NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 2023) – With their attractive blend of cutting-edge design, advanced technology, and energy efficiency, electric vehicles (EVs) are taking center stage in auto showrooms nationwide and the new, recently released 2023 AAA Car Guide
2022 was notable for soaring gas prices, with the national average for a gallon of gas hitting a record $5.01 in June. In Tennessee, the state average reached a new record high of $4.64. Consumers responded by purchasing more than 760,000 EVs, a 65% increase from 2021. Of the 71 vehicles reviewed for the 2023 AAA Car Guide, 19 are pure electric.
“AAA’s latest research is here to help consumers navigate the evolving automotive marketplace by ranking and rating the newest vehicles – including EVs,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “EV sales gain more traction each year, but we know that consumers still have a lot of questions about them, such as battery life and ease of charging. AAA’s Car Guide can help answer some of these questions and eliminate some of the car buying guesswork.”
AAA Releases its 2023 Car Guide
The AAA Car Guide is an easy-to-understand resource that takes some of the stress and guesswork out of car shopping by providing the vital information consumers need to make the right choice.
The 2023 AAA Car Guide includes comprehensive reviews of each vehicle based on 13 criteria, including:
Number of ADAS safety features
Fuel efficiency
Emissions
Braking and handling
Ride quality
Acceleration
The 2022 BMW iX xDrive50 earned the overall top score for the 2023 edition of the AAA Car Guide. All but one of the category winners for 2023 is electric – the gasoline-powered Kia Carnival SX took the minivan category. Meanwhile, tiny Rivian Automotive placed two models in the top five – the R1T Adventure pickup (Pickup Truck category winner) and the R1S Launch Edition SUV.
These vehicles are tested, scored, and placed in one of six vehicle type categories by the Automotive Research Center (ARC) of the Automobile Club of Southern California, a member of the AAA federation of motor clubs. Additionally, there are three categories based on price.
Each of the 2023 AAA Car Guide winners has numerous ADAS safety features and achieves high fuel efficiency. The highest scoring ranked by category are:
Category
Vehicle
Overall
2022 BMW iX xDrive50 (electric)
Small
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV 2LT (electric)
Midsize
2022 BMW i4 M50 (electric)
Large
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4MATIC Sedan (electric)
Pickup
2022 Rivian R1T Adventure (electric)
SUV
2022 BMW iX xDrive50 (electric)
Minivan
2022 Kia Carnival SX (gasoline)
Best Under $35K
2023 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE Nightshade (hybrid)
Best $35K – $50K
2022 Kia Carnival SX (gasoline)
Best Over $50K
2022 BMW iX xDrive50 (electric)
Winners, detailed evaluation criteria, vehicle reviews, and an in-depth analysis of the ADAS technology can be found at aaa.com/carguide. AAA also provides consumers with other resources like the Your Driving Costs calculator and Used EV Car Buyer’s Guide to help with car buying decisions.
For those in the market for newer used vehicles, the online AAA Car Guide website also contains links to the two prior editions in 2022 and 2021.
The AAA Car Guide also contains detailed information about AAA’s recent research on current automotive technologies such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and headlight effectiveness.