U.S. News Announces the 2026 Best Vehicle Brand and Best CPO Program Awards

Two new categories expand the 2026 awards to showcase electric vehicle brands.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today announced its 2026 Best Vehicle Brand and Best Certified Pre-Owned Program awards.

This year, U.S. News' Best Vehicle Brands awards expanded, now evaluating 39 brands to identify industry-wide excellence across six key segments of the automotive market. Two new categories for 2026 include Best Electric Vehicle Brand and Best Luxury Electric Vehicle Brand. These additions recognize brands that excel in electric-specific criteria, including performance, safety and the overall quality of the interior and technology in both the standard electric vehicle (EV) and luxury EV segments.

Ford claimed the inaugural title for Best Electric Vehicle Brand, while Lucid earned the debut award for the Best Luxury Electric Vehicle Brand. These additions augment the existing cars, SUVs, trucks and luxury vehicle brand awards.

This year's winners include:

• Best Car Brand: Honda
• Best SUV Brand: Hyundai
• Best Truck Brand: Ram
• Best Luxury Brand: Genesis
• Best Electric Vehicle Brand: Ford
• Best Luxury Electric Vehicle Brand: Lucid
• Best Certified Pre-Owned Program: Lexus

Separately, the U.S. News Best CPO Program recognizes the program that offers consumers the most benefits.

The 2026 Best Vehicle Brand Awards

For the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News recognized Honda as the Best Car Brand, with high scores across the board for its cars, in particular the Civic and Civic Type R. In addition, the exceptional quality of the Palisade, Tucson and Tucson Hybrid models helped Hyundai earn its second consecutive award for the Best SUV Brand, while Ram extended its Best Truck Brand winning streak to seven years due to the strength of its Ram 1500 and Ram 2500 models. Genesis secured its first Best Luxury Brand title with the appeal of the G90 and GV70. 

"The 2026 Best Vehicle Brand awards have been expanded to reflect the rapidly evolving automotive landscape, most notably the growing importance of electric vehicles," said John Vincent, senior automotive correspondent at U.S. News.

"This expansion acknowledges the historic number of new EVs and premium electric offerings hitting the market, which are rapidly transforming consumer choice and creating new standards of brand excellence."

To determine the award winners, U.S. News Best Cars averaged the overall score of all the given brand's products in each award class. The vehicle scores are derived from the U.S. News Best Cars rankings, which take into account a range of data points like safety ratings and reliability data, as well as the consensus opinion of the automotive press. The brand with the highest average score was designated the winner in that specific category.

The 2025 Best Certified Pre-Owned Program Winner

Lexus remains the definitive standard for certified pre-owned programs, winning its ninth consecutive Best Certified Pre-Owned Program award thanks to its extensive warranty coverage and range of premium program benefits.

"With its industry-leading unlimited mileage CPO warranty and comprehensive luxury benefits, like complimentary maintenance and loaner vehicles, Lexus continues to be the industry benchmark for certified pre-owned programs," says Vincent.

To determine the award winner, U.S. News evaluated a range of distinct CPO program coverages and benefits, including warranty coverage duration, trip interruption reimbursement, roadside assistance perks and more.

For more information, visit Best Vehicle Brands and Best Certified Pre-Owned Programs and use #BestVehicleBrands and #BestCPO on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok and Facebook.

About U.S. News Best Cars
Since 2007, U.S. News Best Cars, the automotive channel of U.S. News & World Report, has published rankings and reviews of the majority of new vehicles sold in America. Each year, U.S. News also publishes the Best Cars Awards, including Best Vehicle Brands, Best Cars for the Money and Best Cars for Families. U.S. News Best Cars supports car shoppers throughout the entire car buying journey, offering industry-leading advice for researching cars and finding cars for sale, as well as its U.S. News Best Price Program.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.