Consumer Reports As they do each year, Consumer Reports has released its list auto manufacturer new vehicle rankings, with Subaru remaining at the top, followed closely by BMW. The latter then ranks first among luxury brands. The group rated cars from 31 brands on reliability, owner satisfaction, safety, and road-test scores. Their list ranks car …
Category: Articles & Commentaries
Discussions on topics of interest to drivers concerning things they may not understand about their vehicles as well as articles on the future of the auto industry.
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/02/cr-drops-its-top-10-automotive-picks-for-2026/
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/02/consumer-reports-auto-manufacturer-rankings-for-2026-released/
Will a frozen key fob still work??
Frozen key fob I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently. She thought she had a frozen key fob. The fob stopped working without warning and she realized the fob had been sitting on the floor of the vehicle’s center console, which was really, really cold. So, she rubbed the fob in her hands …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/will-a-frozen-key-fob-still-work/
Always mount your best tires on the rear!
Tires Tires have been a big focus of late: I’ve replaced all four and followed that up by clipping a curb and needing to replace a tire within just a few weeks. Now, Consumer Reports offers up a good guide on tire replacement, with a discussion of whether to replace just two or all four. …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/always-mount-your-best-tires-on-the-rear/
New YASA electric motor promises more power from less mass
YASA electric motor It turns out that the YASA axial flux electric motor has been in development for about 20 years, but a video just found its way into my algorithm. Likely as a result of the attention we gave to the solid-state battery and Donut motor from Verge Motorcycles in the last few weeks. …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/new-yasa-electric-motor-promises-more-power-from-less-mass/
How to increase your EV’s battery life
EV’s battery life In assembling yesterday’s post on an EV’s battery life, I ran across this piece from Recurrent. It describes a simple way to ensure that the battery in your electric vehicle (EV) stays healthy longer, and its depth of discharge (DOD). It’s a little complicated, but this summary should help. To calculate depth …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/how-to-increase-your-evs-battery-life/
New study answers the question of EV battery longevity
EV battery longevity A new study from Canada’s Geotab finds that EV battery longevity should not be a concern when considering the purchase of an electric vehicle (EV). In fact, the analysis of more than 22,700 EVs from 21 different models finds that modern EV batteries will likely outlast the service life of the vehicle. …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/new-study-answers-the-question-of-ev-battery-longevity/
CR drops its top 10 automotive picks for 2026
Top 10 automotive picks On the heals of its auto manufacturer rankings, Consumer Reports (CR) has released its top 10 automotive picks for 2026. Familiar names, such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry, abound. Plus two Subaru models, the Forester and Crosstrek, and two Ford models, the F150 and Maverick, make the grade. Making …
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