The 10 best vehicles Ars Technica drove in 2025

Of all the cars we've driven and reviewed this year, these are our picks.

See full article...

 

[Flipper35]

When I got my '22 EV6, the lack of auto-locking doors was mildly surprising. I did a little bit of digging at the time, and found that there was an active patent, and the claims pretty well covered the functionality I'd expect so it would be hard to design around. I figured most likely Kia did not want to pay to license the patent. I do think it was close to expiring, so maybe that will be added at some future point?

That said, our Mazda CX-9 has auto-locking doors, and find them to be annoying, in several very frequent cases:

• Arriving at home, the kids are usually very slow to get out of the car, while my wife or I go into the house. The car doors will not lock if any door is open at the time the fob goes out of range, so they remain unlocked. I usually still have to go back and manually lock the doors, but just as often the car will be unlocked overnight.
• It has the touch button on the door handle to lock/unlock, which seems handy. But if the car was not locked, it will lock as I attempt to open the door.
• Contrastingly, If I'm running errands by myself, I will often park, get out, and walk around to the passenger side to get something from the seat. The car WILL auto-lock in this case, so I then need to unlock the car again.

Honestly, I'd rather just reach into my pocket and push a button on the fob when I want to lock or unlock the car...

(Edit: formatting)

It would be a royal pain if it auto locked in the garage. A lot of the time I need something out of the car I don't have the FOB with me since I don't drive that one much.

 

[Flipper35]

I'm in the same boat. Wasn't until fairly recently that I had a car with a working key fob for remotely locking the door, and I'm still getting used to not having to put a key in the ignition to start my Prius. And after an incident years ago where I turned my car on to heat it up while brushing off snow/ice off and it managed to lock itself with the engine running, I'd much rather have a car where the locks are solely under my control and not beholden to some computer with strange parameters.

The idea that a car not automatically locking itself is some kind of deal-breaker seems almost alien.

Our cars with a key will not lock with a key in the ignition and the doors open.

 

[huskcummerbund]

When I got my '22 EV6, the lack of auto-locking doors was mildly surprising. I did a little bit of digging at the time, and found that there was an active patent, and the claims pretty well covered the functionality I'd expect so it would be hard to design around. I figured most likely Kia did not want to pay to license the patent. I do think it was close to expiring, so maybe that will be added at some future point?

That said, our Mazda CX-9 has auto-locking doors, and find them to be annoying, in several very frequent cases:

• Arriving at home, the kids are usually very slow to get out of the car, while my wife or I go into the house. The car doors will not lock if any door is open at the time the fob goes out of range, so they remain unlocked. I usually still have to go back and manually lock the doors, but just as often the car will be unlocked overnight.
• It has the touch button on the door handle to lock/unlock, which seems handy. But if the car was not locked, it will lock as I attempt to open the door.
• Contrastingly, If I'm running errands by myself, I will often park, get out, and walk around to the passenger side to get something from the seat. The car WILL auto-lock in this case, so I then need to unlock the car again.

Honestly, I'd rather just reach into my pocket and push a button on the fob when I want to lock or unlock the car...

(Edit: formatting)

Did Mazda stop putting the button on the passenger side too? My last one had one on both front doors and the hatch. Then again, that car was before they implemented the Auto Lock feature so I don't know if I would've been annoyed. Sounds like the solution to the first two bullets is to just wait for the kids to get out of the vehicle.

 

[huskcummerbund]

Same. I dont mind the 'touch the square to lock' method, but at least make the capacitive button more sensitive so i don't stand outside my car poking the damn thing.

Unfortunately, with capacitive buttons on the exterior of a vehicle, there's pretty much no area between sensitive enough to be easily used and not so sensitive it's buggy in the rain.

 

[huskcummerbund]

I'm in the same boat. Wasn't until fairly recently that I had a car with a working key fob for remotely locking the door, and I'm still getting used to not having to put a key in the ignition to start my Prius. And after an incident years ago where I turned my car on to heat it up while brushing off snow/ice off and it managed to lock itself with the engine running, I'd much rather have a car where the locks are solely under my control and not beholden to some computer with strange parameters.

