The Worst Cars I Drove In 2025

Normally, all of our contributors who have access to test cars partake, but we've had some staffing changes and others didn't have the bandwidth to participate. So, you're stuck with me.

I have three vehicles for you. Rules are simple -- I must've driven the vehicle within the calendar year 2025 and the vehicle must be a MY 2025 or 2026. It can be any new car I drove, whether on a first-drive program, via a loan at home, or at a press event.

I should also note here that "worst" is relative -- few cars are truly, truly bad. But some cars are good but priced too high. Some are fine but lack an obvious audience. Some are fine but not as good as the direct competition. And so on and so forth.

None of these vehicles are necessarily bad in a vacuum, but context matters.

Let's get to it.

GMC Hummer EV

There's nothing inherently wrong with the Hummer EV, though one can argue we don't need a 9,000 pound EV. It drives well enough, it's comfortable, and while I didn't go off-road it's probably pretty capable. But other than "look at me" types, I can't figure out who would spend nearly $120K on a heavy EV that likely does little to help the environment beyond not burning dead-dino juice.

There's no reason for this to exist other than GM knows it has enough buyers to make a business case.

Audi SQ6 Sportback e-tron Prestige

There's a great line in The Simpsons where bartender Moe explains a type of décor as "weird for the sake of weird." That's the feeling I got from this Audi. Odd design choices abound, as if Audi wanted to scream to all onlookers that this is an EV. Well, we've entered an era in which EVs are being designed to look like their ICE counterparts. I am sure some EV buyers like the green cred, but most just want a car that works. The SQ6 is kinda fun to drive, at least, but not so much so that it makes up for aesthetic choices.

Jeep Gladiator Sport

Age gets to us all. And that's the problem here. Well, one of the problems. The other problem is that a Wrangler-based pickup sounds awesome, but in practice it means a vehicle that is just as ill-suited to on-road driving as most -- though not all -- Wrangler trims. Without the Wrangler's cool factor to make up for it. Oh, and as Ford has shown with the Bronco, it is possible to build a bad-to-the-bone off-roader with only minimal sacrifice of on-road driving.

To be fair, some Gladiator trims are a bit more streetable -- this tester had off-road rubber and was meant for the trail. But even the street-friendly trucks have been underpowered and too noisy.

I don't want the Gladiator to go away, nor do I want it (or the Wrangler) to lose any backcountry utility. But if it's possible to build an off-road-ready small pickup that can also be easy to live with during commuting duty -- and I think it is -- I hope Jeep does so with the next generation.