The 10 best vehicles Ars Technica drove in 2025
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Nice to see this summarized, I've only been vaguely paying attention so that in the future when I want my next EV I have some idea of what's been going on.
Waiting for the inevitable comment that fails to read "Of all the cars we’ve driven and reviewed this year".
Waiting for the inevitable comment that fails to read "Of all the cars we’ve driven and reviewed this year".
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With the current* V6, I’m not sure that Tundra owners would agree: https://www.thedrive.com/news/total...explanation-for-v6-failures-doesnt-make-sense
*I know that’s a totally different engine from the GR in the Emira, I’m just saying that the reputation of Toyota V6s isn’t what it once was.
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Huh I missed that the new leaf finally fixed the battery cooling problems. That's huge
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I don't think this writer does those things. I think a couple other folks do the pedal bike stuff.
But I guess the title could be amended to 'The best cars' or something.
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Very nice list! I have owned prior year models of two cars on it: a 2024 Ioniq 5 which replaced a 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid.
The Honda Civic hybrid was an amazing car that got 47 mpg on average when it was new, and about 41 mpg at 150k miles. I had almost no trouble with it, and did most of the maintenance myself. Definitely would buy another one.
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. Besides the lack of a rear wiper, it has a wireless charging pad and Apple CarPlay, but not wireless CarPlay. So the wireless charging pad basically went unused until I installed an aftermarket wifi CarPlay dongle. The frustrating part is that the car already has a wifi antenna, but it only works with verizon cell service. Why?? Similarly, I just ordered an aftermarket chip that locks the doors to the car if you walk away with it unlocked. The car is fully capable of locking the doors itself and will do so if the auto unlock is triggered but no door is opened, but walk away auto-lock wasn't included as an option on N. American models. Mystifying. It's like they shipped a car that they hadn't quite finished working on. It seems like they finally got around to fixing these issues for the 2025 Ioniq 5 though.
The Honda Civic hybrid was an amazing car that got 47 mpg on average when it was new, and about 41 mpg at 150k miles. I had almost no trouble with it, and did most of the maintenance myself. Definitely would buy another one.
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. Besides the lack of a rear wiper, it has a wireless charging pad and Apple CarPlay, but not wireless CarPlay. So the wireless charging pad basically went unused until I installed an aftermarket wifi CarPlay dongle. The frustrating part is that the car already has a wifi antenna, but it only works with verizon cell service. Why?? Similarly, I just ordered an aftermarket chip that locks the doors to the car if you walk away with it unlocked. The car is fully capable of locking the doors itself and will do so if the auto unlock is triggered but no door is opened, but walk away auto-lock wasn't included as an option on N. American models. Mystifying. It's like they shipped a car that they hadn't quite finished working on. It seems like they finally got around to fixing these issues for the 2025 Ioniq 5 though.
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I can't take this list seriously if it doesn't even mention Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
/s, and IYKYK
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Nice to see the Leaf place so high! I'm hoping 2026 is going to be my year to go electric, and my plan was to cross-shop the Leaf and the new Bolt when it comes out. Will be interesting to see how they stack up.
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It's rare for me to see a listical like this and actually see a vehicle I would actually consider owning, let alone two. Definitely wouldn't mind what may be the last fun (for me) Lotus. As for the Volvo, I kind of wish I could just get it with the regular V60's fenders instead of that extra black plastic crap. Or get a V60 with the V60 XC's lift kit. Either way.
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The Netherlands and several other places would like to have a word.
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Nice article, and not what I would expect at all. It would be nice to do this list with different price points. Kind of like how the computer build articles have a cheap, mid and extreme.
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Either way, you;re not going to get a V60 in the US at all, Volvo is dropping it from the US lineup.
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PatientZero
Ars Centurion
Glad it's not just me wondering about the software issues on the Ioniq.
The fact that it doesn't have auto-locking doors is baffling (a feature I'm pretty sure I saw on a Ford Taurus 20 years ago).
When I'm in parking lots and I see other Ioniqs, I always check to see if the door handles are popped out (which means it's unlocked) -- they usually always are.
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The lack of a manual meant the Golf was a no-go for me, and being the only real manual AWD hot hatch around the GR Corolla ended up in our driveway. It's been great fun, but options to cross-shop would have been nice!
