Best Priced Five-Year Old Vehicles: SUVs and Passenger Cars

Consumer Reports, a well-respected US publication, has identified the most trusted brands and the best 5-year-old used cars and SUVs that car enthusiasts looking for a good deal should pay attention to.

Global supply chain issues affecting the prices and availability of new cars have made it difficult to find decent cars at discounted prices. But with a little patience, you can find a safe and reliable model that suits your needs. Consumer Reports(CR) recommendations to pay attention to a particular used car are based on tests conducted by the publication's experts, as well as on the results of reliability studies conducted in the United States.

CR has focused on 5-year-old (in some cases 6-year-old) cars because the depreciation makes them more affordable than newer used cars. At the same time, they are technologically advanced and have the latest active safety features such as Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), etc.

In addition to checking the reliability of the brands, CR also recommended specific car models, after making sure that they were presented in the US secondary market in commercial quantities. Among these cars, according to CR's Senior Director of Auto Testing Jake Fisher, there are some that could have escaped the attention of consumers.

Factors to consider when buying a used car

1. Fuel Economy:Check the car’s efficiency at Fueleconomy.gov, CR.org, Edmunds.com and other available sources.

2. Reliability score: shows the overall level of vehicle issues compared to other models of the same year. A number of information resources offer this assessment including Whatcar.com, Jdpower.com, Reliabilityindex.com, etc.

3. Safetysystems: FCW and AEB were available on older models but did not come in all standard editions. Before buying a car, make sure it is equipped with these vital systems.

Most Reliable 5-Year-Old Car Brands

The CR brand ranking shows that it's hard to go wrong with any Lexus or Toyota - all of their 5-year-old models are top notch in terms of reliability. With diversity in mind, CR selected eight models from its 2017 Most Trusted Brands list*.

* Models included in the table have sufficient car reliability data received by CR from survey participants.

The most reliable car models by category

Premium SUV:

2017 Lexus RX.

Price range: $31,425 - $37,725.

Midsize SUV with 3 seat rows:

2017 Toyota Highlander.

Price range: $23,350 - $33,350.

Compact SUV:

2017 Honda CR-V.

Price range: $19,900 - $25,300.

Midsize SUVwith 2 seat rows:

2017 Nissan Murano

Price range: $33,310 - $46,560.

Midsize sedan:

2017 Subaru Legacy

Price range: $23,495 - $36,695.

Full size sedan:

2017 Buick LaCrosse

Price range: $17,325 - $23,525

Executive sedan:

2017 Infiniti Q50

Price range: $17,575 - $25,600.

Compact sedan:

2017 Mazda 3.

Price range: $15,250 - $17,875.