The idea that a car not automatically locking itself is some kind of deal-breaker seems almost alien.

I think that's usually one of the settings you're allowed to change.

 

[DaiMacculate]

Nice article -- my first post here. The Ioniq 5 certainly looked to be a very nice vehicle, but I ruled it out because of the ICCU problem and management's response to it. Saying "only 1% of the cars have the problem" doesn't do you much good if you're part of the 1%... And I keep seeing anecdotal comments that repairs can take weeks to months. Anybody know if Hyundai is closer to a real fix?

Mine is in the shop right now with a “month to get the part” estimate for the ICCU so I would guess no, they are no closer.

 

[DaiMacculate]

When I got my '22 EV6, the lack of auto-locking doors was mildly surprising. I did a little bit of digging at the time, and found that there was an active patent, and the claims pretty well covered the functionality I'd expect so it would be hard to design around. I figured most likely Kia did not want to pay to license the patent. I do think it was close to expiring, so maybe that will be added at some future point?

That said, our Mazda CX-9 has auto-locking doors, and find them to be annoying, in several very frequent cases:

• Arriving at home, the kids are usually very slow to get out of the car, while my wife or I go into the house. The car doors will not lock if any door is open at the time the fob goes out of range, so they remain unlocked. I usually still have to go back and manually lock the doors, but just as often the car will be unlocked overnight.
• It has the touch button on the door handle to lock/unlock, which seems handy. But if the car was not locked, it will lock as I attempt to open the door.
• Contrastingly, If I'm running errands by myself, I will often park, get out, and walk around to the passenger side to get something from the seat. The car WILL auto-lock in this case, so I then need to unlock the car again.

Honestly, I'd rather just reach into my pocket and push a button on the fob when I want to lock or unlock the car...

(Edit: formatting)

What if your car’s app just sent you a push notification every 15 minutes telling you it’s unlocked even if it’s inside your garage?

 

[vdiv]

The new Nissan Leaf made it to #1! That is a rather high praise and perhaps means that folks interested in an EV should definitely take a look at it.

 

[dxprog]

Just traded in my 2017 Volt for the 2026 Leaf, very heavily influenced by Ars reporting this year. That car is an absolute delight and, in what we figured was going to be a loss going in, is even able to carry our chonky rear facing car seats while still accommodating two pretty tall adults up front (I’m 6’ 2”, wife 5’ 8”). For all its flaws, I still loved the Volt, but the Leaf is just such a lovely experience with all the new safety adds in the intervening years. Thanks Ars for all the reporting on that this year, and it’s always a bit fun to see your “team” win one of these lists

 

[cptskippy]

Someone should do a 10 worst vehicles of 2025. I got to drive a brand new 2025 Nissan Sentra yesterday from LA to San Diego and holy crap it's bad!

I'm not exactly a car snob, I spent most of my life driving used Honda Accords that came with anywhere from 100-2490k miles on them. Then I switched to a used 2015 Nissan Leaf.

I can't imagine what this car would be like at 100k miles but at around 80mi the driver's seat felt like a cheap 10 year old office chair. They cloth felt like thread bare spandex and the foam was useless.

The tracking on the steering was awful, I was constantly having to correct to keep a straight line. The last time I experienced steering that bad was in a high school friend's death trap 1965 Mustang.

I now genuinely feel bad for anyone who has to drive one of these vehicles daily.

 

[vought1221]

Overall a lovely list, tuned for Arsians. Very nice to see no Teslas as well - regardless of what you think of the company and its CEO, they’re tired garbage fig leaves for a white supremacist.

 

[sword_9mm]

When I got my '22 EV6, the lack of auto-locking doors was mildly surprising. I did a little bit of digging at the time, and found that there was an active patent, and the claims pretty well covered the functionality I'd expect so it would be hard to design around. I figured most likely Kia did not want to pay to license the patent. I do think it was close to expiring, so maybe that will be added at some future point?

