Used-Car Owner Satisfaction: Time Might Not Make the Heart Grow Fonder
An exclusive Consumer Reports survey reveals what owners love about their cars (performance and fuel efficiency)
Most people love their cars at first, but what about after that new-car smell wears off? Once you’ve lived with a car for three years—let alone five—the features and qualities that gave you goose bumps in the showroom can often turn into cold chills down the road.
This is what we found out when we asked our subscribers whether they would get the same car all over again and to consider attributes such as commuting, local driving, long-distance trips, cargo space, and driving with children.
See our report on new-car owner satisfaction.
Three Constants
We have found, time and again, that no matter the vehicles’ age, the vehicles that inspire the strongest loyalty are—almost universally—ones that are reliable, performed well in Consumer Reports' testing, and deliver great fuel economy. Additional attributes that please owners include being fun to drive, fashionably green, or dressing the owner in a high-tech, luxurious driving environment. And ones that performed poorly in some, or all, of those areas sit at the bottom.
The Tesla Model S all-electric luxury sports sedan, which provides all of those attributes in one car, continues to top our ratings with the highest satisfaction score. Even at three years old, it scored a 97 out of 100.
Another strong performer is the Toyota Prius, which is among the most-satisfying three- and five-year-old models.
For example, in the midsized car category, the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Subaru Legacy satisfy their owners no matter the age. At the same time, the Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 200, and Nissan Altima disappoint.
The same trend can be seen among minivans, small and midsized SUVs, and even three- and five-year-old wagons.
There are models that defy this overall trend, but they tend to be outliers. The Jeep Wrangler, Toyota 4Runner, and FJ Cruiser didn’t fare well in our testing, but these specialty vehicles are loved by their owners.
Fuel-efficient models dominate many of the categories, but the “green” promise isn’t satisfying on its own. Both the three- and five-year-old Lexus CT 200h, for example, sit, at the bottom of the Hybrids/EVs category, despite their impressive fuel economy. But the Lexus was a mediocre performer in Consumer Reports' road tests.
Hunger for Fun
Year-over-year owners have shown that, similar to fuel economy, performance and driving enjoyment are satisfying features. You’ll see the same names among the top-performers in the 3- and 5-year categories: Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Mazda Miata, and Porsche 911.
Yet it’s clear manufacturers can easily mess this formula up. The Mini Cooper ranks among the bottom one-third of three-year-old sporty cars, but falls to last place at five years.
Our annual owner-satisfaction survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, asks Consumer Reports magazine and Web subscribers a key, revealing question, “Considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?”
A model’s score is based on the percentage of respondents who answered “definitely yes” to that question.
This year, we received responses on about 600,000, spanning the 2006 through 2015 model years.
Use the pull-down menu to view satisfaction by subcategories.
Owner Satisfaction: 3-Year-Old Cars
Tesla Model S | 97% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Chevrolet Volt | 82% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Toyota Prius | 80% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Toyota Prius V | 75% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Toyota Prius C | 70% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Nissan Leaf | 68% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Lexus CT 200h | 66% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Ford C-MAX | 65% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Honda Fit | 70% | Subcompact Cars |
Fiat 500 | 66% | Subcompact Cars |
Smart ForTwo | 62% | Subcompact Cars |
Chevrolet Sonic | 54% | Subcompact Cars |
Hyundai Accent | 52% | Subcompact Cars |
Chevrolet Spark | 48% | Subcompact Cars |
Hyundai Veloster | 47% | Subcompact Cars |
Ford Fiesta | 41% | Subcompact Cars |
Kia Rio | 40% | Subcompact Cars |
Volkswagen Golf | 74% | Compact Cars |
Honda Civic | 71% | Compact Cars |
Mazda3 | 67% | Compact Cars |
Kia Soul | 64% | Compact Cars |
Toyota Corolla | 63% | Compact Cars |
Scion xB | 62% | Compact Cars |
Toyota Matrix | 61% | Compact Cars |
Subaru Impreza | 61% | Compact Cars |
Volkswagen Beetle | 60% | Compact Cars |
Volkswagen Jetta | 59% | Compact Cars |
