Find the Best Car Deals Near You ⤵
The Best Overall Vehicle in Each Category
March 1, 2012
Consumer Reports has selected their Top Picks of the best all-around models in ten different categories for 2012. These models were selected based on their overall reliability, road test scores, and safety.
Consumer Reports tested more than 275 vehicles and compiled vehicle reliability reports of 1.3 million subscribers from their most recent survey.
Toyota earned half of the top 10 spots. The last time one manufacturer took so many top spots was when Honda achieved the feat back in 2003. Ironically, Honda didn't even have one winner this year, which goes to show how far they've fallen.
Here are the top picks for 2012:
- Family sedan: Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Sporty car: Ford Mustang
- Small SUV: Toyota RAV4
- Affordable family sedan: Hyundai Sonata
- Family hauler: Toyota Sienna V6
- Sports sedan: Infiniti G
- Green car: Toyota Prius
- Small car: Subaru Impreza
- Pickup truck: Chevrolet Avalanche
- Family SUV: Toyota Highlander
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Select Vehicle to Get Local Pricing
Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
Signup for The Weekly Newsletter

Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author

Latest Weekly Car Buying Tips
May 2022
- Best Car Deals by Category May 19, 2022
- Which Cars Better to Lease or Buy May 19, 2022
- New Cars You Should Wait to Buy May 19, 2022
- Real Prices of Midsize Cars May 19, 2022
- Best Bang for Your Buck Lease Deals May 12, 2022
- Best Electric, Hybrid Lease Deals May 12, 2022
- Top 100 Cheapest New Cars May 12, 2022
- Real Prices of Pickup Trucks May 12, 2022
- Best 0% Finance Deals May 2022 May 05, 2022
- Best Car Deals Around the Country May 05, 2022
- Real Prices of Large SUVs May 05, 2022
- Largest Hidden Dealer Rebates May 05, 2022
April 2022
- Worst Cars to Lease Right Now Apr 28, 2022
- Biggest Discounts on New Cars Apr 28, 2022
- Real Prices of New Compact SUVs Apr 28, 2022
- Real Prices of Compact Cars Apr 21, 2022
- Top 100 Cheapest Lease Deals Apr 14, 2022
- Cars With the Largest Rebates Apr 14, 2022
- Price Comparison of Subcompact SUVs Apr 14, 2022
- Real Prices of Midsize SUVs Apr 07, 2022
I welcome your car buying questions. Email Me and I'll be glad to answer them!