Best Car To Buy 2025: The Car Connection names 5 finalists

The Chevy Equinox EV, Chevy Blazer EV, and related Honda Prologue stand out as electric vehicle finalists
The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vies for top spot with efficient and stylish three-row family duty
The Subaru Forester gets better at what its known for, and is our least expensive finalist

‘Tis the season for The Car Connection Best Car To Buy award. With nearly 300 new car models on sale right now, and each one offered in a variety of powertrain options, trim levels, and options packages, the new car shopping process can be overwhelming if not daunting. That’s why we’ve whittled down the best of what’s new and redesigned to five finalists.

The idea behind our long-running award system is to simplify the complex process of car shopping. We won’t tell you what car to buy as every shopper has different needs and priorities, but we try to show you how the top choices compare with rivals. We wish we could get you a deal, too, but hopefully this award series steers you in the right direction.

Best Car To Buy methodology

To qualify, a vehicle must be new, redesigned, or substantially refreshed for the model year, and it has to be made available to our judges and on sale to you before our announcement of the winner on Jan. 6, 2025. We place a priority on cars priced below $50,000, but in recent years we raised our consideration cap to $100,000 due to the number of evolutionary but expensive electric vehicles and pickup trucks. Anything above that won’t be disqualified, but we don’t like such high prices any more than you. Value is an integral part to our Best Car To Buy winner.

Last year, the 2024 Kia EV9 electric three-row crossover won the The Car Connection Best Car To Buy 2024 for making electric powertrains accessible to shoppers looking for three rows of seating. It barely beat out the excellent 2024 Chevrolet Trax and its starting price of $21,495, including destination. That’s a third of what a new EV9 costs, and less than half of what new car shoppers are paying on average.

We’re a tight-fisted bunch. With more than 100 years of automotive experience, our five editorial judges assess disparate vehicles on a level playing field, accounting for a spectrum of performance capabilities, design styles, safety and convenience features, and, above all, relative value. That’s the essence behind our unique TCC Rating system applied to every new vehicle on sale now. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

We’ll explore the merits of each Best Car To Buy finalist in the weeks to come before announcing the winner on Jan. 6, 2025. Our sister publications will do the same, with Motor Authority targeting the enthusiast and luxury demographic, and Green Car Reports focusing on electrified powertrains and the evolution of the automotive industry.

Best Car To Buy 2025 finalists

Chevy Blazer EV

Related only in name to the gas Blazer, the Chevrolet Blazer EV launched late in 2023 as a 2024 model, missing the cut for our Best Car To Buy 2024 award. Since then, GM has rolled out a half-dozen electric vehicles utilizing a shared battery and propulsion system that had been dubbed Ultium until recently. The Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV pickup trucks followed, and the Cadillac Escalade IQ and luxurious Celestiq soon join the Cadillac Lyriq that’s related in size and underpinnings to the Blazer EV. On the other end of the spectrum, the affordable Equinox EV launched this year as well. The Blazer EV midsize crossover sits in the middle ground of GM’s bursting EV lineup, with all-wheel-, rear-wheel-, and forthcoming front-wheel-drive options, as well as a modest boost in range for 2025 up to 334 miles (from 324) as well as a modest price drop of about $1,200. The RS RWD has a 334-mile range and an exclusive 102-kwh battery pack. All other Blazer EVs have an 85.0-kwh pack and an AWD range of 283 miles. Camaro-esque styling with roomy crossover proportions bode well for the Blazer EV, and Chevy offers it in so many different configurations that it casts the widest net. We’ll see if it catches our big Best Car To Buy fish.

Chevy Equinox EV

The Equinox EV also shares only a name with the redesigned gas Equinox. Aside from the aging Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Equinox EV is the most affordable electric vehicle on sale right now. The base LT costs less than $35,000, excluding any federal EV tax incentives, and has a range of up to 319 miles with a 85.0-kwh battery pack. Chevy offers it in a 220-hp single-motor, front-wheel-drive model or as a 300-hp, dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model. The compact crossover is efficient, attractive, well-equipped, and a relative deal in not just the EV space but in the broader crossover space. In that way, it reminds us of the Chevy Trax that won our Best Economy Car To Buy 2024 award.

Honda Prologue

Does that image look similar to the Blazer EV image? It is, because the two models are closely related. Honda leaned on GM’s economies of scale by borrowing its EV propulsion system for its first mass-produced electric vehicle in the U.S., excepting the limited-run Honda Fit EV. Honda puts its own mark on the Prologue with a user interface that includes Apple CarPlay, unlike in the Blazer EV, but its infotainment interface feels and looks more like an aftermarket piece than the better integrated Blazer EV unit. It DC fast-charges a tad slower than the Blazer EV, reaching an 80% state of charge in 35 minutes instead of 30 minutes. It looks calmer, smoother, and more cohesive than the busywork of the Blazer EV, and in our testing the Prologue handled and steered with more sharpness than the flabbier Blazer EV. Overall it has a different personality than the Blazer EV but is it charming enough to win top prize?

Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

Hyundai redesigned the Santa Fe midsize crossover for 2025 and brought back a third row of seats. It’s larger, wider, roomier, and far more stylish than in past generations, with H-badges stamped everywhere, including the headlights and taillights. Its boxy dimensions give it something of a Lego car look, but to good effect. The most noteworthy addition to the 2025 lineup is a hybrid model with a 35-mpg combined rating with all-wheel drive. Pair that efficiency with a large 17.7-gallon tank and you can go about 600 miles between fuel stops, if your seven passengers can make it that far. Hyundai unites a 1.6-liter inline-4 with an electric motor between the 6-speed automatic transmission for smooth system output of up to 231 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. Add in some clever storage spaces, such as a center console that opens up to second-row passengers, Hyundai’s excellent 5-year/60,000-mile limited warranty, and extensive standard safety and convenience features, and it equates to one smart family hauler.

2025 Subaru Forester

Subaru Forester

Subaru might be best known for safety and standard all-wheel drive—and a fondness for dogs—but it’s also considered the most reliable car brand, according to the latest annual results from Consumer Reports. One of the reasons for its reliability is its conservative approach to redesigns, as evidenced by the redesigned 2025 Subaru Forester. The sixth-generation compact crossover SUV looks similar to its predecessor and is powered by a revised 180-hp 2.5-liter flat-4 that hits peak torque quicker than last year’s model. The chassis is stiffer and the ride is quieter overall, but improvements to its driver-assist system and convenience features might be the most noticeable changes to most shoppers. Making a good thing better always fares well with us, and with a starting price of about $31,000, the Subaru Forester is the least expensive finalist.

You know how we feel about value.

Stay tuned for more Best Car To Buy 2025 coverage until we announce our winner on Jan. 6, 2025.