That said, our Mazda CX-9 has auto-locking doors, and find them to be annoying, in several very frequent cases:

• Arriving at home, the kids are usually very slow to get out of the car, while my wife or I go into the house. The car doors will not lock if any door is open at the time the fob goes out of range, so they remain unlocked. I usually still have to go back and manually lock the doors, but just as often the car will be unlocked overnight.
• It has the touch button on the door handle to lock/unlock, which seems handy. But if the car was not locked, it will lock as I attempt to open the door.
• Contrastingly, If I'm running errands by myself, I will often park, get out, and walk around to the passenger side to get something from the seat. The car WILL auto-lock in this case, so I then need to unlock the car again.

Honestly, I'd rather just reach into my pocket and push a button on the fob when I want to lock or unlock the car...

(Edit: formatting)

My CX5 has the autolock stuff and I tried it for all of about 10 minutes then turned it off.

Nifty but not for me. I just use the fob or the door button.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

I'm about 95% sure the ix3 is my next car based on current model outlook. The lack of ventilated seats is bothersome, though.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

When I got my '22 EV6, the lack of auto-locking doors was mildly surprising. I did a little bit of digging at the time, and found that there was an active patent, and the claims pretty well covered the functionality I'd expect so it would be hard to design around. I figured most likely Kia did not want to pay to license the patent. I do think it was close to expiring, so maybe that will be added at some future point?

That said, our Mazda CX-9 has auto-locking doors, and find them to be annoying, in several very frequent cases:

• Arriving at home, the kids are usually very slow to get out of the car, while my wife or I go into the house. The car doors will not lock if any door is open at the time the fob goes out of range, so they remain unlocked. I usually still have to go back and manually lock the doors, but just as often the car will be unlocked overnight.
• It has the touch button on the door handle to lock/unlock, which seems handy. But if the car was not locked, it will lock as I attempt to open the door.
• Contrastingly, If I'm running errands by myself, I will often park, get out, and walk around to the passenger side to get something from the seat. The car WILL auto-lock in this case, so I then need to unlock the car again.

Honestly, I'd rather just reach into my pocket and push a button on the fob when I want to lock or unlock the car...

(Edit: formatting)

My Audi q4 is the first car I've owned made after 2004 that doesn't have auto locking and it drives me mental. I leave it unlocked all the time on accident and can't lock it from the app because Audi sucks and did a quarter-assed job on this car.

 

[John the Socialist]

The Ioniq 5 is a mixed bag. The EV parts of it are wonderful (fast charging!!!), but the software and minor features are a little mystifying. ...

This, exactly. I really wanted to replace my MYLR with an Ionic 5 or 5n, but the software was nowhere near as refined and I found the narrow screens constraining vs. the Tesla. I love the vehicle, but the software stack still doesn't measure up. And it's still not as efficient as the Tesla.

 

[KingKrayola]

I'm in the same boat. Wasn't until fairly recently that I had a car with a working key fob for remotely locking the door, and I'm still getting used to not having to put a key in the ignition to start my Prius. And after an incident years ago where I turned my car on to heat it up while brushing off snow/ice off and it managed to lock itself with the engine running, I'd much rather have a car where the locks are solely under my control and not beholden to some computer with strange parameters.

The idea that a car not automatically locking itself is some kind of deal-breaker seems almost alien.

Can confirm two things:

• I rented an i4 for work and it's nice enough that I'm planning on leasing one so that my Alfa can have a well earned retirement/soft restoration.
• power tailgates and auto-locking mean you can lock yourself out of an i4 all too easy.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

It would be a royal pain if it auto locked in the garage. A lot of the time I need something out of the car I don't have the FOB with me since I don't drive that one much.

Fob, in this context, is not an acronym.

 

[issor]

I'm about 95% sure the ix3 is my next car based on current model outlook. The lack of ventilated seats is bothersome, though.

I think if you can wait a year after their general availability, the options and trims available will fill out a bit more. Or maybe you’ll end up needing to wait for an iX5?

 

[Honeybog]

Fob, in this context, is not an acronym.

Facilitates on-boarding
Figuratively opens barriers
Functions only barely

 

[mbmcavoy]

Did Mazda stop putting the button on the passenger side too? My last one had one on both front doors and the hatch. Then again, that car was before they implemented the Auto Lock feature so I don't know if I would've been annoyed. Sounds like the solution to the first two bullets is to just wait for the kids to get out of the vehicle.

