Cars.com is one automotive publication consumers can definitely turn to when looking for a great car. Posting reviews and holding awards competitions throughout the year, last week, Cars.com published the results for its 2023 Affordability Report, and many of the new cars listed can be found online through NowCar. Another week, another competition concludes, and this time it’s the 2023 Best of awards by Cars.com. Covering six car segment categories, the list is short but has many finalists.

The six categories are the Best Car, Best SUV, Best Pickup Truck, Best Family Car, Best Luxury Car, and Best Electric Vehicle. Cars.com automotive experts chose the Best Car of 2023 winners by measuring three factors for each: quality, innovation, and value.

Best Car of 2023

The 2023 Kia Niro takes home this award. Making history as the first hybrid crossover in the world, the Niro is a five-seat compact crossover, almost a hatchback, and boasts a fuel economy of 53/54/53 mpg city/highway/combined. For the second generation, style came with upgrades with LED lighting, “Aero Blade” accents, and a dynamic dashboard. Affordable and efficient, starting at $26,590 (plus destination fee), the title of “Best Car of 2023” is well earned.

Best Truck of 2023

Ford is a competitor of many truck automakers, and this year, it dominated the competition for the title of “Best Truck of 2023”. The 2023 Ford Maverick won this one, and the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning was runner-up. Starting MSRP for the Maverick isn’t too bad, starting at $22,595 (plus destination fee). The higher price for the F-150 Lightning makes sense as to why it didn’t win, starting at $55,974 (plus destination fee). Surprisingly, the 2023 Ram 1500 was only a finalist for the Cars.com Best Truck of 2023, starting at $37,410 (plus destination fee).

Best Electric Vehicle of 2023

Hyundai and Kia are working on a lot of great things when it comes to the realm of electric vehicles (EVs). With vehicles like the Kia EV6 an instant hit, we can only expect the same from Hyundai. So, it’s no surprise this automaker won the title of “Best Electric Vehicle” for the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5, starting at $41,450 (plus destination fee. Runner-up was none other than the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV. The Bolt EV has an EPA-rated travel range of up to 259 miles, whereas the EUV (a larger version of the Bolt EV) has an EPA of 247 miles. They share the same powertrain, a 65-kilowatt-hour battery pack, and have a starting MSRP of $26,500 (plus destination fee) and $27,800 (plus destination fee), respectively. The Ford F-150 Lightning was a finalist this time around.

Best SUV of 2023

Take a guess. It’s the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee! Starting at $39,395 (plus destination fee), the Grand Cherokee has expanded in recent years to a three-row SUV, the Grand Cherokee L, and a plug-in hybrid version, the Grand Cherokee 4xe. Variety favors the popular, and the Grand Cherokee certainly is popular. Spurring the luxury segment before the Wagoneer brand took over, the Grand Cherokee is the perfect combination of family van and upper class comfort in an SUV. With the agreement between Stellantis and Amazon, expect to see more futuristic Jeep models on the way. Best SUV finalists were the 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe, starting MSRP $54,200 (plus destination fee); and the 2023 Kia Sorento, starting MSRP $30,090 (plus destination fee).

Best Family Car of 2023

For once, Chrysler isn’t the one taking the gold on this one. Winning the title of “Best Family Car” is the 2023 Kia Carnival. Not a minivan, not an SUV, the Kia Carnival is a multi-purpose vehicle. Made to deliver 290 horsepower, provide a towing capacity of 3,500-pounds, entertainment with dual 12.3-inch displays across the dashboard and a dual-seat entertainment system for rear passengers, the Carnival can do it all. With a starting MSRP of $32,100 (plus destination fee), the Kia Carnival was a good choice for “Best Family Car of 2023” by Cars.com. Another Kia model, its largest SUV, the Kia Telluride made the list as a finalist, with a starting MSRP of $35,890 (plus destination). The other finalist was the 2023 Subaru Outback, starting MSRP $28,395 (plus destination fee).

Able to get an even better deal when you shop for a car online at NowCar, forget the MSRPs above. Just focus on the best car for each category and remember you can find new cars at a great price on NowCar.com.

Photo Source/Copyright: Kia