Cars
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Blog
Best New Cars for Teens
“As parents, we can’t control what happens on the road once our teen driver pulls out of the driveway,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center. “But we do have some say in the type of vehicle they drive, and that can make a huge difference. This list can help parents easily find vehicles that check…
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Chinese-Made Cars Are Already Here. We’ve Even Tested a Few.
Trade policy aside, when China began exporting vehicles to Europe in the early 2010s, Chinese automakers made headlines for disastrous crash tests. Those results might make buyers wary, but enough has changed since then to make Chinese vehicles a potentially reasonable proposition for buyers in the U.S. Chinese-made EVs like the BYD Atto 3 (below), MG4, and XPeng G9 are…
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Best Used Cars for Teens Under $20,000
Our “Good for Safety” and “Best for Safety” lists don’t include subcompact cars and other vehicles under 2,750 pounds. Research shows that this class of car doesn’t provide adequate protection, specifically in multiple-vehicle crashes. We also did not include large SUVs and pickup trucks, which can be difficult to handle, especially in emergency situations. Large SUVs and pickup trucks also…
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Talking Cars 471: Driving the Freshened 2025 Volkswagen Taos
Main theme: For the 2025 model year, Volkswagen gave its Taos compact SUV some freshened styling, updated the interior technology, and significantly improved the powertrain. Gone is the balky dual-clutch automatic gearbox that the SUV debuted with in 2022, which we called in our road test an “obstreperous powertrain that would keep us from buying it.” In its place is an…
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Talking Cars 470: 2025 New York Auto Show Highlights
Main theme: The podcast panel filmed this episode on the floor at the 2025 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). This year marks the 125th anniversary of the show, which originated at a time when owning a car was not a given for most families. Today’s show featured vehicles ranging from 1900s classics to the latest technology-laden vehicle debuts. The panel…
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10 Used German Luxury Cars That Are Surprisingly Affordable
Germany makes some of the finest premium vehicles in the world. In particular, their sedans and coupes have set benchmarks that the rest of the world constantly aim to meet. New German cars, however, can be expensive, making the used market your friend if you’re on a budget. Some of the most iconic sports sedans and premium saloons have come…
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Talking Cars 469: Driving the 2025 Nissan Murano
Main theme: The Nissan Murano gets a new look, inside and out, for 2025. It’s the midsized two-row SUV’s first revamp in nearly a decade, and it looks great. But we wonder who the target audience is, especially considering that we paid nearly $50,000 for our tested car. Read the 2025 Nissan Murano first drive. Audience Questions:• How long do hybrid…
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Truth About Certified Pre-Owned Cars
Dealers tout certified pre-owned cars as the better choice because of their extended warranty, near-mint condition, and savings over buying new. Our data supports the assertion that they are indeed better cars. Our latest analysis shows that vehicles bought as certified pre-owned had about 14 percent fewer problems than other used cars. “Based on my ongoing analysis, buying a CPO…
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These Are the Cheapest Electric Cars Currently on Sale in The U.S.
As the electric vehicle (EV) market continues to grow, more affordable options are becoming available to budget-conscious drivers. With rising fuel costs and increased environmental awareness, many are making the switch to electric without breaking the bank. We’ve compiled a list of the 10 cheapest EVs currently on sale in the US, providing a variety of options for those looking…
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Talking Cars 468: Driving the Toyota Crown Signia
Main theme: In this podcast episode, we give our first driving impressions of the all-new 2025 Toyota Crown Signia, which we recently purchased for CR’s auto test program. As the name suggests, this new model is based on the Toyota Crown sedan. Where it differs from the sedan is that it doesn’t just look like a hatchback, it actually is…
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