U.S. News & World Report ranks automobiles in several ways and awards top brands and models with honors in an effort to help people make informed decisions when shopping for a vehicle. Awards such as Best Car for the Money have been available since 2009.

Other awards introduced throughout the 2010 decade including, Best Cars for Families (2011), Best Cars for Teens (2016), Best Vehicle Brand (2016), and Best Hybrid (2018). In the last decade, Honda won more awards than any other brand with 63 total awards.

Best Cars for the Money

When determining a winner of the Best Cars for the Money award, the “Best Cars Team” at U.S. News & World Report considers several criteria including price, safety, insurability, reliability, and fuel efficiency to determine an as accurate as possible cost of ownership.

They consider all of this data in an attempt to get the most value for the dollar when buying a vehicle. The Best Cars Team uses data and reviews from every credible source available to determine a score for driving characteristics, interior comfort, connectivity features, and tech performance to get an overall quality rating for each vehicle.

Honda has won the Best Cars for the Money award 27 times over the last decade. The Honda Fit won the most Best Cars for the Money awards with wins in every year of the 2010s except 2012 and 2014 for a total of eight. The Honda CR-V is another noteworthy Best Cars for the Money winner with six wins in the same period.

Best Cars for Families

In the Best Cars for Families contest, the Best Cars Team looks at a variety of vehicle classes from hybrids and SUVs to sedans and vans while they consider safety features, connectivity tech, cargo capacity, and value for the money.

The Honda Odyssey won Best Minivan for Families every year from 2011 to 2019 and also Best Minivan for the Money in 2010 to sweep the decade winning an award every year.

The Honda CR-V was named the Best Compact SUV for families every year from 2011 to 2018 except 2014. Combined with its Best Cars for the Money awards it swept the decade as well. 

Best Cars for Teens

If it were up to teens the Best Cars for Teens award might be slightly different. While the Best Cars Team takes teen desirable features such as cool tech features and stylish design into consideration, they also look at safety ratings, safety tech features, reliability, and crash-test scores when determining a winner.

Distracted driving is the leading cause of accidents involving teen drivers. With this in mind, features that help teens avoid crashes and keep them from harm in the event of a crash are given priority over horsepower and premium sound systems. 

Since the introduction of this award in 2016, Honda has won the category three out of the four years of the last decade. The 2016 Honda Civic was the first to win the award and was also named Best Compact Car for the Money. It offers reasonable performance, handling, and tech for a reasonable price and it has above-average predicted reliability. 

The 2017 Honda Fit boasts solid safety scores and is the top-ranked subcompact car. It offers outstanding fuel economy and a spacious, comfortable interior. 

The 2019 Honda HR-V is rated as an economical subcompact SUV designed to keep teens (or anyone really) safe with low fuel costs. It has advanced accident avoidance features including blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and lane-keep assistance. 

Best SUV Brand

When shopping for an SUV, the Honda CR-V is always one to consider. With 14 awards to its credit in the last decade, it is the most highly decorated Compact SUV on the market.

The CR-V has multiple awards including six years Best Compact SUV for the Money and Best Compact SUV for Families for eight years. The CR-V has a powerful yet fuel-efficient engine and plenty of cargo and passenger room.