Which car makes and models are the most loved by motorists?

If you’re looking for a new car, it’s likely that you will be checking out the various car rating services available online as well as reading reviews from current car owners. Fortunately, we have so much information at our fingertips today that we can find accurate and reliable information on a wide variety of vehicles before making this major investment.

Since it can be a challenge to assimilate all the information available, we have created a list of top-selling cars in both the US and European markets, including a comprehensive list of ratings from real owners.

We used the review sites Parkers, HonestJohn and Autotrader for Europe, and Cars.com, Edmunds, and J.D. Power for the U.S. We calculated average ratings over all review sites.

Europe’s top selling cars with the highest owner ratings

1. Ford Puma

• Average rating: 4.4
• Parkers average rating: 4.6
• HonestJohn average rating: 4.6
• AutoTrader average rating: 4

Best known as a small family car, the Ford Puma topped the list for European car owners. Both HonestJohn and Parker’s awarded this vehicle a 4.6 rating with AutoTrader owners coming in at 4. This resulted in an impressive average score of 4.4.

2. Volkswagen Tiguan

• Average rating: 4.3
• Parkers average rating: 4
• HonestJohn average rating: 4.5
• AutoTrader average rating: 4.6

The Volkswagen Tiguan Came in as a close second in this year’s survey of European car owners with an average rating of 4.4. This luxury SUV earned 4, 4.5, and 4.6 ratings from Parker’s, HonestJohn, and AutoTrader respectively.

3. Hyundai Tucson, Toyota Yaris Cross, Toyota Corolla

This year we had an impressive three-way tie for third place in the European market. Here is the rundown.

Hyundai Tucson

• Average rating: 4.2
• Parkers average rating: 4
• HonestJohn average rating: 4.1
• AutoTrader average rating: 4.6

The Hyundai Tucson is the first of our triple third place winners with an average score of 4.2. This two-seat SUV earned an impressive 4.6 rating from AutoTrader as well as a 4.0 and 4.1 rating from Parkers and HonestJohn, respectively.

Toyota Yaris Cross

• Average rating: 4.2
• Parkers average rating: 4.1
• HonestJohn average rating: 4.3
• AutoTrader average rating: –

Also a small-class SUV with an average score of 4.2, the Toyota Yaris Cross impressed European car owners. Those rating it on Parker’s gave it an average of 4.1 with HonestJohn owners awarding the vehicle a 4.3.

Toyota Corolla

• Average rating: 4.2
• Parkers average rating: 4
• HonestJohn average rating: 4
• AutoTrader average rating: 4.6

Our final third place winner this year in the European market is not a small class SUV, but a popular family sedan. The Toyota Corolla earned an average rating of 4 from both Parkers and HonestJohn with AutoTrader owners giving this vehicle an impressive 4.6 rating.

European cars with the lowest owner ratings

1. Citroen C3

• Average rating: 3.4
• Parkers average rating: 3.1
• HonestJohn average rating: 3.1
• AutoTrader average rating: 4

At the other end of the list in Europe, we have the Citroen C3. This mini car had an average rating of 3.4. Owners awarded it an average of 3.1 on both Parkers and HonestJohn, which was lifted by an AutoTrader rating of 4.

2. Fiat/Abarth 500, Volkswagen Golf

We once again had a tie in second place with two vehicles earning an average score of 3.6. Here are the details.

Fiat/Abarth 500

• Average rating: 3.6
• Parkers average rating: 2.3
• HonestJohn average rating: 4
• AutoTrader average rating: 4.5

Known as a cute, peppy car, the Fiat/Abarth 500 came in with a score of 3.6 on average. Its Parker’s rating at 2.3 pulled down its average while HonestJohn and Auto Trader users ranked the car at 4 and 4.5 respectively.

Volkswagen Golf

• Average rating: 3.6
• Parkers average rating: 3.8
• HonestJohn average rating: 4.1
• AutoTrader average rating: 3

Just like the other second-place European contender, the Volkswagen Golf is a small vehicle with an average rating of 3.6. Owners on Honest John gave the vehicle a respectable rating of 4.1, which was pulled down by a 3.8 from Parker’s owners and further by a 3 from AutoTrader.

3. Fiat Panda

• Average rating: 3.7
• Parkers average rating: 2.1
• HonestJohn average rating: 4.8
• AutoTrader average rating: 4.4

The Fiat Panda is defined by the manufacturer as “a car with a fresh, light, Mediterranean look both in colors and materials.” European car owners gave it an average score of 3.7.

The Brands with the Highest and Lowest Owner Ratings in the EU

When we looked at the top car brands in Europe, several popular ones came out on top for current owners. Hyundai vehicles scored an impressive 4.2 out of 5, followed by Ford and Peugeot that tied at 4.1. Toyota brought up the rear just a tad behind at 4.06.

