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If you’ve noticed more grins behind the wheels of certain cars, you’re not imagining things. A new global ranking of the world’s happiest drivers found that owners of Cadillac, Jeep, and Tesla are among the most joyful on the road…and it’s not just a vibe. It’s backed by AI-powered selfie analysis.

Cadillac took 3rd place overall with a happiness score of 77.83 out of 100

For a brand that’s spent years redefining American luxury with bold design and cushy rides, it’s clearly working. Drivers of newer Caddies, from Escalades to Lyriqs, seem to feel like every trip is a red carpet event. One thing’s for sure: nobody’s frowning behind those LED DRLs.

Jeep wasn’t far behind, ranking 7th with a score of 69.33.

When your car can crawl over boulders or drop its top on a sunny day, why wouldn’t you smile? Owners are so jazzed about their rigs, many of them wave to fellow Jeepers on the road. Yep, this group is so giddy about their vehicles, they’ve got their own rolling fan club handshake.

Tesla rounded out the top 10

With a score of 58.09, the EV maker proved that silent speed and touchscreens galore still hit the serotonin switch. From Model 3 commuters to Cybertruck showoffs, Tesla drivers enjoy not only the tech but the sense of being part of something futuristic. Their smiles may be partially powered by electrons…and what other motorists might interpret as a pinch of smugness.

While the top spots went to European brands Smart and Volkswagen, U.S. automakers cracking the top 10 is no small feat…especially since brands like Porsche and Lamborghini landed lower on the list

Apparently, smiles don’t scale with price tags.

Here’s the full list of 25 car brands that host the most smiles:

RankCar BrandCar Happiness Score
(out of 100)
#1Smart88.65
#2Volkswagen87.73
#3Cadillac77.83
#4Audi77.07
#5Toyota73.34
#6Subaru69.73
#7Jeep69.33
#8Bentley59.12
#9Volvo58.31
#10Tesla58.09
#11Land Rover57.76
#12Porsche49.68
#13Kia48.94
#14Jaguar48.57
#15Mercedes-Benz48.53
#16Saab47.49
#17BMW46.71
#18Peugeot45.15
#19Ford39.77
#20Fiat37.61
#21Lamborghini37.33
#22Honda37.13
#23Mini36.45
#24Mazda32.25
#25Lexus29.28

The rankings come from a study conducted by Autotrader, which analyzed over 47,000 Instagram selfies featuring cars. Using AWS Facial Recognition software, researchers measured the level of visible happiness across owners of 77 car brands. Brands with fewer than 100 qualifying images were excluded.

So next time you’re choosing your next ride, remember that it’s not just about horsepower or fuel economy. It might be about finding a car that makes you genuinely happy every time you catch your reflection in the side mirror.

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Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Kennedy

Sarah Kennedy is the Editor-in-Chief of MotorBiscuit. She joined the team as Managing Editor in 2021 and has more than 20 years of automotive and operations expertise. She held ASE certifications as an Automotive Service Consultant and Parts Specialist and was a licensed car salesperson for many years. Sarah often focuses on helping drivers navigate used car buying and vehicle ownership. She created “Shop Smarts,” a column for MOTOR Magazine, and was a contributor there for eight years. Her work earned her a Gold Medalist award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2014 and Bronze Medalist awards from the International Automotive Media Competition in 2014 and 2015. She attended the Automotive Management Institute and earned her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.