The 30 best new cars you can buy in the US right now

Hyundai’s high-end brand, Genesis, has taken the US luxury market by storm since it launched 10 years ago. The GV70 SUV is the Genesis sweet spot. Interior styling is reminiscent of a Bentley. Pricing, thankfully, is not reminiscent of a Bentley.

A long-time staple of the US car market, the Camry is now hybrid-only. But no hooking up to the mains here – this is a self-charging hybrid, not a PHEV. So you can’t do distance on electric power alone, but at least you get a smidge of additional economy without having to worry about plugging in. Call it a toe in the water for Americans yet to experience the advantages of electrification. Prices start at $29,000.

The Maverick Lobo is Ford's street-truck variant of its budget pickup: lowered, with dinner-plate wheels, graffiti interior trim, and an autocross mode that has no business being on a $30,000 work truck. It has, in other words, a dash of personality, which is more than most vehicles at this price can claim. Small American pickups with actual character used to be commonplace. The Lobo is proof they’re not extinct.

The ZR2 Bison is as capable off-road as anything short of a dedicated rock crawler, and surprisingly liveable on on-road too. The ride height means most obstacles simply… aren't, while 35-inch tyres allow you to thump over curbs without noticing. Is that manoeuvre aggressively American? Yes. Is the ZR2 Bison also aggressively American? Yes. The shoe fits.

The current Mazda3 has been around for seven years, making it pensionable in car terms. But it still offers a hatchback and a manual, still undercuts the competition on price, and still looks better than cars that cost significantly more. In a segment that's been cannibalised by crossovers, the Mazda3 makes the case that small, fun, affordable cars still have a place.

The IS 500 is ancient by modern standards, with this third generation having trudged on for over a decade now. It’s still got a CD player! But it’s also got a naturally aspirated V8 and rear-wheel drive, so obviously we love it. The IS500 represents a genre of car that’s sadly on its way out. Lexus deserves credit for continuing to fly the flag.

The Passport Trailsport sits in the middle ground between soft-roader and genuine off-roader. It boasts unibody construction, so it rides and drives like a car, but also offers enough capability to handle Moab (dependent on driver skill, obviously). For buyers wanting something tougher than a crossover but less uncompromising than a truck, this could be the answer.

The Bronco returned in 2021 with the Jeep Wrangler in its crosshairs. It didn’t miss. This is a big, comfy, boxy SUV that can ford 33 inches of water, and comes with a plethora of Ford-backed aftermarket parts. The fenders, roof and doors are all removable: the fenders in under a minute if you’re feeling energetic.

When the fifth-gen Supra arrived sharing a platform and engine with the BMW Z4, the internet declared it a fraud. The internet may have had a point. Then Toyota added a manual gearbox, and the internet piped down. The Supra’s shift is firm and precise, half of US buyers now choose it, and the car is better for having it.

The three-row SUV segment is one of the most crowded in America, but the CX-90 always quietly loiters towards the top of the class. The exterior styling is timeless, the interior – suede, soft leather, nothing garish – feels genuinely expensive, and the driver assistance systems actually work. If you need seating for six, seven or eight, you can’t go far wrong with the CX-90.

Is this America’s most American car? Please rise for the $100,000 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat: a 710-horsepower, supercharged V8 SUV that squats like it’s at the gym when you activate launch mode. Once the car actually does launch, it’s so powerful that you feel like you’ve contributed to the rotation of the Earth. The Hellcat is old, inefficient, expensive, and utterly memorable. Would anywhere else in the world make a car like this? 

The Rivian R1T is the electric pickup truck that proved the format could work. The new top-of-the-line R1T has 1,025hp and a 0-to-60mph time of 2.5 seconds, as well as an EPA-estimated range of 374 miles. The R1T’s interior is well-styled simplicity, mixing wood trim with metallic accents and an airy cabin. Minimal and relaxing, it’s like lounging in a posh spa… at least until you hit that accelerator pedal on four figures of horsepower. 

Car enthusiasts who haven’t tried the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N hot hatch often wonder how an EV could rival the fun and gnarliness of a gas-powered hot hatch. Then they drive it. The 5 N pairs 641hp with instant torque, and also has a mode that simulates the engine sounds and power cuts you’d experience while driving and shifting a proper engine. This is that rarest of things: a fast EV you can drive like a fast ICE car.

Not only does the all-electric Optiq drive beautifully and boast tasteful interior and exterior styling, it also has one of our favorite modern car features: Dolby Atmos sound. With songs specifically mixed in Atmos to place vocals, instruments, and other sounds throughout the three-dimensional space, in the Optiq you don’t just listen to music. You wear it. If you think we’re going a bit big on a sound system here… seriously, just try it.

At launch, the Telluride proved so popular that it generated serious waiting lists. This is not a common phenomenon with Korean three-row SUVs. The current Telluride generation is near the end of its life, yet it remains one of the better answers in a crowded segment. The fact it's still worth recommending this close to a replacement is compliment enough.