At the other end of the spectrum, we found that owners placed Citroen at the bottom with a score of 3.4, Fiat at 3.65, and both Volkswagen and Nissan at 3.9.

TOP 20 Cars with the Highest and Lowest Owner Ratings in the EU

America’s top selling cars with the highest owner ratings

1. Subaru CrossTrek

• Average rating: 4.52
• J.D. Power average rating: 4.15
• Edmunds average rating: 4.6
• Cars.com average rating: 4.8

At the top of our list this year in the United States is the Subaru Crosstrek. On average, real world drivers rate this vehicle at a whopping 4.52 across all three sites. Owners on Car.com rated the Subaru Crosstrek at an impressive 4.8 while those sharing their experiences on J.D. Power and Edmunds awarded ratings of 4.6 and 4.15 respectively.

2. Jeep Wrangler

• Average rating: 4.47
• J.D. Power average rating: 4.2
• Edmunds average rating: 4.4
• Cars.com average rating: 4.8

Well-known since its inception in 1986, this compact, mid-size four-wheel drive off-road SUV came in second. Earning an average rating of 4.47, the Jeep Wrangler impressed Cars.com owners and achieved a 4.8 rating, which tied with the first place vehicle.

3. Toyota Camry

• Average rating: 4.43
• J.D. Power average rating: 4.1
• Edmunds average rating: 4.5
• Cars.com average rating: 4.7

The well-known Toyota Camry brought up the rear, trailing the second place vehicle by only four hundredths of a point. This popular family sedan known for its reliability received a 4.1 rating from J.D. Power, a 4.5 rating for Edmunds, and a 4.7 rating from Cars.com.

American cars with the lowest owner ratings

1. Tesla Model Y

• Average rating: 3.77
• J.D. Power average rating: 3.90
• Edmunds average rating: 3.7
• Cars.com average rating: 3.7

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the car with the lowest rating in the United States was the Tesla Model Y. However, it still scored a 3.77 out of 5. This fully electric crossover SUV earned a respectable 3.9 from J.D. Power as well as a 3.7 rating from both Edmunds and Cars.com.

2. GMC Sierra

• Average rating: 3.88
• J.D. Power average rating: 4.25
• Edmunds average rating: 3.4
• Cars.com average rating: 4

Although GMC Sierra is known as a reliable full-size truck, it came in second place for vehicles in the US with the lowest owner ratings. Its average rating came in at 3.88, and this truck still earned a 4.25 score from J.D. Power, a 3.4 score from Edmunds, and a 4.0 rating from Cars.com.

3. Chevrolet Silverado, Tesla Model 3

Two vehicles tied for third place in the evaluation of the lowest rating vehicles in the United states. Here they are:

Chevrolet Silverado

• Average rating: 4.02
• J.D. Power average rating: 4.25
• Edmunds average rating: 3.3
• Cars.com average rating: 4.5

This truck tied for third place with an average score of 4.02. The Chevrolet Silverado still scored an impressive 4.5 on Cars.com and a 4.25 on J.D. Power. Its Edmunds rating of 3.3 brought its overall average down slightly.

Tesla Model 3

• Average rating: 4.02
• J.D. Power average rating: 3.9
• Edmunds average rating: 4
• Cars.com average rating: 4.2

Tying with the Chevrolet Silverado is the Tesla Model 3, also coming in at a 4.02. This fully electric car had respectable ratings of 3.9, 4, and 4.2 from J.D. Power, Edmunds, and Cars.com, respectively.

TOP 20 Cars with the Highest and Lowest Owner Ratings in the US

The Brands with the Highest and Lowest Owner Ratings in the US

Current owners rated Subaru, Honda, and Hyundai as the top car brands in the United States with scores of 4.52, 4.41, and 4.37, respectively.

Although Nissan, Tesla and GMC brought up the rear in our survey of U.S. car brands, they still registered reasonable owner scores. Nissan came it at 4.03, Tesla at 3.89, and GMC at 3.88.

Although Nissan, Tesla and GMC brought up the rear in our survey of U.S. car brands, they still registered reasonable owner scores. Nissan came it at 4.03, Tesla at 3.89, and GMC at 3.88.

Previous reports

2022 Happy motorist index

Methodology

We created a list of top-selling cars from the top-selling models across Europe and America. We then recorded average owner ratings for each model from the most popular for Europe: Parkers, HonestJohn, Autotrader, and most popular among the US: Edmunds, J.D. Power, and Cars. Any cars without data from at least two of these sites were removed from the list. An average rating was calculated by averaging three recorded ratings.