AAA car guide: EVs are charging forward

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – With a growing number of vehicles on the market that offer advanced safety technology and increased energy efficiency, it can be challenging to sort through all the information to reach a purchase decision. The new 2023 AAA Car Guide helps simplify the process.

This year, AAA reviewed 71 vehicles that are either new or completely redesigned, evaluating each vehicle based on 13 criteria, including the number of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), fuel efficiency, emissions, braking, handling, ride quality, and acceleration. Of the vehicles that AAA reviewed, 19 are pure electric.

The 2022 BMW iX xDrive50 earned the top overall score in this year’s guide, and all but one of the category winners for 2023 is electric:

“Electric vehicles gained momentum in 2022, whether people were trying to avoid paying high gas prices or simply wanted to own leading-edge technology. Consumers purchased more than 760,000 EVs last year – a 65% increase from 2021,” AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde said. “But of course, newly designed vehicles also need to be safe and comfortable at the same time. With our rigorous testing process, the AAA Car Guide gives potential vehicle owners an opportunity to study their options and make an informed purchase.”

Upstart company Rivian landed two models in the top five this year, the R1T Adventure Pickup (category winner), and the R1S Launch Edition SUV (honorable mention).

Vehicles were tested at AAA’s Southern California research facility and in a variety of real-world scenarios on California public roads. A full list of winners and honorable mentions and a detailed explanation of AAA’s evaluation criteria can be found in the Car Guide.

According to a recent AAA survey, drivers are very interested in having advanced vehicle safety technology in their next car, including Automatic Emergency Braking (63%), Reverse Automatic Emergency Braking (62%), Lane Keeping Assistance (58%), and Adaptive Cruise Control (55%).

Additional AAA resources like the Your Driving Costs calculator and Used EV Car Buyer’s Guide can further help buyers consider the full cost of vehicle ownership.

“As people become more familiar with EVs and driver assistance systems, concerns about how the technology works will fade over time,” Conde said. “We believe that the AAA Car Guide takes some stress and uncertainty out of the equation.”