The ADAC tested 95 cars last year. The conclusion: Even if some vehicles weren’t really convincing, a surprising number are on the road very well. The best two cars for the past year even achieved the record top mark of 1.6.
But there was definitely a surprise. Of the ten best cars in 2022, nine are only powered by electricity. A diesel car has only crept in sixth place, namely the C 300 d Estate 9G-Tronic from Mercedes.
Close race for the top positions – especially German brands top
But who are the absolute winners of the big ranking for the past year? So much in advance: There are two cars from the luxury segment of over 100,000 euros from the two top dogs on the German car market.
The EQS 450+ from Mercedes took second place, while the iX xDrive50 from BMW took gold. Incidentally, the little brother of the runner-up, namely the Mercedes EQE 350, secured bronze.
Here are the top ten best cars of 2022:
- BMW iX xDrive50 (electric – grade 1.6)
- Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ (electric – grade 1.6)
- Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 (electric – grade 1.7)
- Škoda Enyaq Coupé RS iV (electric – grade 1.7)
- BMW i4 eDrive40 (electric – grade 1.8)
- Mercedes-Benz C 300 d Estate 9G-Tronic (diesel – grade 1.8)
- Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo GTS (electric – grade 1.8)
- Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric Single Motor (Electric – Grade 1.8)
- VW ID.5 Pro Performance (electric – grade 1.8)
- Audi Q4 Sportback 40 e-tron (electric – grade 1.9)
But the ADAC reassures: You don’t have to have an above-average income to secure a top car. The race for the top positions was extremely tight last year, and there are also excellent cars in the lower ranks. As a real insider tip, the auto club names the Honda Civic Hybrid, which is available from just under 32,000 euros.
Bad grades for cheap cars
Although a surprising number of cars did well for the 2022 ranking, there are real problem cases at the bottom of the table. The last places are occupied by the Dacia Spring, the Dacia Duster and the Mitsubishi Space Star. According to the ADAC, the three rear lights not only saved on material and processing, but also on safety – and that gave real minus points. Although they comply with the minimum legal standards, you won’t find common safety standards such as an autonomous emergency brake assistant in the loser models. But they still have one plus, and that is the price.
This is how the ADAC tests
All vehicles go through a total of 300 test points. The cars are checked by the test engineers at the ADAC technical center in Landsberg am Lech. All vehicles are subject to the same test criteria, regardless of parameters such as class or drive. School grades are awarded.
