Prius: 2011 top 10 most popular new and used cars on Consumer Reports

As the end of 2011 draws near, we decided to take a look and see which new and used vehicles were most popular on ConsumerReports.org for the year. Every day potential buyers seek our independent test scores and reliability ratings to aid their research and help determine the best vehicle to buy for their needs. While we maintain a list of the most popular searches of the month on the main Cars landing page, it is time to reflect on the year in review. For this, we looked at visits to our model overview pages to compile a list of the top 10 most popular new and used cars.

So, what are car buyers looking for? SUVs continue to be popular in both new and used categories, despite elevated gasoline prices. Even still, a general theme seems to be fuel economy in class, as well as favoring reliability and test performance—all virtues we support.

Hyundai has made significant advances with some of its latest products, and we see a couple models rightfully made the cut. Ford is the only domestic brand to make the lists, with a model on each. For used cars, Honda and Toyota models of all sizes are very popular, likely buoyed by a reputation for reliability.

Popularity doesn’t automatically translate to quality, as the Top 40 music charts regularly prove. However, the models that stood out on ConsumerReports.org this past year are vehicles that have performed favorably in our tests and shined in our reliability survey.

Learn more about these top 10 new and used cars by clicking the names below.

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