I drove a lot of really good cars this year, from supercars to affordable EVs and everything in between, and so did many of my colleagues. That’s why we’ve rounded up all of the best cars that we drove in 2024 for your reading pleasure. Despite some tough competition this year my top two were easy picks, but I have a lot of honorable mentions that could’ve made it on.
Which is your favorite car on this list? What’s the best car you drove in 2024? What do you want us to review in 2025? Let us know in the comments.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class EV
I mean, this never could have been anything else. My favorite car made even better through the power of electrification, the Mercedes-Benz G580 is a singular experience. I’ve put nearly 1,000 miles on electric G-wagens this year, from the launch event in France to Monterey Car Week and then most recently the Austrian Alps, and in every situation I can’t think of a vehicle I’d rather be in. It’s better around town and on long highway trips than the gas G-Classes, and off-road it’s completely untouchable. Most importantly it retains the G-wagen’s spirit, and those door locks.
Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid
This was another easy choice. Porsche started off its presentation at the facelifted 911 GTS first drive event by showing off mean comments people had left online about the new T-Hybrid powertrain, with the aim to prove those haters wrong. Prove them wrong the hybrid 911 does, as in addition to being nerdy and interesting, it’s genuinely fun and exciting to drive. It’s just plain wonderful.
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Bentley Continental GT Speed made me reevaluate what it meant for a car to be fun, fast and luxurious. It was so good, in fact, that I didn’t even care its price can easily crest $400,000. It’s honestly worth every penny of that. Sure, it’s sad that the twin-turbo W12 is dead, but with a plug-in-hybrid 4.0-liter V8 that pumps out 771 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque, I hardly miss it. If you have the means, I do suggest picking one up.
Lucid Air Sapphire
The Lucid Air Sapphire bends reality to its will, throwing you back in your seat as you rocket from 0 to 60 mph in under two seconds. It’s a sort of brutal speed that cannot really be conveyed unless you experience it. Still, acceleration isn’t the Sapphire’s party trick. The real magic is in the way it goes around corners. What’s even more shocking is that if you just happened to have $250,000, you can just go get one from Lucid. That’s wild.
Caterham Seven 360 R
It might not technically have been the best car I drove this year or even the most refined, but the most fun I had behind the wheel in 2024 came when I got to drive a Caterham for the first time. Specifically, it was a Caterham Seven 360 R that was loaned to me for the day while the British sports car company attempted to teach me how to drift. The drifting results were mixed, but it was ridiculously enjoyable getting behind the wheel of a car that’s pretty much purpose-built for fun. Acceleration felt fast even though it wasn’t, the rear end was loose and playful, and even the rain falling through the hole where the roof should have been managed to make me laugh.
If you’ve spent too long cooped up in busy cities stuck in traffic and it’s making you lose sight of the joy of driving, then I urge you to try out a car like this. Whether it’s a Caterham, a Morgan three-wheeler or something even more mad like an Ariel Atom, it’ll surely be a hoot.
My 25-Year-Old Porsche 911 Turbo
I had a somewhat limited new car test schedule in 2024, and while some of what I drove, namely the revised Toyota GR Corolla and Audi S5, were quite good, in both cases I longed to return home and drive my 25-year-old Porsche 911 Turbo. There are still quite a few finishing touches that I need to address with this car in 2025, but it is already an incredible driver’s car. Here’s hoping I get to log quite a lot more miles behind the wheel next year, including some track time.
Mini Cooper S Convertible
I got to sample the 2025 Mini Cooper S Convertible at BMW Test Fest earlier this year, and I’m choosing it as the best car I drove for a few very important reasons. It’s no secret that I’m a Mini fan; I am madly in love with my 2017 Mini Cooper S 4-Door and I’m often the go-to person on staff whenever Mini news comes along. I’m totally biased and predisposed to enjoy it, and it’s by no means the most refined, modern, spacious, powerful, or groundbreaking car I drove this year, but it’s still the best car I drove this year.
This “next-gen” model is really just a reskinned carryover model that Mini didn’t want to invest much money in, but I’m still choosing it because it’s dripping with character, whimsy and fun, and it throws logic to the wind. I love convertibles, but sadly the number of new convertibles on the market is dwindling. Driving the 2025 Mini Cooper S Convertible, you feel its added weight over the three-door, you feel the structure and steering wheel shimmy as the firm ride makes things jiggly, but I put the top down and I couldn’t stop smiling. There’s hardly any back seat room, and there’s even less trunk space. It doesn’t make logical sense, but it bores a convertible-shaped hole in your heart that only a Mini can fill.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
When automakers first started to get into electric performance cars, I was on the fence, but after living with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N for a week, I’m a believer and the concerns I had before are all gone. I don’t call many things perfect, but the 645-horsepower Ioniq 5 N is the perfect electric performance car. It is blisteringly quick, and I mean blistering: According to the car’s onboard timer, using launch control I managed to hit 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and pull 1.5 g while doing it. Even the relatively low 221 miles of range wasn’t a problem given the Ioniq 5 N’s equally fast charging speeds. The only downside is the price. At $67,575 (including destination) it’s the most expensive Hyundai ever sold in America. Hopefully, in a few years depreciation will kick in and these things will turn into an amazing used buy.
Audi RS3
The Audi RS3, in my opinion, is the ultimate sport compact. What makes it so great is its unique engine, a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-5 that puts out an impressive 401 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. With Audi’s signature Quattro all-wheel drive helping to put power down, the little sedan that could has performance that’ll make anyone not in the know think twice: 60 mph comes in just 3.6 seconds, and it’ll do that all the while sounding aggressive as hell from its big oval exhaust tips. It’s not quite perfect, though. With a starting price of over $63,000, the RS3 is expensive for what it is. It’s also pretty tiny inside, and Audi doesn’t offer the RS3 Sportback model in America. Even with those knocks against it, the RS3 delivers some serious performance for such a small sedan.
BMW F900GS
I may be starting to pull the rose-colored lenses from my ADV goggles, but I can still enjoy a trip from city streets to desert sand to snowy mountains. That was the exact route BMW planned out for the F900GS press ride earlier this year, and it was a treat to ride that bike through those environs. With a narrow body and light weight, it was the least ADV-feeling ADV I’ve ever ridden, like an enduro with an extra cylinder.
The F900 wasn’t perfect. My daylong ride was marred by its hard seat and stubby windshield, but it was just such a joy to ride. The engine’s got ample power, and it’s actually delivered interestingly unlike in my older BMW adventure twin. There’s a reason BMW is such a go-to brand in the ADV world.