Hyundai Elantra | 57% | Compact Cars |
Dodge Dart | 56% | Compact Cars |
Chevrolet Cruze | 54% | Compact Cars |
Kia Forte | 50% | Compact Cars |
Ford Focus | 48% | Compact Cars |
Nissan Sentra | 35% | Compact Cars |
Honda Accord | 74% | Midsized Cars |
Subaru Legacy | 73% | Midsized Cars |
Toyota Camry | 72% | Midsized Cars |
Ford Fusion | 67% | Midsized Cars |
Volkswagen Passat | 65% | Midsized Cars |
Hyundai Sonata | 60% | Midsized Cars |
Chevrolet Malibu | 60% | Midsized Cars |
Kia Optima | 60% | Midsized Cars |
Mazda6 | 55% | Midsized Cars |
Chrysler 200 | 54% | Midsized Cars |
Nissan Altima | 49% | Midsized Cars |
Chrysler 300 | 77% | Large Cars |
Hyundai Azera | 73% | Large Cars |
Dodge Charger | 73% | Large Cars |
Toyota Avalon | 72% | Large Cars |
Nissan Maxima | 66% | Large Cars |
Chevrolet Impala | 66% | Large Cars |
Buick LaCrosse | 65% | Large Cars |
Ford Taurus | 58% | Large Cars |
Porsche 911 | 91% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Porsche Boxster | 89% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Chevrolet Corvette | 87% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Dodge Challenger | 84% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Mazda MX-5 Miata | 81% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Audi A5 | 79% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Mercedes-Benz SL | 78% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Subaru Impreza WRX/STi | 77% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Ford Mustang | 76% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Chevrolet Camaro | 75% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Volkswagen GTI | 72% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Volvo C70 | 71% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Mini Cooper | 70% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
BMW 1 Series | 67% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Subaru BRZ | 66% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Scion FR-S | 65% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Hyundai Genesis Coupe | 56% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Honda Odyssey | 76% | Minivans |
Toyota Sienna | 75% | Minivans |
Chrysler Town & Country | 65% | Minivans |
Nissan Quest | 54% | Minivans |
Dodge Grand Caravan | 53% | Minivans |
Subaru Forester | 73% | Small SUVs |
Mazda CX-5 | 71% | Small SUVs |
Honda CR-V | 70% | Small SUVs |
Subaru XV Crosstrek | 69% | Small SUVs |
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport | 65% | Small SUVs |
Toyota RAV4 | 63% | Small SUVs |
Volkswagen Tiguan | 56% | Small SUVs |
Kia Sportage | 53% | Small SUVs |
Ford Escape | 51% | Small SUVs |
Nissan Juke | 47% | Small SUVs |
Nissan Rogue | 47% | Small SUVs |
Hyundai Tucson | 45% | Small SUVs |
Toyota FJ Cruiser | 80% | Midsized SUVs |
Toyota Highlander | 75% | Midsized SUVs |
Toyota 4Runner | 72% | Midsized SUVs |
Jeep Wrangler | 70% | Midsized SUVs |
Nissan Murano | 67% | Midsized SUVs |
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport | 65% | Midsized SUVs |
Ford Explorer | 65% | Midsized SUVs |
Honda Pilot | 64% | Midsized SUVs |
Ford Edge | 64% | Midsized SUVs |
Hyundai Santa Fe | 62% | Midsized SUVs |
Jeep Grand Cherokee | 61% | Midsized SUVs |
Chevrolet Equinox | 59% | Midsized SUVs |
GMC Terrain | 59% | Midsized SUVs |
Kia Sorento | 59% | Midsized SUVs |
Mazda CX-9 | 58% | Midsized SUVs |
Dodge Journey | 45% | Midsized SUVs |
Nissan Pathfinder | 38% | Midsized SUVs |
Chevrolet Suburban | 74% | Large SUVs |
GMC Yukon XL | 74% | Large SUVs |
Toyota Sequoia | 73% | Large SUVs |
Ford Expedition | 71% | Large SUVs |
Chevrolet Tahoe | 71% | Large SUVs |
GMC Yukon | 71% | Large SUVs |
Ford Flex | 70% | Large SUVs |
Dodge Durango | 68% | Large SUVs |
Chevrolet Traverse | 64% | Large SUVs |
GMC Acadia | 64% | Large SUVs |
Ram 2500 | 79% | Pickup Trucks |
Ford F-350 | 77% | Pickup Trucks |
Honda Ridgeline | 76% | Pickup Trucks |
Ford F-150 | 75% | Pickup Trucks |
Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | 74% | Pickup Trucks |
GMC Sierra 2500HD | 74% | Pickup Trucks |
Ford F-250 | 73% | Pickup Trucks |
Toyota Tundra | 72% | Pickup Trucks |
Ram 1500 | 70% | Pickup Trucks |
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | 65% | Pickup Trucks |
GMC Sierra 1500 | 65% | Pickup Trucks |
Toyota Tacoma | 63% | Pickup Trucks |
Nissan Frontier | 56% | Pickup Trucks |
Audi Allroad | 77% | Wagons |
Subaru Outback | 76% | Wagons |
Volvo XC70 | 74% | Wagons |
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen | 67% | Wagons |
Honda Crosstour | 64% | Wagons |
Toyota Venza | 64% | Wagons |
Mazda5 | 59% | Wagons |
Audi A4 | 73% | Luxury Compact Cars |
