Consumer Reports’ 2026 Top Picks list has highlighted a big change in the US new-car market, with every single model on the publication’s annual shortlist now either fully electric, a hybrid, or offered with a hybrid alternative.
Consumer Reports says its Overall Score mixes road-test performance, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction and safety, so this is less a marketing snapshot than a broad endorsement of where mainstream car buying is moving. In previous years, electrified models were increasingly prominent. This is the first time they have swept the board.
The point is not that conventional petrol models have suddenly become uncompetitive. Several of the vehicles on the list are still sold in non-hybrid form, and Consumer Reports makes clear that its recommendation often applies to the model line as a whole. But the pattern is difficult to ignore: when the publication identified what it considered the strongest new vehicles across 10 categories, electrification was present in every single one.
Consumer Reports Top Picks Go Fully Electrified For 2026
At the smaller end of the market, the Honda Civic was picked as the best small car, with the hybrid standing out thanks to its 200hp powertrain, 44mpg overall in testing and a 0-60mph time of 7.5 seconds. I tested this car myself and it’s a beautiful drive.
Toyota’s Camry, now sold only as a hybrid, was CR’s midsized car winner after returning 48mpg overall. In SUVs, the Subaru Crosstrek, Subaru Forester and Toyota Grand Highlander all made the cut, with the efficiency of the hybrid powertrain now central to the appeal of each. The Grand Highlander’s optional hybrid matched the standard turbo for acceleration while delivering 35mpg overall, too, which is incredibly impressive.
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The luxury end of the market was similar. The Lexus NX remained one of the safest bets in the compact luxury SUV class, with the hybrid version posting 38mpg overall in all-wheel-drive form, while the plug-in hybrid adds 304hp and an electric-only range of 37 miles. The BMW X5 also stayed on the list, with its plug-in hybrid variant offering up to 39 miles of electric-only driving for shorter daily commutes.
Even the pickups saw a similar trend. The Ford Maverick hybrid returned 37mpg overall in CR’s testing, preserving its reputation as one of the most efficient and usable trucks on sale. More significantly, the Ford F-150 made the Top Picks list as the first full-sized pickup in years to score highly enough, helped by improved reliability and a 430hp hybrid V6 producing 570lb-ft of torque.
As a result, even one of the most traditional corners of the American market is now being represented by electrified hardware.
The only pure EV on the list was the Tesla Model Y, which retained its place through a mix of range, performance, practicality and improving reliability.
While this doesn’t mean the internal-combustion car has disappeared from contention, it may suggest that the industry’s greatest products have a level of electrification. And while that may be a stab in the heart to us serious gearheads, as daily drivers, these cars can’t be knocked.
