How to Find a Safe and Reliable Used Car for Your Budget

Every car we purchase new is put through a comprehensive program that includes acceleration, braking, emergency handling, and fuel-economy tests. We also evaluate usability, fit and finish, noise, ride, and safety systems. For electric vehicles, we consider factors such as speed, ease of charging, and range. This informs our used-car recommendations and provides comprehensive road tests for shoppers.

Comprehensive reliability ratings based on member surveys reveal how well a car holds up and specifically where problems may arise. Recommended used cars have above-average reliability compared with other cars of the same model year. Our Best reliable models have proved to have multiple years of strong reliability scores.

To be recommended, used cars must come standard with electronic stability control (ESC). In addition, many recommended models are available with safety features such as forward collision warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind spot warning (BSW), lane departure warning (LDW), and/or lane keeping assistance (LKA).

Even among the used cars we recommend, stinkers can result from a bad day at the factory or a neglectful owner who didn’t keep up with the required maintenance. Make sure to have the car you’re considering thoroughly inspected by a certified mechanic before you sign on the dotted line.

The term “new” is used too often in reference to cars. For us, “all-new” means the car did not exist before, such as when the Tesla Cybertruck arrived on the scene. It can also signal the start of a generation, reflecting a major redesign.

This is when an existing car undergoes a bumper-to-bumper engineering overhaul. Typically, this involves changing all exterior sheet metal and the full interior. Extensive redesigns can also change the platform and powertrain. A slight mid-generation styling update is not a true redesign.

Most cars enter the market in the fall before the model year and leave the market, or are replaced, by the fall of the model year. For example, the 2024 models typically went on sale in fall 2023. The following year, they will be replaced by 2025 models that go on sale in fall 2024. The model year is important for looking up equipment, performance, reliability, values, and recalls.

Most cars are sold for five to seven years before they are treated to a full redesign. This period is referred to as a generation. During that time, there may be incremental changes to equipment. Halfway through the generation, many cars receive upgrades to appearance, standard features, and interior details, often called a refresh. Our surveys show reliability tends to improve later in a generation.