Last week we asked you what the most comfortable car ever built was, but what about everyday folks looking to buy the comfiest new car they can afford? The well-trusted team at Consumer Reports compiled their test data to find out. CR has rated more than 260 new cars, and created the comfort score based on a combination of six factors, ride, noise, driving position, usability, seat comfort, and access.
For the ride score, CR looked at how well a cars suspension kept passengers isolated from road imperfections like potholes while still keeping the vehicle settled. Noise was measured including wind, tire, road, and engine noise. The driving position is an interesting gauge since it varies greatly from body type to body type. Usability focuses on interior control usability and how much or how little you struggle to use and access core controls. Seat comfort is pretty self explanatory, and access focuses on accessibility of door openings to make sure most folks with most mobility levels can get in and out easily.
For most categories we only considered the most comfortable vehicle in the size category and the runner-up, but due to some unique results and the wild popularity of the compact SUV class, we included the top three most comfortable models.