It does indeed have the button on the front passenger door, but not the rear doors. Perhaps a bit more detail on the scenario, but if I have cargo on the seats, it's usually the rear seats. and it often seems to lock just as I am reaching for the rear door handle. So, I have to push the button on the front door handle so I can then open the rear door.

As far as "just wait for the kids"? I'm guessing you don't have (teenage) kids. I spend enough time waiting for them as it is. I'm not going to just stand next to the car, sometimes in the rain or while carrying things, for an indeterminate time of 30 seconds to 5+ minutes to avoid pushing a button later. That's not a solution to anything.

These are small annoyance, but a convenience feature should be convenient, not inconvenient.

 

[UnnDunn]

Nice article -- my first post here. The Ioniq 5 certainly looked to be a very nice vehicle, but I ruled it out because of the ICCU problem and management's response to it. Saying "only 1% of the cars have the problem" doesn't do you much good if you're part of the 1%... And I keep seeing anecdotal comments that repairs can take weeks to months. Anybody know if Hyundai is closer to a real fix?

FWIW Hyundai has largely resolved the parts supply chain issues such that ICCU repairs take maybe 2-3 days at most.

 

[UnnDunn]

Was going to say, my 2025 definitely has wireless CarPlay. I knew the rear wiper was new for 2025 (as was the NACS port), but I didn't think wireless CarPlay was new. The wireless charger is a bit mixed on long trips, though; at least, it tends to overheat my iPhone 13 Mini so I need to take it off the charging pad every once in a while.

Hyundai previously only had wireless CarPlay in vehicles without navigation, because of a contractual issue with their mapping partner. With the new ccNC infotainment, Hyundai is now able to offer wireless CarPlay on navigation-equipped vehicles.

 

[Frodo Douchebaggins]

I think if you can wait a year after their general availability, the options and trims available will fill out a bit more. Or maybe you’ll end up needing to wait for an iX5?

Yeah I'll not be doing first model year so I'm hopeful the 2028 model year, and if not, calendar year brings the ventilated seats, it appears to be the only gripe based on a perfunctory look.

Ix5 will be too big for my garage and too expensive probably. I'm just a dude with hobbies that require cargo but I don't need THAT much space. Plus I hate my current car and want it gone by end of 2028.

 

[huskcummerbund]

It does indeed have the button on the front passenger door, but not the rear doors. Perhaps a bit more detail on the scenario, but if I have cargo on the seats, it's usually the rear seats. and it often seems to lock just as I am reaching for the rear door handle. So, I have to push the button on the front door handle so I can then open the rear door.

Hmmm. I think I'd just turn off the Auto Lock completely then.

As far as "just wait for the kids"? I'm guessing you don't have (teenage) kids.

True. Or kids at all, for that matter. We're working on it, but it's not looking like that's likely to change.

I spend enough time waiting for them as it is. I'm not going to just stand next to the car, sometimes in the rain or while carrying things, for an indeterminate time of 30 seconds to 5+ minutes to avoid pushing a button later. That's not a solution to anything.

Does "Get out." not work on your kids? Or kids in general anymore? It used to work on me. Also usually successful when I was growing up was something like "We've got shit to do. Move your ass." Times like this make me realize I really did grow up in a different time... and I'm starting to get old.

These are small annoyance, but a convenience feature should be convenient, not inconvenient.

I could probably say something similar about most new features. The doctor said I have Cynicism.

 

[MyBloodyBallantine]

FWIW Hyundai has largely resolved the parts supply chain issues such that ICCU repairs take maybe 2-3 days at most.

Yep, I can confirm it took about that time for mine and my Ioniq 6 wasn’t even recalled. My 12v kept dying and they decided to just put a new one.

They never did figure out the problem as all the tests said everything was fine. The batter did die one time after that but I haven’t had any issues at all in the 6 months since. The only thing we could think of was the key fob was kept too close to the car and ket waking it up and now I make sure the fob is kept in a different part of the house. I’d love to hear if anyone had a similar problem.

