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Best Luxury Cars

Top-Rated Luxury Cars, SUVs and Trucks

August 5th, 2020

Best Luxury Cars for 2020

There are more luxury cars and SUVs available today than ever. What happened? Did most new-car shoppers become unexpectedly affluent overnight? The reality is that carmakers are simply slicing the luxury pie into more pieces, bringing formerly no-frills vehicles such as subcompact SUVs and even full-size trucks into the fold. Across the luxury-car spectrum, today's shoppers will find more comfortable interiors, fancier materials, more advanced infotainment technology, and more driver safety features, all at more affordable prices than would have seemed possible a decade ago.

For this article, we've compiled a comprehensive list of today's top luxury cars spanning all body styles and budgets, from six-figure, 600-plus-horsepower sport sedans to entry-level offerings that provide upscale trimmings at accessible price points. As usual, our selections are powered by the Edmunds' rigorous vehicle testing program. We test hundreds of vehicles every year on our test track and in the real world. So when we say these are the best luxury cars, we mean they've run that gauntlet and come through at the head of the pack.

About the Best Luxury SUVs

What qualifies an SUV as luxury-grade? It comes down to a blend of premium interior materials, higher build quality, advanced suspension design, extra performance, and exclusive tech or safety features. Customization options also tend to be more plentiful, as well as white-glove service programs that aren't available via mainstream brands. Add it all up and you get a sense of specialness that makes you feel like those extra dollars were well spent.

About the Best Luxury Sedans

Like their SUV counterparts, luxury sedans tend to offer a more premium interior experience, more sophisticated ride quality and stronger acceleration than an average mainstream sedan. You're likely to find more advanced infotainment features too. Most luxury sedans also come with a broad range of driver aids that tend to be optional or unavailable on lower-priced sedans.

About the Best Luxury Hybrids & Plug-Ins

New tech ideas often start on more exclusive models, then filter down to the rest of an automaker's lineup. Hybrid technology, on the other hand, was introduced by Toyota and Honda from the ground up. Only recently have we begun to see luxury hybrids on a significant scale. The size and weight of luxury vehicles are, of course, at odds with the fuel-sipping mission of hybridization. But today's hybrid engine combinations (typically a four-cylinder or V6 engine with electric-motor assistance) can haul around all that luxury mass and still deliver impressive fuel economy.

About the Best Luxury Electric Cars & SUVs

Fully electric luxury cars are still rare sights on our roads, but that will be changing in the years to come. Today's battery technology is capable of moving ever larger and more luxurious cars, and established automakers have tired of seeing upstart Tesla dominate the luxury EV landscape. Keep in mind that this segment is in its infancy and looks set to evolve rapidly.

About the Best Luxury Coupes

While the four-door sedan has always been about practicality — the convenience of separate entrances for rear passengers or the ease of stashing cargo in the back seat — the two-door coupe puts style first. It follows that a luxury coupe should pair head-turning looks with extra flair inside and under the hood. From stylish cabins with cool tech features to serious performance on the road, the best luxury coupes deliver the goods.

About the Best Luxury Convertibles

What do you do when you've run out of things to upgrade and refine? You chop off the roof. It's a simple idea, really. Take all the best attributes of a luxury car, whether that's an emphasis on comfort, interior quality or performance, and allow the sun to shine a light on them. Today's top luxe drop-tops manage to be dynamic standouts while boasting unique creature comforts that enhance the alfresco experience.

About the Best Luxury Wagons

The wagon is a niche product in the American market, if less so elsewhere around the world. Perhaps it's because the wagon occupies an ambiguous middle ground — is it a long hatchback or a low SUV? Or maybe it's because many Americans never liked the land-yacht domestic wagons of their youth. But those who get wagons really get it, and today you can have all the features you want in a variety of wagon models. For drivers seeking SUV utility, sedan driving manners and solid fuel economy with a dash of premium flavor, luxury wagons make a compelling case.

Best Luxury Sports Cars

Combine luxury with powerful performance and six-digit price territory comes up quick. But these uber-cars check all the boxes. Soothing through the daily grind and scintillating on twisting tarmac, the best luxury sports cars bring smiles in all road conditions.

About the Best Luxury Trucks

There is no luxury truck class per se, but there are certainly luxurious trucks. Nearly two decades ago, truckmakers wondered if the average truck buyer would go for upscale interiors and fancy electronics, even though trucks were typically known for rugged minimalism and ample thrust from their V8 or diesel engines. Well, no one's wondering any longer. That's why you see the top trim levels of today's pickups awash in leather, fancy wood trim and huge touchscreen displays, making them more akin to luxury SUVs than to work trucks built for farms and construction sites.

About the Cheapest Luxury Cars and SUVs

The subtext of luxury cars is, of course, money. The more you can spend, the more comfort, performance and technology you get. But luxury doesn't have to be prohibitively expensive. The most affordable luxury cars and SUVs stake out the middle ground between mainstream features and premium materials and build quality. They offer luxury accoutrements without draining the bank account, tempting both mainstream shoppers looking to upgrade and luxury buyers ready to downsize.