BMW 3 Series | 67% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Buick Regal | 66% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Buick Verano | 65% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Infiniti G | 65% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Volkswagen CC | 63% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 62% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Acura TSX | 61% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Volvo S60 | 60% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Lexus IS | 49% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Cadillac ATS | 46% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Acura ILX | 37% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Audi A7 | 87% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Lexus LS | 85% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Audi A6 | 80% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Lexus ES | 80% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 79% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Jaguar XF | 76% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Hyundai Genesis | 75% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Lexus GS | 73% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 73% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
BMW 5 Series | 70% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Lincoln MKZ | 68% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
BMW 7 Series | 67% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Infiniti M | 67% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Acura TL | 62% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Cadillac CTS | 62% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Lincoln MKS | 61% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Cadillac XTS | 58% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Audi Q5 | 75% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class | 73% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
BMW X3 | 69% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Acura RDX | 64% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Volvo XC60 | 63% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Buick Encore | 60% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Mini Cooper Countryman | 57% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Cadillac SRX | 57% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
BMW X1 | 53% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Porsche Cayenne | 89% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Lexus RX | 80% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Lexus GX | 79% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Buick Enclave | 75% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Lexus LX | 75% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Volkswagen Touareg | 73% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class | 72% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 72% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Cadillac Escalade | 66% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
BMW X5 | 65% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Lincoln MKX | 65% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Lincoln MKT | 63% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Acura MDX | 63% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Audi Q7 | 62% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Infiniti FX | 60% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Infiniti JX | 53% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Use the pull-down menu to view satisfaction by sub-categories.
Owner Satisfaction: 5-Year-Old Cars
Toyota Prius | 80% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Nissan Leaf | 55% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Lexus CT 200h | 54% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Honda CR-Z | 43% | Hybrids/Electric Cars |
Honda Fit | 65% | Subcompact Cars |
Ford Fiesta | 40% | Subcompact Cars |
Nissan Versa | 37% | Subcompact Cars |
Volkswagen Golf | 69% | Compact Cars |
Kia Soul | 64% | Compact Cars |
Subaru Impreza | 63% | Compact Cars |
Mazda3 | 60% | Compact Cars |
Toyota Corolla | 60% | Compact Cars |
Chevrolet HHR | 58% | Compact Cars |
Honda Civic | 54% | Compact Cars |
Ford Focus | 54% | Compact Cars |
Hyundai Elantra | 50% | Compact Cars |
Chevrolet Cruze | 45% | Compact Cars |
Volkswagen Jetta | 44% | Compact Cars |
Nissan Sentra | 41% | Compact Cars |
Subaru Legacy | 71% | Midsized Cars |
Toyota Camry | 71% | Midsized Cars |
Kia Optima | 70% | Midsized Cars |
Honda Accord | 65% | Midsized Cars |
Ford Fusion | 60% | Midsized Cars |
Mercury Milan | 60% | Midsized Cars |
Hyundai Sonata | 54% | Midsized Cars |
Chrysler 200 | 50% | Midsized Cars |
