It’s hard to hear the term commuter car and not think of very plain-looking and barely appointed sedans and SUVs that have one simple, distinct goal: Drive from point A to point B. In a word? Uninspiring. But it doesn’t have to be that way... in fact, America’s new car market proves that there are some truly great commuter cars out there that put that ol’ stereotype to bed and offer some of the best all-around versatility in such fare, ever.
There are a lot to choose from, too. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of cars that provide the best available comfort and technology for their respective classes and pricing, and some even possess such advanced safety features as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and lane keep assist to offer some solid peace-of-mind during your every day commute.
While the Chevy Trax, Mazda 3, Toyota Prius, Acura Integra are great options, they narrowly missed out here. Let’s take a look at 10 of the best worth checking out the next time you start perusing dealership lots.
The Best Cars for Commuting in 2025
- Hyundai Elantra
- Tesla Model 3
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
- Kia K5
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Subaru Crosstrek
- Honda Accord
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Infiniti QX55
Hyundai Elantra
Best for: Those in search of a spacious and thrifty subcompact ride.
The Elantra received a significant refresh for the 2024 model year both inside and out, including host of new tech and safety features. It certainly has come a long way since the model was introduced in 1990. Styling is—as always—subjective, but the relatively low-priced Elantra is a good-looking compact car that looks great next to the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, both of which it competes against.
Gas mileage is up to 41 mpg with the SE trim level, and you lose one mile per gallon with the SEL and Limited. That’s because you lose its auto stop/start function from the SE trim level.
You do get a fair amount of advanced safety technology with the SE trim, including forward collision assistance, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keeping assist, but you lose out on the ability to even buy adaptive cruise control with stop & go. These are especially handy for long commutes. You have to step up to the SEL trim level, which brings the base price to under $25,000. You also get adaptive cruise control with stop and go, plus forward collision avoidance with pedestrian, cyclist, and junction-turning detection.
It also provides some nice comfort and convenience features, like a wireless charger, leather-trimmed steering wheel, and heated front seats, along with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
You may think, "Why would I buy option packages on the Elantra when the Civic offers this equipment as standard on every trim level?" It’s true that Honda Sensing is standard on all Civic trim levels, but in order to get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration and the wireless charger that’s part of the Convenience Package, you have to go all the way up to the Touring trim level, which starts at $7,125 more than the Elantra SEL.
As with all Hyundai products, you also enjoy the brand’s signature 10-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Tesla Model 3
Best for: The painless plug-in life
We’re not going to load this list up with electric vehicles (EVs), but you’d be well served to at least explore owning one, especially as a commuter vehicle. According to the US Census Bureau, Americans travel approximately 27.6 miles to work each way, making an EV—even an older EV with a limited, 100-mile range—an outstanding choice for a commuter vehicle.
Like the Elantra, the Model 3 was significantly refreshed for the 2024 model year with many updates, including some that refine its overall driving experience. The Rear-Wheel Drive trim allows you to travel 272 miles before charging, enough that you could drive to and from work for most of the week without recharging.
But the Tesla Model 3 is more than just an electric car. The base model comes standard with Tesla’s Autopilot, which enables the car to steer, accelerate, and brake under the drivers supervision. This can really help take the sting out of a painful commute with stop and go traffic, making it quite enjoyable as a daily driver. In addition, the Model 3 has a history of top notch safety ratings which should provide additional peace of mind on your daily drive.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Best for: Anyone after a hot hatch with deep pedigree
Nobody says your commute has to be crushingly boring, especially if you dig the prospect of owning a particularly plucky small car. The Volkswagen Golf GTI makes this list as one of the few hatchbacks left in America, and it earns its hot hatch title proudly by producing 262 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque from its ravenous 2.0-liter turbocharged engine.
Volkswagen now offers its full range of advanced safety equipment—including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, travel assist, and emergency assist—in the standard IQ.Drive package on all trim levels.
Sadly, the manual gearbox is gone, so you have no choice but to select the seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The DSG box is still fun, though, and it’s packaged in a car that makes driving a pleasure, with a reconfigured sport suspension and a standard Torsen limited-slip differential. To the enthusiasts out there: The GTI is the best commuter car on this list if you’re want to have more fun behind the wheel.
As always, the interior is top-shelf on the GTI, and if you’re running back and forth to work anyway, you might as well select a car that makes that daily commute as comfortable and convenient as possible. The GTI features a 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro screen and 30 colors of ambient lighting. When you get tired of red, you can always switch to purple.
Kia K5
Best for: Massive value in a very handsome package
If you just don’t want to constantly see yourself coming and going the way you will with a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry, the Kia K5 is for you. The K5 is a bold, stylish, expressive automobile that stands out in a sea of sameness in the dwindling sedan marketplace. Several years back, the K5 replaced the Optima, which was already one of the better-looking sedans available at the time.
