Car and Driver Ten Best
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Car and Driver magazine nominates an annual list of Ten Best cars and Five Best trucks.
All production vehicles for sale in that calendar year are considered with these restrictions:
- The vehicle must be on sale by January
- It must be priced below 2.5 times the average car price for that year
- The manufacturer must provide an example for testing
- Only substantially changed vehicles and the past year's 10 best winners are nominated
See also: Car of the Year
Top Ten Marques
From 1983 through 2006, the following marques were represented on the list the most times, including both the car and truck lists.
| Rank | Marque | Number of wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda | 54 |
| 2 | Ford | 27 |
| 3 | BMW | 22 |
| 4 | Mazda | 19 |
| 5 | Chevrolet | 17 |
| 6 | Acura | 16 |
| 7 | Audi | 15 |
| 7 | Nissan | 15 |
| 9 | Chrysler | 12 |
| 9 | Dodge | 12 |
Top Manufacturers
Further breaking down the marques into their controlling manufacturers amplifies Honda's dominance of the contest over the last 24 years.Note that this number is skewed by the multiple products picked over the years. For example, the Chrysler minivans were picked three times, totalling 8 "points" for DaimlerChrysler from three wins. The Diamond-Star cars were a similar problem, double-dipping "points" for both Mitsubishi, Plymouth, and Eagle. These situations were not "fixed"; rather, they are left as-is, skewing the totals.
| Rank | Manufacturer | Number of wins | Included marques |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda | 70 | Honda and Acura |
| 2 | Ford | 56 | Ford, Mazda, Mercury, Lincoln and Merkur |
| 3 | DaimlerChrysler | 46 | Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Mitsubishi, Eagle, Mercedes-Benz, AMC, and Jeep |
| 4 | General Motors | 30 | Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saab, and Cadillac |
| 5 | Toyota | 24 | Toyota, Subaru and Lexus |
| 6 | BMW | 22 | |
| 7 | Volkswagen | 19 | Audi and Volkswagen |
| 7 | Renault | 18 | Nissan, Infiniti, and Renault |
| 9 | Porsche | 11 |
Top Ten Models
From 1983 through 2006, the following individual models were represented on the list the most times:
| Rank | Model | Number of wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda Accord | 20 |
| 2 | BMW 3-Series | 15 |
| 3 | Chevrolet Corvette | 12 |
| 4 | Honda Prelude | 10 |
| 5 | Ford Taurus | 7 |
| 5 | Mazda Miata | 7 |
| 5 | Nissan 300ZX | 7 |
| 5 | Porsche Boxster | 7 |
| 9 | Acura Integra | 6 |
| 9 | BMW 5-Series | 6 |
| 9 | Honda Civic | 6 |
Note: The Acura RSX and Acura Integra are similar models. The RSX's 2002 and 2003 wins would bring the Integra into 5th place if their numbers were combined.
1983
For the 1980s, Car and Driver picked five domestic and five import cars.
| Model | Times on List |
|---|---|
| AMC Alliance | 1 |
| Chevrolet Caprice Classic | 1 |
| Ford Mustang GT 5.0 | 5 |
| Honda Accord | 20 |
| Mazda RX-7 | 5 |
| Mercedes-Benz 380SEL | 1 |
| Pontiac 6000 STE | 3 |
| Porsche 944 | 4 |
| Renault Alliance | 1 |
| Toyota Celica Supra | 2 |
| Volkswagen GTI Rabbit | 3 |
Fastest car tested: Jaguar XJ-S HE, 142 mph
Top-selling cars:
1984
Instituted the price cap at $30,000.
