Every year around this time, Consumer Reports publishes its “Best and Worst” automobile issue. This is arguably the most comprehensive and thorough automobile guide in the industry, and it takes a cold, hard look at new and used cars and SUVs. CR doesn’t accept any advertising, so it has no axes to grind or flags to fly (except its own, perhaps); all the cars tested are purchased by the company and passed around from employee to employee while they’re being evaluated. Below are some highlights from this year’s issue.

But first, a few words about CR’s testing protocols. According to the company, each vehicle undergoes 50 separate tests, accessing such things as track time, braking, accident avoidance, and fuel economy, and is driven extensively under a variety of conditions, including commuting. There are 28 full-time staffers driving the cars, and CR says it spent $2.7 million on new-car purchases last year.

This year, as far as CR is concerned, the best car overall is the Tesla Model S. This, despite the fact that it has only average reliability and costs at least $100,000—if you can find one. (There’s a waiting list for some models.) If there’s a flaw in CR’s approach, it’s that it puts too much emphasis on zero-emission vehicles and tends to ignore the real world. Voting Tesla as the best overall is just sophistry, in my opinion, and irrelevant to most consumers.

Back here on Earth, three of CR’s top 10 picks came from Subaru this time around, while Toyota scored well for reliability and affordability. Surprisingly, perhaps, GM had two models in the top 10. Here’s the hit list.

• Best midsized sedan: Subaru Legacy
• Best green car: Toyota Prius
• Best small SUV: Subaru Forester
• Best large car: Chevrolet Impala
• Best compact car: Subaru Impreza
• Best luxury car: Audi A6
• Best sports sedan: Buick Regal
• Best minivan: Honda Odyssey
• Best midsized SUV: Toyota Highlander

If there’s a “best of” category, there must be a “worst of” one. On that front, the manufacturer with the worst report card for predicted reliability and “road test” scores was Fiat, followed closely by Jeep. (Best brand for overall reliability and drivability: Lexus.)

In terms of cars beloved by their actual owners and models that owners would buy again, there are some surprises. For example, the subcompact with the highest owner-satisfaction rating—despite its unreliability—is the Fiat 500 (!?), with the Mazda3, Mazda6, Dodge Charger, and BMW 328d all getting top marks in their respective categories. Least satisfying? Nissan Versa, Nissan Sentra, VW Passat V6, Buick LaCrosse, and Infiniti Q50, among others.

Here’s an interesting one. According to CR, some of the most expensive cars to own and operate are the Hyundai Veloster equipped with a manual transmission, the Kia Soul Plus, the Chevy Suburban, and the Land Rover Range Rover. For example, CR says the cost to run a Land Rover Range Rover for five years is US$100,215, factoring in things like fuel expenses, loan interest, insurance costs, sales tax, and maintenance and repairs, and based on an annual distance travelled of 12,000 miles (19,312 kilometres).

On the other end of the scale, cars that are the least expensive to own and operate include the Toyota Prius C, the Honda Civic Hybrid, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Buick Verano. CR claims it would cost US$24,000 to operate a Prius C for five years.

For day-in, day-out reliability, the Toyota Yaris topped the subcompact list, followed by another Toyota product, the Scion xB, for compact car; the VW Passat 1.8 for midsize sedan; the Kia Cadenza for large car; and the Lexus IS 350 for luxury compact. Least reliable? Ford Fiesta, Fiat 500L, Nissan Altima, Chev Impala, and Mercedes CLA 250. These results are based on CR’s annual owners survey.

CR also took a look at used cars, noting that “cars built in the past decade are more reliable than ever” and “many newer cars will provide trouble-free service for 200,000 miles [320,868 kilometres] or more with care.”

Here are some used models they recommended. In the under US$10,000 category: 2008 Mazda3, 2005–08 Pontiac Vibe, 2005 Acura TL, 2007–08 Kia Optima (four-cylinder), 2005 Honda CR-V, 2005 Honda Pilot.

In the US$10,000 to US$15,000 category: 2010 Subaru Impreza, 2010–12 Kia Soul, 2006–07 Infiniti G35, 2005–06 Acura RL, 2005–07 Acura MDX.

Used cars that were produced between 2005 and 2014 that should be avoided include the BMW 330i/335i, Buick Terraza, VW Tiguan, GMC Acadia, Dodge Grand Caravan, Kia Sedona, Mini Countryman, and Nissan Pathfinder.