U.S. News reviews new vehicles each year to name several that offer the best value for the price. The news agency looks at trucks, minivans, SUVs and cars. To win an award, a vehicle must be the best combination of price and quality. With 20 different categories for winners, U.S. News provides a comprehensive look at which cars fit specific sets of needs of American drivers.

Quality Measurement

Car ranking information is used to determine quality. For about a decade, thousands of Americans have relied on this annual report from U.S. News to make a buying decision. This is because U.S. News uses the analyses of several testing agencies and other automotive organizations in addition to their own.

Value Measurement

U.S. News works with pricing specialists at TrueCar to determine purchase prices across the nation. However, purchase price is not the only consideration. How well a vehicle holds its value is another important issue, and the average cost of repairs and upkeep for a vehicle also play a vital role in determining overall value. For example, some vehicles may cost more to fuel or may require more frequent repairs on average.

2017 Winning Cars And Trucks

The Chevrolet Bolt won the award for the best hybrid car. For the best subcompact car category, the Honda Fit won the award. The best compact car was the Kia Soul, and the Audi A4 took the award for the best luxury small car. For large cars, the Chevy Impala was given the top award. The best midsize car was the Chevrolet Malibu, and the best luxury midsize car was the Lexus GS. As a few automotive experts predicted, the Mazda MX-5 Miata took the top award for sports cars. For trucks, the Ford F-150 won the best large truck award. The Honda Ridgeline was named best compact truck.

2017 Winning SUVs And Minivans

The best three-row SUV was the Toyota Highlander, and the best two-row SUV was the Honda CR-V. For compact SUVs, the Honda CR-V took the top award again. The Honda HR-V was named the best subcompact SUV. As many people expected, the Tesla Model X won the award of best hybrid SUV. The Chevrolet Tahoe was the best large SUV, and the best luxury compact SUV was the Porsche Macan. While the Porsche Cayan Hybrid took the award for best two-row luxury SUV, the Tesla Model X was named best three-row luxury SUV. The Honda Odyssey was given the best minivan award.

Winning Trends

Japanese and Korean car manufacturers have a lot of models in Top 5 rankings.  Although Honda, Toyota and Lexus vehicles tend to have higher sticker prices, their performance ratings outshine many competitors. Also, the maintenance costs are lower on average. Kia has become more popular in recent years and shined with several of its 2017 models. The South Korean brand beat tough competitors such as Honda and Hyundai for the awards with its low prices and generous feature packages.  US manufacturers had good results as well coming out with models in top spots in multiple categories.