In a nation that thrives on SUVs as Canada does, is there still any love left over for cars? We think so, and to that end, we’ve rounded up what we think are the best cars currently available in Canada in various segments.
We polled our auto reviewers at Driving.ca for their votes. They didn’t always agree, but we went with the majority opinion in each segment, including luxury and battery-powered. Even so, the best car is always the one that’s best for your needs. Consider our recommendations here, but assess your requirements and look at a variety of vehicles before making your final choice.
Best Small Car: Mazda3
Winning by a nose over the Honda Civic in our team’s votes, the Mazda3 comes as a sedan or a hatchback, that latter one known as the Mazda3 Sport. In addition to the body style, buyers can also choose from a regular or turbocharged engine; front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD); or even a manual transmission. In every trim it’s a devilishly good-looking vehicle, and the Sport GT Turbo can be upgraded to the Suna, which adds a coat of Zircon Sand paint that’s particularly eye-catching, especially with that trim’s black accents.
Lower trims use a naturally-aspirated 2.5L four-cylinder, making 191 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque. Up from there is a turbocharged 2.5L that makes either 227 or 250 horsepower, and 310 or 320 lb-ft of torque, depending on whether you feed it regular or 93-octane fuel, respectively. But what really floats our team’s boat is how the Mazda3 behaves from behind the wheel. It’s more like a sportscar, with sharp and responsive steering, and curve-hugging handling – but at the same time, it’s never so muscular that it’s a chore to take it on the daily commute. It has a fun-to-drive personality that’s mostly lacking in its closest rivals.
The interior looks more lux than its price, and while there’s the odd item that could use improvement – including a centre screen that isn’t touch-activated on its own, but is when it’s running features of a connected phone – the seats are comfortable and the controls overall are simple to use. Sedan prices for 2025 run from $27,900 to $40,690. The hatchback, which exclusively features that top Suna trim, is $28,740 to $42,190.
Best Large Car: Toyota Camry
Our team’s unanimous Toyota Camry choice for large car comes only as a hybrid for 2025, and in FWD or AWD. And while Camrys of old could often be just driving appliances that got the job done without any flair, this updated version is far more engaging. There’s no reason why a car can’t be both practical and a pleasure to pilot.
All trims use a 2.5L four-cylinder engine with hybrid system, and this is what drives the front wheels. On AWD models there’s a second electric motor that powers the rear wheels fuel-free as needed, such as for extra traction or on acceleration. The hybrid system self-charges its lithium-ion battery through regenerative braking, by capturing energy otherwise lost during deceleration and braking, so it doesn’t get plugged in. The system makes a combined 225 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque in FWD, while AWD models rise to 232 horsepower, and with that same 163 lb-ft. In front-drive, the Camry is rated at 4.9 L/100 km in combined city/highway driving, while AWD rises slightly to 5.1.
Canadians usually prefer AWD for its winter performance, but both it and the front-drive version are smooth handlers that stay tight and balanced around corners. We also like the comfortable seats, the good-looking cabin with its soft-touch materials, and its easy-to-use controls. The 2025 Camry comes in one FWD trim at $34,300, while AWD trims range from $37,950 to $44,950.
Best Wagon: Subaru Outback
Our testers chose the Subaru Outback as its “real world” pick – there are some far-pricier premium wagons available, and everyone on the team loves the Audi RS 6 Avant, but it starts at almost $140,000. Mainstream-brand wagons have mostly ridden off into the sunset in favour of SUVs, and the Outback is basically the only one left. And yes, it can pass for a sport-utility, but at its heart, it’s a high-riding Subaru Legacy wagon, a model that’s also passed on. That said, the Outback earned this wagon spot, rather than winning it by default. It’s roomy and family-friendly; it has 923 litres of cargo space and that’s before you fold down the rear seats; and it’s nicely-sized and easy to park.
The four lower trims carry a 2.5L horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine, making 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque. The three upper ones, including the more off-road-ready Wilderness trim, swap that out for a turbocharged 2.4L four-cylinder making 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel drive is standard equipment. Subaru calls it “symmetrical,” meaning that all of the driveline components – engine, transmission, differential – are mirror-image on either side of the car’s axis for better balance. The system sends 60% of power to the front wheels under normal driving conditions, and can transfer more to the rear when needed. While some vehicles send 100% to the front wheels and then activate the rear ones as required, the Outback always powers everything to some degree, and that gives it a surefooted feel on curves and damp roads.
The Outback’s driver-assist systems, including its emergency front braking and adaptive cruise control, are handled by a camera system inside the windshield – and where it “looks” is within the sweep of the wipers, so snow and slush won’t clog the sensors and deactivate those systems as can happen with the external units found on many vehicles. The 2.5L models range from $34,495 to $42,995, while the turbocharged Outback trims are $45,295 to $47,895.
Best Luxury Car: Genesis G80
The BMW 3 Series got a shout-out from our team, and it’s a deserving alternative, but the majority went for the middle of Genesis’ three sedans. The Genesis G80 is roomier for rear-seat passengers than the tight-legroom G70, and not as large nor as pricey as the G90 – basically, it’s “just right.”
It’s also available as an all-electric, but we’re looking at the gasoline version here. Two engines are offered, starting with a turbocharged 2.5L four-cylinder that makes 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. Should that not be enough, the upper-level 3.5L V6 churns out 375 horsepower and 391 lb-ft of torque. Both use a buttery-smooth eight-speed automatic transmission, and both include AWD.
Smooth is the key word here. Acceleration is quick but linear; the cabin is whisper-quiet; and even the controls push and turn with an ultra-luxury feel of something much pricier. Its two trims come fully-loaded, at $70,000 for the 2.5T and $83,500 for the 3.5T (2024 models). Those prices are all-in, including freight and fees, and Genesis includes concierge service where someone will bring it to your home to test-drive it, and pick it up and leave a loaner when it needs servicing. The car first had to earn its top spot with us on its merit, of course; but that at-home service is the icing on this cake.
Best Electric Car: Hyundai Ioniq 6
Our team thinks highly of the all-electric version of the Genesis G80, but ultimately voted for the far-more-affordable Hyundai Ioniq 6 from Genesis’ parent company. The Ioniq 6 is the larger and arguably much-better-looking of the automaker’s two electric Ioniq models, atop the Ioniq 5.
The Ioniq 6’s official range is between 435 and 550 kilometres, depending on whether you choose rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, and then if you opted for 18- or 20-inch wheels (because larger wheels and tires are heavier and have more rolling resistance, which eats into range). Both versions use a 77.4-kWh lithium-ion battery. In rear-wheel models, the single motor creates 225 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The dual motors on all-wheel models combine to churn out 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque.
The Ioniq 6 can move out in a hurry when you put your foot into it, but isn’t meant to be a sports sedan – for that, you can go for the performance N version of the Ioniq 5, and frankly, we’ll be surprised if the 6 doesn’t get its own version sometime in future. Instead, it drives like a luxury sedan but without the price tag of a premium-brand electric, which can often tap over into triple digits. It’s quiet and comfortable, and while the sloping roof steals head space from rear-seat passengers, overall, it’s the electric that caught our team’s attention. The rear-wheel model starts at $54,999 and all-wheel at $58,399, and is eligible for the federal “green” rebate, as well as any provincial refunds depending on where you are. For all of our “Best Car” choices, test-drive a variety, but be sure to include the ones we’ve pointed out here.