The term "commuter car" once conjured images of uninspiring, beige, and poorly equipped vehicles that could basically make you hate driving (and cars) in general. These days, every new car sold in America comes equipped with air conditioning, power windows, and a digital media player, while the majority feature automatic transmissions as standard equipment. If there ever was a golden age for great commuter cars, it is undoubtedly now.
Running back and forth to work ends up accounting for about 75 percent of the mileage you accumulate in a year, so we’ve compiled a list of cars that provide the best available comfort, technology, and advanced safety features. More and more of this equipment is filtering in at the base level, but if an otherwise fantastic commuter car makes it optional, we’ve indicated it in our writing. Features such as lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic emergency braking can make for a more comfortable ride, peace-of-mind-wise.
The Best Cars for Commuting in 2024
- Hyundai Elantra
- Tesla Model 3
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
- Kia K5
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Subaru Crosstrek
- Honda Accord
- Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid
- Infiniti QX55
Hyundai Elantra
The 2024 Elantra receives a significant refresh both inside and out and includes 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 the (frankly, annoying) Idle Stop & Go 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. You have to step up to the SEL trim level, which brings the base price to $23,425. You also have to buy the Convenience Package, which has decreased in price by $150 since 2023 to $1,750. For the additional funds, you get adaptive cruise control with stop & go and 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?” Well, 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
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 U.S. 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.
The 2024 Model 3 is significantly refreshed inside and out with many updates that refine the overall driving experience. The Rear-Wheel Drive trim provides a generous 272 miles of range on a full charge, 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
Research the Volkswagen Golf GTI
There’s nothing saying your commute has to be crushingly boring. The Volkswagen Golf GTI makes this list as one of the few hatchbacks left in America, and definitely one of the few that’s still available with a six-speed manual transmission. If you’re into mixing your own gears, it’s tough to beat the GTI hatch’s gearbox.
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.
There’s a catch, though: If you want Emergency Assist, which intervenes if the driver becomes incapacitated, 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.
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
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 is $25,590, and it does come 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’ve been convinced that you need AWD instead of a good set of winter tires, this may be an option for you, though the price jumps to $28,690.
The K5 delivers fuel economy of 31 mpg combined, which puts it just 1 mpg lower than the Camry and Accord.
Mitsubishi Outlander
Research the Mitsubishi Outlander
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?
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. You get this all for $33,245 in the AWD version of the SE.
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
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 been completely redesigned for 2024, although it would take a sharp eye to spot the differences from the outgoing 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
The 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 Plug-In Hybrid
Research the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid
Whether you’re on the fence about an EV, or not interested at all, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) like the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe offers the best of both worlds in a single powertrain, and it’s especially good for commuters. At the very least, you can likely get to work without ever relying upon the gas engine, thanks to 30 miles of range from the battery. It will charge overnight with just a conventional wall socket. If you do opt for a Level 2 charger, you can charge it fully in less than four hours.
Beyond all that, we love the Santa Fe, and have for quite some time. Unlike some other models on this list, you get AWD standard, along with a full menu of advanced safety equipment in either of the PHEV trims, including adaptive cruise control. The option on the SEL Convenience trim is for cruise control guided by the navigation system, which is nice, but not altogether necessary.
Combined, you’ll see 33 mpg, but if you’re within 30 miles of the office, you can get as much as 77 MPGe on the electric motor alone.
While we acknowledge the release and details of the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe are likely just around the corner, you will find the best deals on this outgoing model.
Infiniti QX55
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.