Awards & overall
Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards (2026)
Ranked from the Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards (2026). CarOutlay adds the ownership-cost lens — what each result means for the real 5-year cost of owning the car.
The ranking
The 2026 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award winners by category. The overall honor is Best New Model.
- Nissan LEAF Overall winner Also Best EV Under $35,000. Best New Model
- Honda Civic Best Compact Car
- Toyota Camry Best Midsize Car
- Hyundai Kona Best Subcompact SUV
- Toyota RAV4 Best Compact SUV
- Hyundai Palisade Best Midsize SUV
- Ford Expedition Best Full-Size SUV
- Ford Maverick Best Compact Truck
- Toyota Tacoma Best Midsize Truck
- Ford F-150 Best Full-Size Truck
- Toyota Sienna Best Minivan
- Hyundai Ioniq 5 Best Electric Vehicle
- Kia EV9 Best 3-Row Electric Vehicle
Why this matters for your cost of ownership
KBB built its name on value, and a Best Buy is essentially a vehicle its experts judge to deliver the most for the money — which is the same question cost-of-ownership analysis asks. Many of these winners (the Civic, Camry, RAV4, Tacoma and Sienna) also top reliability and resale-value studies, so the award doubles as a shortcut to low-depreciation, low-repair choices. An award is a starting point, not a guarantee: the same model can cost very differently to own depending on trim, mileage and your insurance. Run any Best Buy winner through our TCO calculator to price out the five-year reality for your driving.
Open the 5-Year TCO calculatorHow this ranking is measured
Kelley Blue Book's editors and analysts test, evaluate and compare nearly every new and redesigned vehicle sold in the U.S. over the course of a year, then name a single Best Buy in each segment plus one overall Best New Model. The evaluation weighs everyday usability, driving experience, features, safety and — central to KBB's brand — value, including how much it costs to buy and own the vehicle. Winners are the models KBB's experts would most readily recommend to a typical shopper in each category.
Source: Kelley Blue Book, Best Buy Awards (2026). Winners selected after a year of expert testing of nearly every new and redesigned vehicle available in the United States, by Kelley Blue Book, a Cox Automotive brand. View the original study ↗
Frequently asked questions
What won the 2026 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award?
The 2026 Nissan LEAF won the overall Best New Model in Kelley Blue Book's 2026 Best Buy Awards. Category winners included the Honda Civic (Best Compact Car), Toyota Camry (Best Midsize Car), Toyota RAV4 (Best Compact SUV), Hyundai Palisade (Best Midsize SUV), Ford F-150 (Best Full-Size Truck) and Toyota Sienna (Best Minivan).
How does Kelley Blue Book pick Best Buy winners?
KBB's editors and analysts test, evaluate and compare nearly every new and redesigned vehicle sold in the U.S. over a full year, then name one Best Buy per segment plus an overall Best New Model. The judging weighs usability, driving experience, features, safety and value — including ownership costs — to identify the models they'd most recommend to everyday buyers.
Does a Best Buy Award mean a car is cheap to own?
Often, but not automatically. The award reflects value and all-around merit, and many winners also rank highly for reliability and resale value, which lowers true cost of ownership. But your actual five-year cost depends on trim, fuel type, insurance and how long you keep the car. Treat the award as a strong shortlist signal, then verify with a full TCO calculation.
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