lacks USB ports, lower trims lack features, sub-par braking performance.
Honda Civic Si
Highs: Tremendous performance bargain, practical interior, slick-shifting manual.
Lows: Engine note fails to stir passion, no hatchback, no driver-assist tech.
Mercedes-AMG C43
Highs: Spectacular cabin quality, incredible quickness, multiple configurations.
Lows: Rides too stiff, more options mean more money, C63 version is quicker.
Mercedes-AMG C63
Highs: Jaw-dropping acceleration, fun to drive fast, simply exquisite inside.
Lows: Overly stiff ride, not budget-friendly, looks like the lesser C43 model.
Mercedes-Benz C-class
Highs: Looks like its big-sib S-class, lots of available safety tech, convertible option.
Lows: Cramped back seat, coupe and convertible have poor ride, no wagon.
Mid-size Coupes and Convertibles
Mercedes-AMG E53
Highs: Extravagant cabin, equal parts luxury and sport, cutting-edge technology.
Lows: Options inflate cost, dainty shift lever, inferior warranty versus rivals.
Mercedes-Benz E-class
Highs: All-encompassing elegance, graceful ride and handling, chock full of tech.
Lows: Weak base engine, confusing infotainment menus, cheap-feeling column shifter.
Full-size Coupes and Convertibles
Mercedes-AMG S63/S65
Highs: Absurd acceleration, out-of-this-world luxury, still has an available V-12.
Lows: We can’t afford the $150,000 S63, we can’t afford the $230,000 S65.
Mercedes-Benz S-class
Highs: Sublime engines, super-luxe interior, plenty of active-safety features.
Lows: Convertible has small back seat, V-6 model lacks effortless surge of power.
Muscle Cars
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Highs: Corvette Z06 engine, supercar track performance, near-unbeatable value.
Lows: Terrible outward visibility, cramped interior, it’s still a Camaro.
Ford Mustang
Highs: Excellent V-8, bang-for-your-buck performance, Bullitt special edition is back.
Lows: Cheap interior pieces, four-cylinder with 10-speed automatic feels uncoordinated.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
Highs: Incredible track performance, impressively good ride, ungodly exhaust note.
Lows: Low-rent interior materials, brakes are too touchy, not as quick as the competition.
Sports Cars
Chevrolet Corvette
Highs: Sports-car looks, powerful V-8 engine, daily-drivable ride quality.
Lows: Interior looks and feels cheap, targa roof is heavy, nearly no interior storage space.
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Highs: Amazing performance for the money, thrilling supercharged engine, endless grip.
Lows: Dated, cheap interior; lacks refinement; 755-horsepower ZR1 causes envy.
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Highs: Monstrous 755-horsepower V-8 engine, race-car intensity, still daily drivable.
Lows: Slow-shifting automatic, interior smells like plastic, wing compromises practicality.
McLaren 570S/570GT
Highs: Blistering acceleration, sounds amazing, incredible interior.
Lows: No cargo space, limited rear visibility, hard to get in and out of it.
Porsche 718 Boxster
Highs: Responsive steering, perfect driving position, excellent ride and handling.
Lows: Limited interior storage, flimsy cupholders, unimpressive engine noise.
Porsche 718 Cayman
Highs: Near-perfect ride and handling, near-perfect performance.
Lows: Four-cylinder doesn’t sound great, cheap plastic interior bits, noisy on highway.
Porsche 911
Highs: Indelible performance, 28 mpg in our highway test, customizable interior options.
Lows: Limited cargo room, minimal cabin storage, tiny rear seats.
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Highs: Ready for the track, amazing 9000-rpm redline, exotic carbon-fiber exterior trim.
Lows: Too focused on track performance, arrest-me looks, rear wing blocks visibility.
Porsche 911 Turbo/Turbo S
Highs: Massive amounts of power, superlative brakes, still manages to be comfortable.
Lows: No manual, minimal cargo room, makes it too easy to break the speed limit.
