The Best Cars I Drove In 2025

by Tim Healey

Published: December 30th, 2025

Yesterday, I gave you the worst cars I drove in 2025. Today, I give you the best.

I was trying to keep this to three, as I did with the worst cars, but I came up with a few more. What can I say? There are some good cars out there.

Otherwise, the rules are the same -- I had to have driven it in calendar year 2025 and it had to be a model-year 2025 or 2026. I could have driven it as a loan at home, on a first-drive event, at a media event, or anything like that.

Here we go.

2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

I reviewed it recently, talking about it does a dual-personality role well. The price is right, too. And you can get a stick! This Jetta is keeping the compact sleeper flame going

2025 Honda Civic SI

Cheap speed? This one has it in spades. And there's not much in the way of sacrificed comfort. It is louder and less refined than the Jetta -- you can feel it tugging at the leash. But for a starting price under $30K, you get a fuel-efficient sport sedan that is a hoot to drive and can still hold four adults in comfort. You can use this to take the kids to school. And the transmission choice is manual or none at all. Honda has done it right.

2026 Lucid Air Touring

This one isn't perfect -- too many screens, too much menu diving, and a confounding key-card entry -- but it drives well enough, provides luxury comfort, looks cool, and feels like an upscale EV should. I was skeptical about the overall package, but the Air won me over -- and prodigious acceleration doesn't hurt.

2025 Nissan Murano

The Murano gets the nod not because it's the best in the segment -- it isn't, even after its makeover -- but because Nissan did such a bang-up job taking an outdated, middle-of-the-road offering and styling it just right. There's still work to be done with the mechanicals, but the look, inside and out, comes across as more expensive than it actually is, and the user experience is smooth. Nissan did a nice job here.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9

Hyundai/Kia/Genesis continue to impress after being the dregs of the industry for a long time. Some folks can't handle that truth, but true it is. And the Ioniq 9 may not have the bold looks of the Kia EV9, but its soft-sided styling is also attractive. The cabin looks upscale inside, as well -- this is family hauling in style. Even the challenges of charging an EV don't dampen the experience -- especially since the range is agreeable.

2025 Volkswagen Golf R

I lament the loss of the manual, but the car is still a delight otherwise. Volkswagen still has "fun to drive" nailed, and along with the GTI and Jetta GLI, the Golf R shows that the company can continue to massage small, relatively affordable commuter cars into back-road burners. Again, I miss the manual, and the price is a little dear. I also don't love the overly stiff ride. But as a performance car, the R shines, and the hatchback utility is handy to have.

So, there you have it. Now go argue and tell me why I am right or wrong down in the comments.

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

Comments

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3 of 37 comments

Xianshep on Jan 01, 2026

To me, GLI beats Si because cloth seats are a deal-breaker (stains 'n stink).

1 Reply
Coo65757652 on Jan 02, 2026

That seems to be a wise choice. Leave it to the Japanese to build long-term quality.

Like Reply
- Bd2 on Jan 04, 2026
  
  Not exactly the case these days with Honda V6 and Toyota turbo V6s grenading.
  Plus, there's failing Toyota 8 spd ATs and problems still with the Honda 1.5L.
  
  Like

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