Consumer Reports’ list of the top 10 best new cars of 2026 is out. Each car on the list is either fully electric or hybrid.

Yahoo Finance Senior Autos Reporter Pras Subramanian joins Market Domination host Josh Lipton to take a closer look at the report.

To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination.

00:00 Speaker A

So, Pras, so every car on here, it looks like, is electrified in some way. What what does that sort of tell us about the market, where it is, and where you think it’s headed, Pras?

00:15 Pras

So you see a lot of, you know, traditional normal cars, your Honda Civic, Ford Maverick, Ford F-150, the Grand Highlander. But yes, they all have the option, they have some have gas power, uh, power trains, but they all have the option for a hybrid power train. And one of them on the list is a pure EV, that’s the Tesla Model Y. So what’s it telling us? It’s telling us that Consumer Reports, which is, you know, some someone consider the gold standard for reviews, they buy all their cars, they test them on the road, right on their track.

00:41 Pras

They get no money or compensation from any of the brands. And they said that, you know what, these in this day and age, hybrid power, combination of efficiency, cost, uh, and in some case with these cars, utility, space makes a lot of sense. So for for everyday buyers, it might make sense if you’re driving a lot to have a hybrid power train.

00:54 Speaker A

What are a couple of cars on that list? A few cars that kind of stood out to you?

01:00 Pras

So, all the cars are all pretty mainstream, right? But the cars that that stuck out to me, we’re number one Toyota Grand Highlander. This is redesigned a couple of years ago. It became it took the regular Highlander and made it bigger, um, more sort of substantial, more space. And a lot of Americans love this car because of the fact that it’s got a lot of space, it’s got a comfort. It’s almost like a Lexus and it has good power. Um, the Ford Maverick, uh again, that car, I mean, you probably see that truck a lot. It’s that’s compact uh truck that Ford makes. Um, it’s smaller than a Ranger, but you can get it with with not only all-wheel drive, but also hybrid power, gets something like 40 miles per gallon. Really really good numbers there for a pickup. And then of course, the Tesla Model Y. Look, uh, say what you will about Elon Musk and Tesla, but the Model Y is a great car, redesigned about a year and a half ago or so. Uh, great feature set. You got access to Tesla’s Supercharger Network, uh, makes it a compelling buy if you want an EV and you don’t mind some of the Tesla blowback.

01:46 Speaker A

So, let’s say, let let’s say I’m I’m a viewer right now. I’m looking for a new car. If I read this list, is the implication, all right, your your default in 2026 or it should be a hybrid.

02:00 Pras

I think if if it makes sense for you as a buyer, if you’re doing a lot of commuting, then yeah, sure. But if you’re not driving that much, it doesn’t it’s not that important you have that you have to have a hybrid. Some people I know like to have big, bulky SUVs and drive to the train station. But you know, I won’t name any name names for there, but yeah, but yeah, you know, you don’t necessarily need that, but for people who do a lot of driving and let’s say you’re a parent, you’re you’re you you got a you got a job, you’re driving around, you’re a sales guy, it might make sense.

02:20 Speaker A

Uh switching gears, minivans. Another trend you’ve been tracking closely. What is it? What’s going on?

02:29 Pras

We saw some data, right? You know, minivans, they were sort of trending down for quite some time, right? They were big when you and I were kids, right? Dodge Caravans or what not. But recently, in the last three to four years, the sales have been spiking back up. And last year, according to Edmunds, sales are up 21% for minivans, the highest of any category. So what’s happening here, right? So you have in Millenni Millennials are getting older, uh they have more kids, they have they have things, they want to transport, they want to go to Costco.

03:00 Pras

What they’re finding is that the SUVs are fun and big, but they’re not that efficient. You can’t fit as much stuff in there, whereas a minivan, low load floor, huge cargo area, sliding doors, power sliding doors, captain’s chairs if you want, three-row seating, perfect for kids and families and people that are just transporting stuff. A lot of gig workers like it for for for DoorDash and and also for Uber. So it’s got a lot of use cases and I think that’s where we’re seeing why a renaissance of the minivan.

03:13 Speaker A

A renaissance. Who who’s kind of what are the brands kind of dominating there?

03:16 Pras

So right now you can see the Pacifica. That was the top, believe it or not Chrysler Pacifica. It’s the only car Chrysler has, okay? It’s their top selling vehicle, top selling minivan in America. Uh and you know you have a lot of sort of the brand equity there from from the Dodge days of Plymouth days, the Plymouth Voyager, the Now it’s considered a Chrysler Voyager. So there it is. Very exciting. I know you love that car so much. Oh yeah. But also I think that a newer one is the Kia Carnival. Uh it’s a bit more modern style. What does modern mean in a minivan?

03:43 Pras

Looks more streamlined. It’s got like lower, lower roof line.

03:46 Speaker A

Anybody want to go like, does anybody want to go like aggressive with their minivans?

03:49 Pras

Uh apparently, uh apparently the Chrysler, the Chrysler CEO said that, uh, millennial dads are getting attracted to these, to these, uh, these minivans because they’re putting on like off-road tires and and and and cargo racks and even in some cases, overlanding tents to make it seem like a cool thing and it’s bringing in new buyers. That’s what the Chrysler CEO said.

04:13 Speaker A

All right, there it is. That’s the trend to watch. Pras, thank you. Appreciate it.