Consumer Reports is well-known for offering unbiased road tests of new vehicles every year. Find out more about how Consumer Reports’ road tests work and what aspects they evaluate, from a vehicle’s advanced safety systems to its emergency handling abilities.
As one of the most trusted third-party testing organizations, Consumer Reports provides in-depth reviews on just about everything from blenders to cell phones. If you can buy it, they’ve most likely tested it. But Consumer Reports is best known for its unbiased car reviews.
Although you may have read about Consumer Reports’ road tests, you may not know how they work. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into a Consumer Reports road test, look no further. We took a comprehensive look at everything that goes into the way they
, vehicles have to be pushed to their limits on a driving surface that can handle their comprehensive test drives.
Thankfully, the company owns a 300+ acre facility in rural Connecticut that allows their test drivers to have their fun with over 50 vehicles every year. One of the unique aspects of Consumer Reports’ road tests is that they actually purchase every vehicle that’s to be tested, just like consumers do. Annually, they spend approximately $2 million on purchasing cars, trucks, and SUVs.
Some of the most essential components of a Consumer Reports road test includes:
An acceleration test: This involves determining how quickly a vehicle can accelerate from 0-30 mph, and from 0-60 mph on their test track straightaway.
Advanced safety systems test: Most new vehicles have features such as lane keeping assist, pedestrian warning detection, blindspot monitoring, and forward collision warning systems to help drivers stay alert. Consumer Reports uses pedestrian dummies, foam cars, and lane markings to ensure that each vehicle performs as marketed.
Braking test: A Consumer Reports road test will test a car’s braking ability on wet and dry surfaces by determining how many feet it takes the vehicle to come to a complete stop while traveling at 60 mph to a standstill.
Emergency handling test: This portion of the test involves the test driver quickly swerving in a left-right pattern to simulate maneuvering around a sudden traffic obstruction or potential accident.
Fuel economy test: To effectively simulate real-world driving conditions, Consumer Reports uses public highways, driving vehicles at a steady 65 mph. For a more accurate read on in-town/suburban settings, a Consumer Reports road test will also use a simulated portion of their own track that mimics the stop-and-go movement of traffic, stop lights and pedestrian crossings.
MORE: Only 1 Compact SUV Flunked Consumer Reports Road Test
How does a vehicle fail a Consumer Reports road test?
Failing a Consumer Reports Road test can happen for a few different reasons. Mainly vehicles are supposed to meet class standards for both their size in the categories above. If a vehicle falls short of what other manufacturers’ models are performing at, be it fuel economy, emergency handling, or more, they’ll be rated more poorly.
Additionally, vehicles are compared to their predecessors from years previous, and if it’s noted that they fail to exceed or at least meet performance measures from the past, they’ll suffer a worse rating.
A Consumer Reports road test evaluates cars, trucks, and SUVs on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best possible rating for each category. Overall, each vehicle will receive a score from 0-100 on their final road test grading.
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