Nissan Altima | 49% | Midsized Cars |
Chevrolet Malibu | 39% | Midsized Cars |
Toyota Avalon | 81% | Large Cars |
Buick Lucerne | 70% | Large Cars |
Chrysler 300 | 68% | Large Cars |
Nissan Maxima | 63% | Large Cars |
Buick LaCrosse | 63% | Large Cars |
Ford Taurus | 61% | Large Cars |
Chevrolet Impala | 53% | Large Cars |
Mazda MX-5 Miata | 84% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Ford Mustang | 75% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Chevrolet Camaro | 75% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
BMW 1 Series | 64% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Audi A5 | 60% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Mini Cooper | 57% | Sport Cars: Coupes & Convertibles |
Honda Odyssey | 77% | Minivans |
Toyota Sienna | 71% | Minivans |
Chrysler Town & Country | 58% | Minivans |
Dodge Grand Caravan | 58% | Minivans |
Subaru Forester | 68% | Small SUVs |
Honda Element | 67% | Small SUVs |
Toyota RAV4 | 65% | Small SUVs |
Honda CR-V | 64% | Small SUVs |
Kia Sportage | 56% | Small SUVs |
Ford Escape | 55% | Small SUVs |
Mazda Tribute | 55% | Small SUVs |
Mercury Mariner | 55% | Small SUVs |
Volkswagen Tiguan | 49% | Small SUVs |
Nissan Juke | 46% | Small SUVs |
Nissan Rogue | 46% | Small SUVs |
Hyundai Tucson | 41% | Small SUVs |
Toyota Highlander | 76% | Midsized SUVs |
Mazda CX-9 | 69% | Midsized SUVs |
Jeep Wrangler | 68% | Midsized SUVs |
Toyota 4Runner | 67% | Midsized SUVs |
Honda Pilot | 62% | Midsized SUVs |
Nissan Murano | 62% | Midsized SUVs |
Jeep Grand Cherokee | 61% | Midsized SUVs |
Hyundai Santa Fe | 59% | Midsized SUVs |
Ford Edge | 55% | Midsized SUVs |
Kia Sorento | 54% | Midsized SUVs |
Ford Explorer | 54% | Midsized SUVs |
Mazda CX-7 | 48% | Midsized SUVs |
Chevrolet Equinox | 47% | Midsized SUVs |
GMC Terrain | 47% | Midsized SUVs |
Ford Flex | 76% | Large SUVs |
Chevrolet Suburban | 74% | Large SUVs |
GMC Yukon XL | 74% | Large SUVs |
Ford Expedition | 67% | Large SUVs |
Chevrolet Tahoe | 62% | Large SUVs |
GMC Yukon | 62% | Large SUVs |
Chevrolet Traverse | 48% | Large SUVs |
GMC Acadia | 48% | Large SUVs |
Chevrolet Avalanche | 78% | Pickup Trucks |
Ford F-350 | 76% | Pickup Trucks |
Ram 1500 | 75% | Pickup Trucks |
Honda Ridgeline | 73% | Pickup Trucks |
Ford F-250 | 73% | Pickup Trucks |
Dodge Ram 1500 | 72% | Pickup Trucks |
Ford F-150 | 70% | Pickup Trucks |
Toyota Tundra | 68% | Pickup Trucks |
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | 63% | Pickup Trucks |
GMC Sierra 1500 | 63% | Pickup Trucks |
Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | 63% | Pickup Trucks |
GMC Sierra 2500HD | 63% | Pickup Trucks |
Toyota Tacoma | 63% | Pickup Trucks |
Nissan Frontier | 60% | Pickup Trucks |
Ford Ranger | 55% | Pickup Trucks |
Subaru Outback | 76% | Wagons |
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen | 67% | Wagons |
Toyota Venza | 60% | Wagons |
Honda Accord Crosstour | 56% | Wagons |
Acura TSX | 66% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Lexus IS | 63% | Luxury Compact Cars |
BMW 3 Series | 62% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Audi A4 | 61% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Buick Regal | 61% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Infiniti G | 61% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 51% | Luxury Compact Cars |
Lexus LS | 84% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Lexus ES | 77% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Acura TL | 75% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Cadillac DTS | 72% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 71% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Hyundai Genesis | 69% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Lincoln MKZ | 67% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
BMW 5 Series | 65% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Infiniti M | 64% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
Cadillac CTS | 63% | Luxury Midsized/Large Cars |
BMW X3 | 70% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Audi Q5 | 64% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Acura RDX | 64% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class | 63% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Volvo XC60 | 61% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Cadillac SRX | 57% | Luxury Compact SUVs |
Lexus RX | 77% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Buick Enclave | 68% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 68% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Acura MDX | 64% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
Lincoln MKX | 62% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |
BMW X5 | 56% | Luxury Midsized/Large SUVs |