5 more new cars to avoid at all costs, and 5 alternatives to consider | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

For car buyers, 2025 was the year of incentives. If you were in the market for a new vehicle in the first half of last year, consider yourself lucky.

After the 25% tariffs on automotive imports were announced in March, many car shoppers snagged new vehicles before price hikes reached dealer lots.

A February consumer poll from CivicScience found that six in 10 Americans would switch to an alternative brand or stop purchasing an affected product if their favorite brand were affected by tariffs.

Last year, major automakers were paying buyers up to $2,000 to switch brands through so-called “conquest cash incentives” that were often stacked on top of other offers.

Retail consumers spent $620 billion on new vehicles in 2025, according to Automotive World, citing J.D. Power data, a nearly 6% increase from the previous year. However, the increase was driven by a threat that never really materialized.

“Despite much speculation regarding major increases in new vehicle prices due to tariffs, the actual increases, as correctly predicted by J.D. Power, have been muted,” the firm said.

The average retail transaction price for all vehicles in December was estimated at $47,104, a $715 (1.5%) increase from the same period last year. Without EVs, which are on average more expensive than traditional combustion-engine vehicles, average car prices rose 1.4% to $46,807.

If you are one of those six in 10 Americans looking to change car brands, TheStreet covered Consumer Reports list of popular vehicles to avoid and the ones to consider instead here.

Here are another five vehicles to consider in 2026.

Consumer Reports identifies better alternatives to some of the most popular vehicle options.

Photo by Halfpoint Images on Getty Images

What is Consumer Reports, and how did it compile this list?

Founded in 1936 by a group of workers fired from a product-testing firm called Consumers’ Research, Consumer Reports is a multifaceted nonprofit organization that aims to educate consumers about products and help them make informed purchasing decisions.

It does this by purchasing and testing products directly, administering detailed surveys to its members about the products they own and use, and investigating the veracity of manufacturers’ claims.

Consumer Reports at a glance

Founded: 1936 (as Consumers Union by former employees of Consumers’ Research, fired after they attempted to unionize)
Headquartered: Yonkers, NY
Leadership: Marta Tellado (president and CEO)
Employees: Approx. 500 to 600
Members: At least 6 million
Mission statement: “Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit member organization that works side by side with consumers for truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace.”

Consumer Reports’ slogan, “Smarter choices for a better world,” captures the organization’s purpose. CR aims to educate and inform the public by providing objective information about popular products, helping consumers make “smarter choices” when purchasing major items.

For this list, Consumer Reports uses the ratings and ranks based on testing and what its members tell them in surveys.

This review focused on the top-selling models (based on sales and registration data) in nine different categories. The alternatives to these popular models are in the same genre but have higher ratings.