 

[huckl]

Just traded in my 2017 Volt for the 2026 Leaf, very heavily influenced by Ars reporting this year. That car is an absolute delight and, in what we figured was going to be a loss going in, is even able to carry our chonky rear facing car seats while still accommodating two pretty tall adults up front (I’m 6’ 2”, wife 5’ 8”). For all its flaws, I still loved the Volt, but the Leaf is just such a lovely experience with all the new safety adds in the intervening years. Thanks Ars for all the reporting on that this year, and it’s always a bit fun to see your “team” win one of these lists

Still driving our volt 2017 with the two rear-facing kid seats and a dog in the middle seat (with a seatbelt harness). Personally, I’m really hoping for a toyota phev minivan option to replace it, but it’s great to hear the perspectives of former volt owners on newer vehicles!

 

[BabelHuber]

My CX5 has the autolock stuff and I tried it for all of about 10 minutes then turned it off.

Nifty but not for me. I just use the fob or the door button.

What's not to like with autolock? My BMW has it, I just leave the little key in my trouser and the car automatically unlocks and locks when I approach it or go away. It beeps twice when unlocking and once when locking, so you get some confirmation. Works all the time.

 

[Flipper35]

Someone should do a 10 worst vehicles of 2025. I got to drive a brand new 2025 Nissan Sentra yesterday from LA to San Diego and holy crap it's bad!

I'm not exactly a car snob, I spent most of my life driving used Honda Accords that came with anywhere from 100-2490k miles on them. Then I switched to a used 2015 Nissan Leaf.

I can't imagine what this car would be like at 100k miles but at around 80mi the driver's seat felt like a cheap 10 year old office chair. They cloth felt like thread bare spandex and the foam was useless.

The tracking on the steering was awful, I was constantly having to correct to keep a straight line. The last time I experienced steering that bad was in a high school friend's death trap 1965 Mustang.

I now genuinely feel bad for anyone who has to drive one of these vehicles daily.

We had a Rogue that has since gone to our daughter. Our first road trip with it we had to buy pillows to sit on at the first stop. I have never sat in worse seats, and I have been in some pretty bad seats and the only thing close was a Dodge Journey (not ours, no way, no thank you)

 

[Flipper35]

Still driving our volt 2017 with the two rear-facing kid seats and a dog in the middle seat (with a seatbelt harness). Personally, I’m really hoping for a toyota phev minivan option to replace it, but it’s great to hear the perspectives of former volt owners on newer vehicles!

I know a lot of people don't like the Pacifica, but ours has been great for the 100k miles we have had it so far, with the exception of some issues from a coyote jumping out of the ditch in front of me after the repair was initially done. (lower coolant hose sprung a leak, washer pump was cracked but not seen but the body shop which replaced it free of charge later)

 

[leedo]

Appreciate the station wagon love. I just got a used A4 Allroad, and I've been admiring the newer proper Volvo wagons around. Still happy with my Allroad, but if I ever need to get a new wagon I'm going with the Volvo! I'm so sick of everything looking like an SUV.

 

[Corporate_Goon]

Thank you for mostly recommending cars rather than massive SUVs and trucks, and for making the #1 recommended car a compact. Too many massive vehicles on the road putting everyone at risk.

 

[iim]

Geeze, it's weird how my old Mazda3 had a very similar system but one little difference made all the difference. Instead of a garbage capacitive touch button, it had a physical button on the door handle. Walk up, it the button with your fob in you pocket and the door unlocks. Get out, shut the door, hit the button, doors lock. Simple, reliable, and quickly added to muscle memory.

I think I'd rather have that than the Auto Lock version that just locks when your fob goes beyond a certain distance. I want to hear it lock before I walk away. But that's just me.

You can turn off walk away auto lock in the settings.

 

[MTSkibum]

It was kind of the same when I bought a Tacoma a few years ago. MT was a requirement, so that narrowed my options to two, and the Gladiator is far too ugly to me to be in my driveway. Now the 4th-Gen Tacoma is giving the Gladiator stiff competition at being ugly, so there are now zero new pickups available I'm willing to buy. I almost regret selling that 2020.

