2021 Newsweek Autos Awards

Newsweek 2021 Autos Awards

The Newsweek 2021 Autos Awards highlight the industry's best in 25 individual vehicle and brand categories.

This first annual list includes several U.S. companies, a start-up automaker and a number of models that have recently been redesigned. Nearly all of the vehicles we ranked are made in America.

We rated vehicles in two ways: by test driving them and by comparing their standard and available features and specifications to those of other vehicles in the same category. Over the last year, the Newsweek autos team drove about 150 vehicles, rating them in seven categories: performance,handling and braking, technology, cargo area, seating, interior appointments and pricing. We focused on how well the vehicles lived up to the expectations of the target customer. Automakers were asked to provide vehicles for testing and only models that were available were test driven.

Best Car, SUV, Truck and Minivan category winners had 25 percent of their total rating determined by the test drive score and 75 percent by features and specifications. Brand awards were more subjective. In addition to vehicle scores, we looked at changes to the model lineup and other company activities to determine our winners.

Infiniti QX60

BRAND AWARDS

Best Car Lineup

The best cars on the market fit into modern lifestyles with aplomb offering power and performance alongside comfort and style.

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Best SUV Lineup

Companies are equipping their models with more comfort and convenience features, and matching them with capability and performance.

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Best Truck Lineup

The best trucks are equipped with features, tech and appointments that rival what is found in SUVs and are supremely capable.

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Most Innovative Vehicle Brand

Electric vehicles, mobility and last mile solutions, alternative fuels and flying cars in the plans of innovative automakers.

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Most Improved Vehicle Brand

Automakers tweak engines, upholstery, and tech to make their models more appealing to customers and improve vehicles mid-generation.

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Best Brand for Your Buck

Some of best vehicles aren’t just well-made and full of features. They also are available at a price point that seems like a steal.

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VEHICLE AWARDS

Best Small Car

The best small cars deliver a lot of bang for the buck with more space, power and technology than what is expected.

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Best Midsize Car

The top midsize cars off enough space for adults and come loaded with safety and convenience technology. They’re also fuel efficient.

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Best Large Car

Large trunks, spacious seats and the latest in high-tech infotainment and safety innovations make the best large cars desirable.

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Best Small SUV

The best subcompact SUVs offer comfortable seats, good cargo space and solid roster of safety technology.

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Best Two-Row SUV

Excellent cargo space, high-tech convenience features and roomy seating are the hallmarks of the top two-row SUVs.

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Best Three-Row SUV

These cream of the three-row SUV crop have excellent safety technologies, roomy accommodations and easy drivability.

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Best Full-Size SUV

Full-size SUVs offer high-tech features and gobs of passenger space but sometimes come up short on cargo room and style.

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Best Premium Car

Refined upholstery and tech offerings push premium cars into near-luxury territory. Many also come in performance-focused variants.

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Best Luxury Car

No-compromise style, technology, comfort and passenger space, and safety technology define the best luxury cars on the market today.

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Best Minivan

The most modern minivans have the same level of comfort and convenience features as SUVs but with some advantages, like a flat floor.

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Best Premium SUV

Creature comforts, authentic materials, and a good list of standard and available convenience features make premium SUVs stand out.

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Best Luxury SUV

The most luxurious SUVs offer surfaces wrapped in soft leather and have high-tech infotainment, safety and driver assist features.

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Best Small Pickup Truck

The two new small pickups on the market offer something different to customers and neither feels like a compromise.

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Best Midsize Pickup Truck

Midsize trucks are comfortable daily drivers that excel off the beaten path. The best have spacious cabins.

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Best Full-Size Pickup Truck

Full-size pickup trucks are more luxurious now than ever before. They also ride better, and are becoming increasingly fuel efficient.

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Most Improved Vehicle

The most improved vehicles have undergone a mid-cycle makeover that includes design and tech upgrades made to refocus buyer attention.

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Best Family Car

The best family cars offer all-wheel drive, have hard-wearing upholstery, and come equipped with safety and driver assistance tech.

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Best Family SUV

The best SUVs comfortably seat and entertain families in style. Safety technology and storage solutions also factor into the equation.

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Best Family Truck

Family-friendly pickup trucks have unique storage solutions and high-tech safety equipment. They’re also capable towers and haulers.

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