Car Pro Show host Jerry Reynolds recommends Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicles if you're going the used vehicle route. For some insight into which automakers have the best CPO programs, we turn to U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best Vehicle Brand and Best Certified Pre-Owned Program awards.
This year, U.S. News’ Best Vehicle Brands awards expanded, evaluating 39 brands to identify industry-wide excellence across six key segments of the automotive market. There are also two new categories for 2026: Best Electric Vehicle Brand and Best Luxury Electric Vehicle Brand. U.S. News says these additions recognize brands that excel in electric-specific criteria, including performance, safety and the overall quality of the interior and technology in both the standard electric vehicle (EV) and luxury EV segments. Ford claimed the inaugural title for Best Electric Vehicle Brand, while Lucid earned the debut award for the Best Luxury Electric Vehicle Brand.
2026 Award Winners By Segment:
The 2026 Best Vehicle Brand Awards
U.S. News says Honda - Best Car Brand for the 5th straight year - earned high scores across the board for its cars, in particular the Civic and Civic Type R. Hyundai earned its second consecutive Best SUV Brand thanks to the exceptional quality of the Palisade, Tucson and Tucson Hybrid models. Ram is a Best Truck Brand award winner for seven straight years. U.S. News says that is due to the strength of its Ram 1500 and Ram 2500 models. Genesis secured its first Best Luxury Brand title with the appeal of the G90 and GV70.
“The 2026 Best Vehicle Brand awards have been expanded to reflect the rapidly evolving automotive landscape, most notably the growing importance of electric vehicles,” said John Vincent, senior automotive correspondent at U.S. News. “This expansion acknowledges the historic number of new EVs and premium electric offerings hitting the market, which are rapidly transforming consumer choice and creating new standards of brand excellence.”
To determine the segment award winners, U.S. News Best Cars says it averaged the overall score of all the given brand's products in each award class. The vehicle scores are derived from the U.S. News Best Cars rankings, which take into account a range of data points like safety ratings and reliability data, as well as the consensus opinion of the automotive press. The brand with the highest average score was designated the winner in that specific category.
2025 Best Certified Pre-Owned Program Winner
The brand with the best overall CPO Program is once again Lexus. U.S. News says Lexus remains the definitive standard for CPO programs, winning its ninth consecutive Best Certified Pre-Owned Program award thanks to its extensive warranty coverage and range of premium program benefits.
“With its industry-leading unlimited mileage CPO warranty and comprehensive luxury benefits, like complimentary maintenance and loaner vehicles, Lexus continues to be the industry benchmark for certified pre-owned programs,” said Vincent.
To determine the overall brand award winner, U.S. News says it evaluated a range of distinct CPO program coverages and benefits, including warranty coverage duration, trip interruption reimbursement, roadside assistance perks and more.
Photo: Lexus.