USED CARS - Economy Cars Reviews

The following report was originally published on ConsumerSearch to cover new cars manufactured and sold in the 2006 model year, and so can offer a good guide as to which cars from past model years are good bets as used vehicles. We are keeping this report on our site as a convenience to our readers who may be shopping for a used car.

When it comes to reviews of economy and compact cars, Edmunds.com is the most thorough reviewer we found, offering extensive, well thought-out reviews. Cars are tested on everything from drive quality to fuel economy to cargo space. Motor Trend also does a great job and does the best explaining of its testing methodology. Consumer Reports excels in evaluating factors that other publications gloss over, such as safety features and how beneficial a particular car would be for a family. Consumer Reports tests just as exhaustively as any specialized publication.

With increasing gas prices, fuel concerns have become more pronounced than ever, and the reviews are taking that into consideration. This year, reviews give much greater consideration to the fuel-efficiency of a vehicle in the overall rating of the car. The other factor that seems to be the most important across the board is safety. Compact cars are being equipped with more standard safety options than ever before, and reviewers are paying attention.

Although hybrid cars -- which use a combination of gas and electric power -- are hyped as being especially good values when it comes to fuel economy, experts say that in a strict cost/benefit analysis, they don't always come out better than a non-hybrid car in the long run.