* The car must be new or significantly redesigned from a previous year;
* Its price can’t exceed more than 2.5-times the average price of a new in the year of the list ($71,000 for 2009);
* If a car doesn’t make the list on its first year of eligibility, it must undergo a redesign for future eligibility;
* Once a car makes the list, it’s on the list again the following year and can remain on the list indefinitely unless there’s a drastic reason why it should be removed — a major change in the vehicle or the spectacularly warranted debut of a new car on the list.
There aren’t many changes year-to-year, but here’s the last three years of Car and Driver’s lists:
2009
BMW 3-series / M3, Cadillac CTS / CTS-V, Chevrolet Corvette, Honda Accord, Honda Fit, Infiniti G37, Jaguar XF, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Porsche Boxster and Cayman, Volkswagen GTI
BMW 3-series, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, Honda Fit, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mazdaspeed 3, Porsche Boxster and Cayman, Volkswagen GTI
BMW 3-series, Chevrolet Corvette, Chrysler 300, Honda Accord, Honda Fit, Infiniti G35 Sedan, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mazdaspeed 3, Porsche Boxster and Cayman, Volkswagen GTI
Article Last Updated: May 1, 2026.
James Raia
A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.