Ford’s crowning achievement this year was winning the Best Value Truck Brand in America award for the seventh time. The F-150 Lightning received its first win for Full-Size 1/2-Ton Pickup, continuing the legacy of its gasoline-powered ancestor. Additionally, two F-series pickups returned as the winners of their segments, with the F-250 earning an award for the fifth time, and the F-350 earning an award for the seventh time. Ford also took home the Best Value Passenger Car Brand in America award, led by an impressive seventh-time victory for the Mustang.
For Stellantis, the Dodge brand earned the Best Value SUV & Van Brand award, aided by the Durango’s second win in the Large SUV segment. Additionally, the Chrysler 300 and Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid, along with the Jeep Gladiator, all claimed the top spot in their segments.
The remaining brand-level awards went to Volvo for Best Value Luxury Car Brand in America, with strong performances by the S60 and S90 Plug-In Hybrids leading the way to this third-time win, while Tesla was named the Best Value Luxury SUV brand in America, helped by a win for the Model Y.
Additional noteworthy winners included the Mercedes-Benz E Class, which conquered both the Luxury Coupe and Luxury Wagon segments; the Honda Accord Hybrid, which received its first win on the tails of its gasoline counterpart’s four previous victories for Mid-Size; and the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which earned the Corolla’s first win in the Compact segment.
Other brands with multiple model-level winners were Kia and Mercedes-Benz, with Chevrolet, Honda, Lincoln, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, and Toyota also having an award winner.
“The Vincentric Best Value in America Awards aim to help guide consumers in making informed vehicle purchase decisions,” said Vincentric President, David Wurster. “This year’s awards saw numerous electric vehicles winning in their segments, showing that EVs can still be the best value choice in spite of their frequently higher purchase price, usually due to fuel and maintenance cost savings.”
Vincentric measures cost of ownership using eight different cost factors: depreciation, fees & taxes, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, opportunity cost, and repairs. Using a statistical model, Vincentric identified the Best Value in America winners by measuring which vehicles had lower than expected ownership costs given their market segment and price. Approximately 2,000 vehicle configurations were evaluated in all 50 states plus D.C. using a range of annual mileage intervals and insurance profiles.
Vincentric provides data, knowledge, and insight to the automotive industry by identifying and applying the many aspects of automotive value. Vincentric, LLC is a privately held automotive data research organization headquartered in Bingham Farms, Michigan.