U.S. News announces the 2021 Best Cars for the Money

Toyota wins more awards than any other brand

Washington, D.C. – U.S. News & World Report unveiled the 2021 Best Cars for the Money awards on Feb. 9. Covering 11 automotive categories, the awards put a spotlight on cars, SUVs and minivans that represent the best combination of long-term value and excellent ownership experience.

“When it comes to car buying, value is about more than a low price tag,” said Jamie Page Deaton, executive editor of U.S. News Best Cars. “Buying the least expensive car on the lot can mean buyers end up with high ownership costs and a vehicle that doesn’t necessarily fit their needs.

“The Best Cars for the Money award winners have strong value propositions at the dealership and down the road. They are all also a pleasure to own, with the performance, comfort and features buyers appreciate.”

Toyota won the most awards this year with four. Kia and Honda each earned three, and Hyundai earned one. The Kia Forte, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Toyota Corolla Hybrid each won their award for the second year in a row, while the Kia Soul and Sorento have now won for five consecutive years.

The Honda CR-V has also won for five consecutive years, and the Toyota Corolla has a four-year winning streak. The Honda Passport and Hyundai Accent are both first-time winners.

Methodology

Within each class, the award winner has the best combination of quality and value. We measured quality using a car’s overall score in the U.S. News Best Car Rankings. The overall score is based on safety and reliability data, as well as the collective opinion of the automotive press on a given model’s performance and interior and how strongly each reviewer recommends the car. We measured value by looking at each model’s real-time transaction prices, provided by TrueCar, and five-year total cost of ownership data, calculated by Vincentric.

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