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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?
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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.
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Lol, I'm going to have to start doing checking other ioniq fives. It's like they were actively trying to get people to not lock their doors: the door lock button on the inside of the driver's door doesn't work unless the car is on. Attempting to lock the doors by any method won't work if any of the doors are open (so there is a lot of standing around for my family of four get out of the car). Coupled to that is the poor response of the capacitive touch button on the outside door handle. But of course, the car sends me notifications every 30 minutes telling me the car is unlocked. A better solution would've just been to auto lock the damn doors, or even make it easier to lock them in the first place.
For what it's worth, the door auto locking module I ordered is one sold by ioniq guy. He is reselling one that was built by shark racing, but he has added an adapter that plugs into your trailer hitch harness in the trunk, rather than having to splice into your car's cam system. For the wireless CarPlay, I had good luck with this set up. The trick is that you have to get a Y and a USB data pass through so that the dongle turns off when the car turns off, because the media port is always powered.
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Well, I was going to say auto-locking is not something I would like until I saw how hard it is to lock the doors. I would have never thought you couldn't lock the doors with the car off or the doors open. The 5 was high on the list for replacing our current commuter sedan.
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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.Lol, I'm going to have to start doing checking other ioniq fives. It's like they were actively trying to get people to not lock their doors: the door lock button on the inside of the driver's door doesn't work unless the car is on. Attempting to lock the doors by any method won't work if any of the doors are open (so there is a lot of standing around for my family of four get out of the car). Coupled to that is the poor response of the capacitive touch button on the outside door handle. But of course, the car sends me notifications every 30 minutes telling me the car is unlocked. A better solution would've just been to auto lock the damn doors, or even make it easier to lock them in the first place.
For what it's worth, the door auto locking module I ordered is one sold by ioniq guy. He is reselling one that was built by shark racing, but he has added an adapter that plugs into your trailer hitch harness in the trunk, rather than having to splice into your car's cam system. For the wireless CarPlay, I had good luck with this set up. The trick is that you have to get a Y and a USB data pass through so that the dongle turns off when the car turns off, because the media port is always powered.
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.
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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.
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This is how our 2018 van is. If my wife leaves her purse in the car with her fob, it beeps 4 times to let us know there is a FOB in the car. It will not lock if there isn't a FOB in proximity outside the van and a FOB inside. I can even lock it when there are doors open.
The remote start will not function if there are doors open though.
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In defense of Nissan, most of the G Line cars have finally been totaled and they’ve basically abandoned the subprime luxonomy market, so Acuras are far more likely to activate my “dumb shit is about to happen” spidey senses.
I still give Nissans a wide berth when I see them driving up the shoulder and cutting back and forth across four lines, though.
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This all sounds like the correct behavior. I'm not sure how they screw up basic stuff like this on some vehicles.
I've long since given up on the remote start feature simply because I drive manuals. If they ever produce an EV that I actually want to buy, maybe I'll finally get a chance to use that feature. If it works via fob anyway. If it only works via the always-on cellular connection, then it just isn't a feature because that's the first thing that will be physically deleted.
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Wife got a Civic Hybrid this year; like many people, we moved up the purchase thanks to tariff bullshit. I personally love owning a manual, but man the Civic is so good. In the summer she was easily getting high 40s, and low 50s with a bit of trying. Winter has brought that down to low 40s, but still? That's incredible I think.
And while we don't have long-term experience with it yet, I think Honda's hybrid system is the best. Many other automakers shove an electric donut motor in the bell-housing and call it good. Honda has eleminated the transmission, so the car is as smooth as an EV without the range worries (we can't charge at home). I only wonder: how will the battery longevity be with a small battery that is constantly charging/discharging? I trust Honda knows what they're doing at least.
And while we don't have long-term experience with it yet, I think Honda's hybrid system is the best. Many other automakers shove an electric donut motor in the bell-housing and call it good. Honda has eleminated the transmission, so the car is as smooth as an EV without the range worries (we can't charge at home). I only wonder: how will the battery longevity be with a small battery that is constantly charging/discharging? I trust Honda knows what they're doing at least.
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I don't mind having an automatic transmission in the van. I will not buy an ICE sports car with an auto or DCT.
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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:
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)
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)
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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.
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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.
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