2011 Annual Auto Issue: Then & now

Consumer Reports began publishing car-testing results with a report on 22 models in the June 1936 issue. Each car in the group sold for under $800 (that's $12,550 in today's dollars). We deemed 17 of them acceptable, and judged the Ford V8 Standard and the Plymouth De Luxe to be Best Buys for their low prices and good performance. The Pontiac De Luxe 6 (tricky handling), Willys 77 (poor visibility and ride), and Auburn 654 (high price and rough engine) were rated Not Acceptable.

Back then we couldn't afford to buy cars; we borrowed them from friends and family. Nor did we use instrumented testing, as we do now. We also cautioned against too much reliance on mileage (or fuel economy) tests at constant speed, because the average driver accelerated about 20 times a mile.

It wasn't until the early 1950s that Consumer Reports began incorporating testing similar to what we do today. In 1954 we published our first reliability chart, based on responses from 50,000 subscribers. Today we receive responses for 1.3 million vehicles, which allows us to predict the reliability of almost 300 new models.

For more on Consumer Reports 75th Anniversary, see our video and special section.

Visit the annual auto issue special section for quick access to the latest Ratings, articles, and videos.