AutoGuide's Favorite Vehicles of 2025

Every year we drive hundreds of new cars, trucks, and SUVs—these are our editors' top picks.

Earth is completing another lap around the sun, and while there was tariff turmoil and incentive insecurity, this year's lineup of new vehicles contained numerous bright spots. And we drove 'em all.

While we here at AutoGuide like to think that, at the tail end of 2025, there are no truly bad cars—only those less well-suited to tasks than others—there are certainly great cars. Between editorial director Greg Migliore, managing editor Mike Schlee, and myself we drove hundreds of new vehicles this year, and that's not even counting what our various contributors got behind the wheel of. Instead of a big dog-and-pony awards show, we sat down in our end-of-year podcast to talk our favorites in five categories: cars, SUVs (including trucks), electric vehicles, luxury vehicles, and performance cars.

Cars might be the bit players in the market these days, but that just means the ones that are left have to be good, right? We certainly think these three are. I kicked things off with my most recent First Drive of the year in the (very strange) shape of the Kia EV4. The Korean brand's latest model slots into the lower end of the market, right where EVs need to be to win over value-focused buyers. It doesn't drive like a cheap car however—though US folks will be missing out on this one, as Kia America has put plans for it on ice for now.

Mike picked the car that won not one but two AutoGuide comparisons this year: the Honda Civic. Annoyingly good at dang near everything, the Civic got even better this year with the addition of a hybrid setup, blessing it with more power and efficiency than ever before. Yes, the Honda Tax is a real thing in this segment, but you're getting a car that genuinely feels a half-class above.

After two economy-minded picks, Greg went deep into the other side with the de facto donut-producer of 2025, the Dodge Charger Sixpack. We always knew the reborn Charger coupe and sedan would get an internal combustion option, and the Hurricane-powered beast made a strong first impression. Greg commended the Charger for its potent mix of good looks, a spacious cabin, and that character-laden powertrain.

Greg kicked off this category with a vehicle all three of us spent time with this year: the Honda Passport TrailSport. After the meh previous generation, we're happy to see the latest Passport adopt a more rugged look, giving it serious presence. The TrailSport can billy goat its way across terrain surprisingly well for a unibody SUV, yet the classic on-road Honda friendliness remains. Those who crave something just a little old-fashioned will appreciate the Passport's continued use of a tried-and-true V6, too. ( I liked it quite a lot, too!)

I've talked about the Hyundai Palisade plenty this year already, so let me reiterate: this should be the SUV of the year wherever other fine establishments are handing out awards broadly titled as such. The original Palisade already changed minds about Hyundai, and this one is even more bullish. Range Rover-aping looks hide a seriously swanky cabin, with oodles of space and plenty of tech to satisfy even the nerdiest dads. The gas-powered models are generally great, though Greg and I both don't particularly enjoy the roly-poly XRT Pro, and the Palisade Hybrid is easily the keeper of the bunch. With a powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine and some of the best fuel economy in the segment, the hybrid is an easy pick. In the top Calligraphy trim, the Palisade should seriously tempt folks away from the likes of the Acura MDX and Infiniti QX60.

Continuing a trend, Mike went in a whole different direction for the final pick of the category. The Ford Bronco isn't exactly new anymore, but in the Heritage Edition nails what makes this rowdy off-roader so appealing: a pitch-perfect blend of nostalgia, capability, and just a smidge more on-road manners than the equivalent Wrangler.

Sticking to the domestics, Mike shocked us by picking the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS as his top electric model of the year. Okay, so it doesn't have Apple CarPlay, which Schlee admits "almost keeps it out of first place alone," but its "ridiculous power" paired with good space and range made it an excellent all-rounder.

Greg got ahead of the next category by picking the first of a few Mercedes-Benz in this year's round-up. After having the distinct pleasure of driving two big Benzes back-to-back, our editorial director preferred the EQS over the S-Class flagship, and this wasn't even the most powerful model. A (relatively) modest EQS 450 4Matic charmed with a gorgeous interior and serious range. "It fulfilled its mission" is a succinct summary.

And my pick? Another recent first drive in Spain, this time the game-changing iX3. The most important new BMW in decades, the iX3 kicks off the Neue Klasse era of EVs at the German brand as one of those rarities in the scene: a genuinely all-new vehicle. New platform, new styling direction, new infotainment—there are so many aspects where this Bimmer could've stumbled but it simply doesn't. The iX3 makes everything else feel old, and it's priced right near the gasser X3.

Appropriately enough this is the Silver Arrow category. Two of our three editors picked Mercedes models for the best luxury vehicle, although they were both sporty AMGs.

Greg went first with the E 53, a 601-horsepower plug-in hybrid sedan that he enjoyed immensely this past autumn. "All the performance car you need" is high praise from our resident inline-six fan, who appreciated the E's unmatched blend of muscle and smoothness.

Down two size classes we find Mike's Affalterbach stunner in the now-retired CLA 45. A pint-sized sedan packing over 400 horsepower sounds well and good for all of us, but it was Mike's experience in the early weeks of the year—when there was still snow to limit outright grip—that solidified the CLA's placement. Can the likely next-gen model compete when/if we see it touch down this year?

Going for one of my honorable mentions in the previous category, I picked the Cadillac Optiq as my personal luxury vehicle of the year. Blessed with a special-feeling cabin, agreeable driving experience and range, and carving its own niche out of the luxury scene, the Optiq lays the framework for where every premium brand should be aiming. Next year sees it gain a rear-drive model (!) and a high-performance V variant (!!).

No surprises here: this is supercar territory. With a taste of (relative) normalcy to balance it out.

Mike had the tough job of heading to Lamborghini's Italian HQ to sample the new Temerario late this year. Embracing the "more is more" mantra of the brand, it's a 900-horsepower midship wedge with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, twin turbos, and a V8 capable of revving to 10,000 rpm. Madness.

Greg followed suit with a supercar of his own, the McLaren Artura Spider. Like Mike, Migliore picked this one over larger, even higher-performance models because of its blend of approachability and some sense that it could almost, almost be within reach for those of us who are merely well off instead of Scrooge McDuck levels of wealthy.

Rounding out the category, I couldn't help but go old-school with the Porsche 911 Carrera T. The only non-GT3 example of the modern 911 you can get with a three-pedal setup, the T is a reminder of just how well-sorted a "basic" 911 can be. It's light on its feet and has limits that can actually be explored without need for a track. Sure, it still ain't cheap and it lacks the bragging rights of the aforementioned GT3, but it's a regular production model so you can actually buy it. Thus it gets the nod.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.