The average American full-time worker commutes 26 minutes to work every day – and another 26 minutes getting home. And that’s if the rush-hour traffic is favorable. So, at the very least, you’re spending a good five hours a week just driving back and forth to your job. It goes without saying that choosing the right vehicle in which to make this commute goes a long way to lowering your five-day-a-week stress levels.
But what makes for the perfect commuter vehicle? That depends on who you ask and what criteria you use. Nevertheless, most commuters agree that they want, at minimum, the following:
- Comfort
- Appealing interior features
- Adequate trunk/cargo space
- Reasonable price
- Fuel-efficiency
If you’re looking for a reliable car for long commutes, you have many from which to choose. Below we compare a Consumer Reports survey with a U.S. News series of tests. Both organizations were addressing the commuter car issue, but as you will see, they came to quite different conclusions for their respective top 10 commuter car lists.
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports surveyed 230,000 people who owned vehicles less than three years old to see how satisfied they were with their vehicles in terms of commuting. Here are the top 10 commuter cars based on owner satisfaction:
- Tesla Model S – exceptional performance; travels between 180-225 miles per charge on its optional 85kWh battery; charges in five hours with a dedicated Tesla connector
- Chevrolet Volt – electric with a backup engine; 35-mile electric range; 99 mpg in electric mode and 32 mpg using gasoline; four-hour charging time with 240-volt supply increases to 10 hours with 120-volt
- Nissan Leaf – electric with 75-mile range; up to six hours to charge with 240-volt supply; 106 mpg; 3.5 cents per mile running costs
- Ford C-Max – hybrid; 40 mph top electric speed; 37 mpg overall; Energi plug-in runs for about 18 miles before reverting to hybrid; two hours to charge using 240-volt supply and six hours using 120-volt
- Lexus ES – hybrid; 44 mpg highway with 36 mpg overall; blind spot monitoring
- Mazda3 – sedan or hatchback; most fuel-efficient compact that’s not a hybrid or diesel; 33 mpg overall; blind spot monitoring
- Subaru Legacy – mid-size sedan; 26 mpg overall; rear-view camera; rear radar system with blind spot, cross-traffic, and lane-change warnings
- Toyota Prius – hybrid; 55 mpg highway and 44 mpg overall; 25 mph top speed on electric only
- Honda Accord – 4-cylinder gets 30 mpg overall; 3.5 liter V6 gets 26 mpg overall; roomy interior in both
- Volkswagen Passat – mid-sized sedan; 1.8-liter turbo averages 39 mpg highway and 28 mpg overall; extra-large rear seats; huge trunk
U.S. News
U.S. News conducted their own tests of numerous vehicles for commuter appeal. They used a price of under $35,000, an automatic transmission, and good gas mileage as their main criteria, but also gave points for comfort, features, and cargo space. Here is their Top 10 list:
- Hyundai Ioniq – $22,200 | 55 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.1/10
- Toyota Prius – $23,475 | 52 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.1/10
- Toyota Camry Hybrid – $27,800 | 46 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.3/10
- Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid – $27,920 | 46 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.3/10
- Kia Optima Hybrid – $25,995 | 42 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.6/10
- Hyundai Sonata Hybrid – $26,000 | 40 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.3/10
- Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid – $33,400 |110 MPGe/42 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.2/10
- Ford C-Max Hybrid – $24,120 | 40 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.1/10
- Honda Fit – $16,990 | 36 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.1/10
- Chevrolet Cruze Diesel – $23,820 | 37 mpg | U.S. News Interior Score: 8.2/10
Given that you spend a good deal of time in your car just commuting, not to mention all the errands you run in it, finding the perfect commuter car for you can make your life easier and more pleasant.