The 10 best vehicles Ars Technica drove in 2025
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Anticipat3
Smack-Fu Master, in training
I decided it was time to upgrade my 2015 Leaf this year, and I looked at several of the options in this list. I did a test drive in a 2026 Leaf and was very impressed. The sticker on the SV+ trim is about $36k, which is exactly what the sticker on my 2015 was when it was new -- but I didn't buy it new, I bought it with 25k miles fresh off the lease for $12k. If I thought I could ride out a couple more years with my 2015 and then buy a 2026 off-lease for $12k I probably would have, but I think with the removal of the EV tax credits we aren't going to see that kind of depreciation this time around.
If these smokin' off-lease deals probably won't be a thing in the future, it got me to look harder at what's out there today -- and I found a 2023 Ioniq 6 SEL AWD that originally stickered for $50k priced at $20k. It's been incredible, but I am envious of all the updates that the MY2025 Ioniq 5 got. It deserves its place on this list.
If I was going to buy a gas car instead of an EV, It would have 100% been the new Civic Hybrid. I test drove one earlier this year to see just how close it could deliver on its promise of driving like an EV -- and let me tell you, it delivers. I think Honda is way ahead of the rest of the market here, everyone else is now adopting this style of "engine is mostly just a generator" setup in their future hybrids.
While it's out of my price range, I also looked enviously at that BMW iX3. That Neue Klasse i3 is going to be a smash hit, I suspect a lot of buyers will be former Tesla owners that didn't want another Tesla but didn't want a "downgrade."
If these smokin' off-lease deals probably won't be a thing in the future, it got me to look harder at what's out there today -- and I found a 2023 Ioniq 6 SEL AWD that originally stickered for $50k priced at $20k. It's been incredible, but I am envious of all the updates that the MY2025 Ioniq 5 got. It deserves its place on this list.
If I was going to buy a gas car instead of an EV, It would have 100% been the new Civic Hybrid. I test drove one earlier this year to see just how close it could deliver on its promise of driving like an EV -- and let me tell you, it delivers. I think Honda is way ahead of the rest of the market here, everyone else is now adopting this style of "engine is mostly just a generator" setup in their future hybrids.
While it's out of my price range, I also looked enviously at that BMW iX3. That Neue Klasse i3 is going to be a smash hit, I suspect a lot of buyers will be former Tesla owners that didn't want another Tesla but didn't want a "downgrade."
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