Best Luxury SUVs

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $37,595
    Fuel economy:
    26 mpg combined

    2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB: Subcompact Luxury SUV

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $52,250
    Fuel economy:
    20-21 mpg combined

    2020 Porsche Macan: Compact Luxury SUV

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $54,695
    Fuel economy:
    21-22 mpg combined

    2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE: Midsize Luxury SUV

  4. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $61,000 (estimated)
    Fuel economy:
    21 mpg combined

    2020 Audi Q7: Midsize 3-Row Luxury SUV

  5. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $76,195
    Fuel economy (GLS 450):
    21 mpg combined

    2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS: Full-Size Luxury SUV


Best Luxury Sedans

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $33,795
    Fuel economy:
    28 mpg combined

    2020 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Small Luxury

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $55,045
    Fuel economy:
    18-26 mpg combined

    2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class: Midsize Luxury Sedan

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $95,245
    Fuel economy:
    16-22 mpg combined

    2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Large Luxury Sedan

  4. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $104,695
    Fuel Economy:
    17 mpg combined

    2020 BMW M5: Sport Sedan


Best Luxury Hybrids & Plug-Ins

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $42,785
    Fuel economy:
    44 combined

    2020 Lexus ES 300h

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $53,895
    Fuel economy:
    27 mpg combined

    2020 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $54,945
    Electric range:
    17 miles
    Fuel economy:
    26 mpg combined

    2020 Volvo XC60 PHEV


Best Luxury Electric Cars & SUVs

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $70,875
    Electric range:
    234 miles
    Energy consumption:
    44 kWh/100 miles

    2020 Jaguar I-Pace

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $75,795
    Electric range:
    204 miles
    Energy Consumption:
    46 kWh/100 miles

    2019 Audi e-tron

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $41,190
    Electric range:
    250-322 miles
    Energy consumption
    24-30 kWh/100 miles

    2020 Tesla Model 3


Best Luxury Coupes

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $46,495
    Fuel economy:
    26 mpg combined

    2020 Audi TT

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $45,945
    Fuel economy:
    21-27 mpg combined

    2020 BMW 4 Series

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $93,975
    Fuel economy:
    19 mpg combined

    2020 Lexus LC 500


Best Luxury Convertibles

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $56,565
    Fuel economy:
    20-24 mpg combined

    2020 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $56,565
    Fuel economy:
    20-24 mpg combined

    2020 Porsche 718 Boxster

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $65,725
    Fuel economy:
    18-26 mpg combined

    2020 Jaguar F-Type


Best Luxury Wagons

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $45,595
    Fuel economy:
    25 mpg combined

    2020 Audi A4 Allroad

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $40,645
    Fuel economy:
    25-27 mpg combined

    2020 Volvo v60

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $30,295
    Fuel economy:
    24 mpg combined

    2020 Buick Regal TourX


Best Luxury Sports Cars

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $59,995

    2020 Chevrolet Corvette

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $98,750
    Fuel economy:
    16-25 mpg combined

    2020 Porsche 911

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $116,895
    Fuel economy:
    17-18 mpg combined

    2020 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Coupe: Large Luxury Sedan

  4. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $89,890
    Fuel Economy:
    23-25 mpg combined

    2020 BMW 8 Series

  5. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $59,895
    Fuel Economy:
    19-20 mpg combined

    2020 BMW M2 Competition


Best Luxury Trucks

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $56,500 (estimated)
    Fuel economy:
    16-26 mpg combined

    2020 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $54,935
    Fuel economy:
    21-22 mpg combined

    2020 Ram 1500 Limited

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $69,080
    Fuel economy:
    19 mpg combined

    2020 Ford F-150 Limited


Cheapest Luxury Cars and SUVs

  1. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $26,895
    Fuel economy:
    28 mpg combined

    2020 Acura ILX

  2. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $43,545
    Fuel economy:
    18-21 mpg combined

    2020 Genesis G80

  3. Starting price (including destination fee):
    $33,325
    Fuel economy:
    33 mpg combined

    2020 Lexus UX 200


Luxury-Car Features

The traditional route of automotive technology has been to develop new features for luxury models, testing them out on curious customers of means. Given enough demand, the research and development costs of these technologies can be made back through wider adoption. It's how features such as automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise have come to be staples on mainstream and luxury cars alike.

But automakers know that luxury-car buyers still want a measure of exclusivity. That's why you'll always find more esoteric features that are reserved for the top-shelf models. Features such as massaging seats, head-up displays, sophisticated adaptive suspensions, voice assistants, and self-parking systems are still largely the province of luxury badges. But as these features make their way to mainstream models, automakers will need to innovate further to keep their luxury cars a step ahead.

Luxury-Car Safety Features

Today's safety features and driver assistance features are rapidly becoming standardized across the industry. Where automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring were once somewhat exotic features, they're now common on most new cars, or at least readily available options. As these technologies expand, mainstream consumers expect to find them on more affordable cars.

Luxury carmakers such as Mercedes and Volvo have long led the way in innovative safety features, although companies such as Lexus and Audi have made their own contributions. Today you'll find these carmakers working on next-generation safety tech, such as pedestrian- and cyclist-detection braking as well as self-steering to keep the car in its lane. There are even features such as Acura's Road Departure Mitigation, which uses a camera to detect objects on the side of the road and help prevent the car from drifting toward them. And pioneering self-driving technologies are available, such as automatic lane changing and lighting features that continuously monitor and supply more light as needed.

Next Steps

Luxury need not be priced out of reach or limited to a specific style of car. Today, automotive luxury can be found in every body style, and at prices that start around $30,000. Given that today's average car sale is around $35,000, luxury may be more affordable than you think. Of course, it's easy to spend six figures on a luxury car, but it's just as easy to spend half that on something roomy and comfortable, with ample performance. Today's best luxury cars come in enough shapes, sizes and budgets to suit many shoppers' wants and needs.