America has convinced itself that three-row SUVs are preferable to minivans. America is wrong, at least in the case of the Kia Carnival. You can get a top-trim version for $50,000 USD, complete with a pair of ‘VIP’ second-row captain’s chairs with heat, ventilation, and a recline feature that lets passengers lay back and take a nap. More than just a family van, the Carnival is proper posh executive transport.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI hot hatch dropped the manual transmission for the 2025 model year, upsetting a lot of American car enthusiasts. But the base-model, $33,000 Golf GTI is so fun that you’ll almost forget about the stick. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic has a whip-fast shifting action, the plaid seats are stylish, the car is fun around town and on backroads. Even if you love manual transmissions, it’s hard to fault how good the GTI is without one. 

The LC 500 is a naturally aspirated V8 grand tourer that most buyers stroll straight past on the way to a German alternative. Their loss. The interior is exquisite, the exterior colours are magnificently bold – Forest Green! Bronze! Really Yellow! – and so few are sold that future examples will be genuinely rare. Plus, at $100,000, it’s starting to look like a low-key bargain. 

The Lotus Emira is a fun, niche sports car that looks like it should live on a bedroom shelf. In a good way. It’s not perfect: $100,000 is expensive for what is otherwise a simple sports car, and on left-hand-drive examples, the pedal box is offset oddly to the right. But the Emira keeps alive a style of car that’s slipping away from us: small, fun, proudly impractical. It’s a sprinkle of much-needed seasoning on our roads.

The new Palisade is spacious, well-equipped, and finished with the kind of interior detailing that usually costs significantly more. The design language has the considered calm of a boutique hotel rather than the corporate blankness of most rivals. The top-trim V6 starts at $55,000 but feels like $80,000. New cars are rarely a pleasant surprise in the price department. The Palisade is the exception.

Think of the Acura Integra Type S as a Honda Civic Type R for the more… mature clientele. All the great driving dynamics and butter-smooth manual shifting of Honda’s beloved hot hatch, but with a dash of added comfort in the shape of heated seats and more forgiving bolstering. If that sounds like your comforting cup of tea, don’t be ashamed. We’re all getting older.

The Toyota GR Corolla is an all-wheel-drive hot hatch that stuffs 300 horsepower into a tiny three-cylinder engine, and it drives like a baby dragon: raucous and fire-spitting. Sure, the interior is less mature than more established hot hatches like the Honda Civic Type R, but the adolescence is charming. If you’re debating the manual-transmission GR Corolla versus the automatic, trust us: go stick.

At $34,000, the Elantra N is one of the great performance bargains on the market: 276hp, proper chassis, and a smart interior. The Elantra N’s eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is quick and precise, making it better from a technical perspective than the manual option and its toy-like shift action. Neither transmission, though, is a bad choice. 

With over a million examples sold since 1989, the MX-5 remains the world's best-selling two-seat sports car. The formula remains unchanged – lightweight, rear-wheel drive, manual gearbox, 50/50 weight distribution – and it’s as good as ever to drive. It’s also an inflation-buster: the 10th Anniversary edition cost $27,000 in 1999; the 35th Anniversary model starts at $36,000. The benchmark budget sports car is getting more affordable in real terms, and we’re here for it.

Now well past its 60th birthday, the Ford Mustang is one of the longest-running names in the automotive industry, and there’s one for everyone. It starts at $32,000 with a base EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, or you can upgrade to a V8 in the shape of the $46,000 GT, a $64,000 Dark Horse, or the $300,000 Mustang GTD track-monster. We strongly recommend the latter.

America’s best-selling car, and still the king of affordable fun and efficiency. The manual-only performance models including the Si sport sedan and the Type R hot hatch are a riot to drive and have a dreamy shift action, but even the normal Civics remain great value. The hybrid, which drives smartly and returns around 50 miles per gallon, starts at $30,000 and is available with bright blue paint. You must specify yours with bright blue paint.

The Lamborghini Revuelto is a thousand-horsepower V12 hybrid supercar that costs $600,000 and sounds like the end of days when you wind it out to that 9,500rpm redline. A proper Lambo, in other words.

It's named after a bull that fought in Barcelona in the 1880s, and was so uncontrollable it jumped into the crowd on multiple occasions. Lamborghini has been naming cars after fighting cows since the Sixties. The Revuelto earns its name more than most.

The 750S is a 740hp supercar that weighs less than a Honda Civic. That sub-1300kg kerbweight explains why it feels the way it does: not just fast, but sharp and alive in a way heavier performance cars can't replicate regardless of power output. Slips seamlessly between gliding like a grand tourer, or attacking a road like a shark that’s smelled blood. The 750S is multiple personalities in one, and all of them are great.

The CT5-V Blackwing is the last hand-built Cadillac, each engine signed by the technician who assembled it. Six hundred and sixty-eight horsepower, rear-wheel drive, starts at $90,000: the Blackwing is a Chevy Corvette for buyers who needs a back seat, and it packs as much personality as it does power. Plus, you can have it with a manual transmission. You listening, BMW? 

The Porsche 911 has been the king of sports cars for decades, and the current generation shows no sign of giving up that long-held crown. The 911’s breadth of personality is remarkable, from the standard Carrera models, all the way to the downforce-obsessed GT3 RS, via the Targa, Cabriolet, GT3 and rocket-ship Turbo. No matter the version, no matter the transmission, at its core this is a car that connects to the driver and feels bulletproof to drive. To buy any other sports car in the market, first you have to walk past one of these. Good luck with that.