Hyundai was the big winner in this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings for the 2024 Best Hybrid and Electric Cars.
“We looked at 96 total vehicles across 10 categories,” said Tony Markovich, senior editor for Autos, at U.S. News. “This year, Hyundai really stood out — they had three vehicles that made it onto our list — and, Volvo had two.”
Markovich said Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 was ranked Best Electric SUV, the Ioniq 6 was named Best Electric Car, and the Tucson Hybrid was chosen as the Best Hybrid SUV.
For the third consecutive year, the Lucid Air won as the best luxury electric car.
“It just offers a great combination of luxurious and spacious interior, really efficient, and great driving dynamics,” Markovich said. “So, it’s a great, practical vehicle, but also fun to drive, with that instant torque that people love about electric vehicles.”
Among its criteria for electric cars and hybrids, U.S. News looks for “quality, value, and efficiency — and efficiency includes fuel economy, the EV range, and charging data.”
The luxury Lucid Air charges quickly: “In approximately 15 minutes, you can charge the battery up to 200 miles for that vehicle,” Markovich said.
While electric vehicles, which rely totally on charging the car’s battery, are still popular, “a lot of people are going for the plug-in hybrids,” which hold a charge for 20 to 40 miles, according to Markovich. Once the electric charge is used up, the gas engine provides power.
The growing popularity of the plug-in hybrids helps to alleviate potential hurdles with owning and operating an EV: “If the HOA doesn’t necessarily allow you to install a charger, or you don’t have the capability to install a charger at your house.”
Also, on the list was Ford’s F-150 Lightning, which won for Best Electric Truck.
“That’s another exciting one,” Markovich said. “There’s not a lot of electric trucks out there.”
The complete U.S. News list of 2024 Best Hybrid and Electric Cars:
- 2024 Lucid Air Best Luxury Electric Car
- 2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge Best Luxury Electric SUV
- 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Best Electric SUV
- 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Best Electric Car
- 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Best Electric Truck
- 2024 Volvo S60 Recharge Best Luxury Plug-In Hybrid
- 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Best Plug-In Hybrid
- 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid Best Hybrid Car
- 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Best Hybrid SUV
- 2024 Lexus NX Hybrid Best Luxury Hybrid