The base price of the Kia K5 comes in under $27,000, and it comes standard with Kia Drive Wise Driver Assist Technology, which includes features like forward collision assist. What you miss, though, is the navigation-based adaptive cruise control, Kia's Highway Driving Assist, and forward collision avoidance with cyclist detection. In order to get that, you have to step up to the GT-Line trim level, which bumps the price up a bit. It’s competitive with the Accord and Camry, but it’s not what you’d consider a smoking deal.
You also have the option of the GT-Line with all-wheel drive (AWD). If you find that you need AWD instead of a good set of winter tires, this may be an option for you, though the price jumps to over $28,000.
The K5 delivers fuel economy of 31 mpg combined, which puts it just 1 mpg lower than the Camry and Accord.
Mitsubishi Outlander
Best for: The more adventurous among us
Nobody is as shocked as we are that we put the Mitsubishi Outlander on this list. We’ve spent a lot of time in this crossover and it truly is one of the most improved vehicles that we’ve driven in recent years. It’s based on the same platform that underpins the Nissan Rogue, and it definitely improved this vehicle by leaps and bounds.
The crossover marketplace is littered with competitors at this point, all offering essentially the same vehicle. Why spend more than you need to when what you’re after is a safe, reliable, and not altogether depressing vehicle to run back and forth to work? Not only that, but those you carpool with will appreciate it, too.
The trouble with the Mitsubishi is that you have to step up to the SE trim level to get the equipment packaged in Mi-Pilot Assist, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane-departure prevention, and traffic sign recognition. But that’s not all as bad as it sounds.
Fuel economy in the AWD Outlander is decent, thanks to a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed transmission. It offers 24 mpg city and 30 highway with the AWD models.
Subaru Crosstrek
Best for: Heading off the beaten path
If you need a crossover SUV, it’s tough to beat a Subaru Crosstrek. It has a smaller footprint and less seating capacity than an Outlander, but if your family is smaller, you can make it work.
The Crosstrek has was completely redesigned for 2024 model year, although it takes a sharp eye to spot the differences from the previous model. As with past years, all of the advanced safety features are available on the base level Crosstrek, which means you get Subaru’s excellent EyeSight suite of advanced safety equipment. EyeSight itself is improved for the 2024 model year, featuring a wider lens for a better look at the road ahead.
And even at the base level, you get wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus Bluetooth. The only bummer is that it’s with dual 7-inch touchscreens, rather than the stunning 11.6-inch vertical touchscreen that's standard fare for the infotainment system in all other trims.
Honda Accord
Best for: Everyday luxury that gives European automakers a strong run for their money
The Honda Accord offers what it always has: a great list of standard features in a comfortable, capable car with great fuel economy. All trims feature a CVT, with the gas versions delivering 32 mpg combined, and the hybrid versions serving up to an impressive 48 mpg combined.
You don’t sacrifice any of the advanced safety equipment with the base LX 1.5L Turbo trim. The Honda Sensing suite of advanced safety equipment is there at no additional cost. When you get in the Honda showroom, you may find yourself lured into higher trim levels with equipment like heated seats, a wireless phone charger, head-up displays, and larger touch screens, but if it’s safety and connectivity you’re looking for, you can get it at the loss-leader price in the LX.
Honda Sensing includes the collision-mitigation braking system, road-departure mitigation system, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow (a huge boon in traffic), lane-keeping assist system, and traffic-sign recognition.
Unfortunately, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are relegated to the hybrid trims, so plan to bring a cord to get that connectivity in gas models.
Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
Best for: A stylish, thrifty, and tech-forward family hauler
The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid offers thrifty fuel consumption in a roomy, stylish SUV, making it especially good for commuters.
We love the Santa Fe, and have for quite some time, and its 2024-model-year redesign certainly didn't hurt. With its boxy-yet-modern styling, the fifth generation has drawn favorable comparisons to popular off-roaders like the Land Rover Defender and Ford Bronco. In the Santa Fe's case, front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard, but AWD is also available. Tech-wise, a full menu of advanced safety equipment comes as standard, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, forward collision warning, driver-attention warning, lane-centering, and more. The Limited trim offers cruise control guided by the navigation system as standard, which is nice, but not altogether necessary.
Combined, you’ll see 34 mpg from the hybrid if you opt for AWD, which increases to 36 if you stick with FWD. No matter how you slice it, that’s excellent economy for a vehicle of the Santa Fe’s stature.
Infiniti QX55
Best for: All-weather versatility
Given the number of Infiniti QX-series vehicles we see on the way into Boston and Cambridge every day, these are a well-appreciated commuter vehicle.
Right out of the gate, the Luxe trim level—the base trim in the QX55—is fully equipped with AWD, wireless Apple CarPlay, and most of what you’d want in a luxury car. The standard ProPilot Assist features adaptive cruise control, lane-tracing assist, and lane-keeping keeping assist.
As you might expect from a larger crossover, fuel efficiency is not great, not terrible. The EPA says you can expect 28 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined, which is competitive with any other crossover in this class.
