Cars and Drivers

America's Best Car

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: January 26, 2024 6:45 am

In what has become a blizzard of best and worst car lists, the online car research firm Edmunds released its top 2024 picks for the best cars sold in America. The firm selected cars from a universe of over 500.

Some of the most visible best car lists include those from Car and Driver, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, Motor Trend, and U.S. News. Each has different criteria, ranging from safety to reliability to “fun to drive.” The lists are essential to the auto industry because they can influence consumer preference and, thus, sales. Alistair Weaver, VP Editorial and Editor-in-Chief, commented, “At Edmunds we’re committed to delivering the most rigorous, independent testing in the automotive world. Every year we drive more than 300 vehicles on the road and at our private test track to deliver the definitive Edmunds Expert Rating.”

Edmunds Top Pick for 2024

The top-rated car was the Toyota Prius, which is a hybrid. And it is a hybrid in a world where most cars are gasoline-powered and electric vehicle (EV) sales are rising. It has both a gasoline-powered engine and an electric one. A small combustion engine kicks in when the electric engine’s charge falls below a certain level. That gas engine, in turn, charges the electric one. Some have batteries that are charged when they decelerate.

The Prius can be described as the car that made hybrids mainstream. Toyota first introduced the car in 1997. It has gone through six major upgrades. Total Prius sales over the years have reached 4.3 million. The Prius is inexpensive, with a base price of less than $28,000. (Here are the 10 most affordable plug-in hybrids.)

Toyota once called the Prius the “car of the century.” Edmunds’ comment about the 2024 model was that “[t]his new Prius fully realizes that claim, with thoroughly modern tech, helpful safety systems, a functional interior and, of course, incredible efficiency.”