| Model | Times on List |
|---|---|
| Audi 5000 S/Turbo | 5 |
| Dodge Daytona Turbo | 1 |
| Honda Accord | 20 |
| Honda Prelude | 10 |
| Mazda 626 | 1 |
| Pontiac 6000 STE | 3 |
| Pontiac Fiero 2M4 | 1 |
| Porsche 944 | 4 |
| Toyota Celica Supra | 2 |
| Volkswagen GTI Rabbit | 3 |
Fastest car tested: Ferrari 308 Quattrovalvole, 144 mph
Top-selling cars:
1985
Price cap: $30,000
| Model | Times on List |
|---|---|
| Audi 5000 S/Turbo | 5 |
| Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z | 1 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 12 |
| Dodge Caravan | 3 |
| Honda Accord | 20 |
| Honda Civic | 6 |
| Honda CRX | 2 |
| Honda Prelude | 10 |
| Merkur XR4Ti | 1 |
| Plymouth Voyager | 3 |
| Pontiac 6000 STE | 3 |
| Porsche 944 | 4 |
Fastest car tested: Chevrolet Corvette, 150 mph
Top-selling cars:
1986
Price cap: $30,000
| Model | Times on List |
|---|---|
| Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro | 5 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 12 |
| Ford Taurus | 7 |
| Honda Accord | 20 |
| Honda Prelude | 10 |
| Lincoln Mark VII LSC | 1 |
| Mercury Sable | 3 |
| Porsche 944 Turbo | 4 |
| Saab 9000 Turbo | 4 |
| Toyota MR2 | 2 |
| Volkswagen GTI | 3 |
Fastest car tested: Porsche 944 Turbo, 157 mph
Top-selling cars:
1987
Price cap: $30,000
| Model | Times on List |
|---|---|
| Acura Integra | 6 |
| Audi 5000 CS Turbo | 5 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 12 |
| Ford Mustang GT | 5 |
| Ford Taurus | 7 |
| Honda Accord | 20 |
| Mazda RX-7 Turbo | 5 |
| Pontiac Bonneville SE | 1 |
| Saab 9000 Turbo | 4 |
| Toyota MR2 | 2 |
Fastest car tested: Ferrari Testarossa, 176 mph
Top-selling cars:
1988
Price cap: $35,000
| Model | Times on List |
|---|---|
| Acura Integra | 6 |
| Acura Legend Coupe | 3 |
| Audi 5000 | 5 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 12 |
| Ford Mustang 5 | 5 |
| Ford Taurus | 7 |
| Honda Accord | 20 |
| Honda Civic | 6 |
| Honda CRX | 2 |
| Saab 9000 Turbo | 4 |
Fastest car tested: Ferrari Testarossa, 173 mph
Top-selling cars:
1989
Imports and domestics chosen by marque, not by place of manufacture.Price cap: $35,000
| Model | Times on List |
|---|---|
| Acura Legend Coupe | 3 |
| Chevrolet Corvette | 12 |
| Dodge Colt Turbo | 1 |
| Ford Probe GT | 3 |
| Ford Taurus | 7 |
| Honda Accord | 20 |
| Honda Civic | 6 |
| Lincoln Continental | 1 |
| Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo | 4 |
| Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo | 1 |
| Plymouth Laser Turbo | 4 |
| Saab 9000 Turbo | 4 |
Fastest car tested: 750iL V12, 158 mph
Top-selling cars:
1990
Eliminated half domestic/half import rule as impractical.Price cap: $35,000
Fastest car tested: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, 175 mph
Top-selling cars:
1991
New rule: No more than two places per marque.Price cap: $35,000
Fastest car tested: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, 176 mph
Top-selling cars:
1992
Price cap: $40,000
Fastest car tested: Ferrari F40, 197 mph
Top-selling cars:
1993
Price cap: $40,000
Fastest car tested: Lamborghini Diablo, 204 mph
Top-selling cars:
1994
Institution of the 2.5x price cap, now at $43,000.
Fastest car tested: Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, 179 mph
Top-selling cars:
1995
Price cap: $46,000.
Fastest car tested: Lamborghini Diablo VT, 185 mph
Top-selling cars:
1996
Price cap: $48,000
Fastest car tested: Ferrari F355, 179 mph
Top-selling cars:
1997
Price cap: $54,000
Fastest car tested: Dodge Viper GTS, 177 mph
Top-selling cars:
1998
Price cap: $55,000
Fastest car tested: Ferrari F50, 194 mph
Top-selling cars:
1999
Price cap: $59,000
Top-selling cars:
2000
Price cap: $61,000
Top speed recorded: Ferrari 360 Modena, 173 mph
Top-selling cars:
2001
For 2001, Car and Driver created a separate "Five Best Trucks" award with a single winner in each of five categories.Top-selling vehicles:
Ten Best Cars
Price cap: $62,000
Five Best Trucks
2002
Top-selling cars:Ten Best Cars
Price cap: $66,000
Five Best Trucks
2003
Ten Best Cars
Price cap: $66,000
Five Best Trucks
2004
Ten Best Cars
Price cap: $69,000
Five Best Trucks
2005
Ten Best Cars
Price cap: $70,000
Five Best Trucks
2006
Ten Best Cars
Price cap: $70,000
Five Best Trucks
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