I love manual transmission cars, my last was a wrx. However when I traded that in for my Tacoma I wanted an automatic.

Tacoma's are painfully slow and not a good driving experience. What is the draw of a manual truck?

 

[huskcummerbund]

I love manual transmission cars, my last was a wrx. However when I traded that in for my Tacoma I wanted an automatic.

Tacoma's are painfully slow and not a good driving experience. What is the draw of a manual truck?

Turns out, the MT in the Tacoma was surprisingly nice, for a pickup. Not quite as good as the 6MT in my Mazda3, but definitely better than the 5MT in my wife's Impreza. The best description I've read for that thing is "agricultural". I did have to replace that OEM Tacoma shift knob that looks and feels like a child's small worn out shitty baseball with a knob from a Mazda3 that I drilled and tapped to fit. After 8 years of loving my Mazda3, it hit me right in the feels every time I got in the truck.

And your statement about the Tacoma's driving characteristics are both true and precisely the reason I wanted the manual version. For me, manuals make any vehicle more fun and interesting to drive. I wouldn't have loved my Mazda3 nearly as much if I got the auto. So I got the more fun version of the truck to offset those negative qualities. Simple as that.

 

[huskcummerbund]

"The 10 best vehicles Ars Technica drove in 2025 "

The best cancer is the on which harms least, but wouldn't you rather have no cancer at all?

Personal transportation is cancer – optional cancer. It's selfish, wasteful, destructive, murderous, and one of the dumbest things Homo sapiens has ever inflicted on itself. To own a car is to place your personal above the welfare of the species. It's first step toward joining the predator parasite class. It's not merely dickish, it's Trumpish.

If your life requires an automobile, you're living a badly designed, overstressed life in a badly designed, ugly environment. None of us is pure, but the only thing the average person can do that's worse than owning a car is having a child.

 

[Flipper35]

"The 10 best vehicles Ars Technica drove in 2025 "

The best cancer is the on which harms least, but wouldn't you rather have no cancer at all?

Personal transportation is cancer – optional cancer. It's selfish, wasteful, destructive, murderous, and one of the dumbest things Homo sapiens has ever inflicted on itself. To own a car is to place your personal above the welfare of the species. It's first step toward joining the predator parasite class. It's not merely dickish, it's Trumpish.

If your life requires an automobile, you're living a badly designed, overstressed life in a badly designed, ugly environment. None of us is pure, but the only thing the average person can do that's worse than owning a car is having a child.

Actually, I live out in the country in a pretty stress free environment with a beautiful view, no smog, no city noise or light pollution. I WFH some days and spring, summer, fall I can work out on the back deck with my laptop and coffee. I do not have public transportation nearby, nor are there Ubers nearby. The joys of small town living requires I own a motor vehicle. We also use one of the motor vehicles for vacation, sometimes road trips over 3000 miles. I also need one to tow our trailers with. I have once for commuting to work. I have one just for fun. We have street bikes and dirt bikes (dual sport actually so they are licensed and passed emissions) as well. Now that you brought it up, maybe I will go buy another truck this spring. Used tow vehicle if the Ram range extended truck is unavailable.

So, I would gladly take my badly designed life choice over whatever prison you have chosen, in my opinion.

 

[vidsurfr]

It would be nice to see reviews include whether the car supports V2L, V2H, and V2G technologies which is the most difficult thing to find on websites or reviews. I have solar and I'm waiting for a small car that supports at least V2H and doesn't require a proprietary home solar/energy setup...like GM. If you've priced out battery backup you quickly realize that a car is just as cheap, or cheaper on a KWh basis.

 

[JanneM]

We're going to replace our second car in a year or so, and we have a hard time choosing between the new Leaf or the Hyundai Inster.

The Leaf is just delightful. But the Inster is also very nice, and the smaller size is perfect for us. Both have way more range and features than we need.

We have also test-driven the Nissan Sakura. It's cheaper and even smaller (it's a kei car), but drives more like a regular size vehicle. But, the interior and seats isn't in the same class as the other two.