9 Cars That Have Won Car And Driver's 10Best Award The Most Times

Founded in 1955, Car and Driver has become one of the most well-established automotive publications in the country. Every year, they test, photograph, and drive new cars and curate the cream of the crop in their "10Best" list.

Since the first awards in 1983, the magazine has acknowledged a medley of cars of all sorts. Although there aren't many concrete rules on who is eligible, one constant requirement is that the cars are affordable to the everyday consumer. That means, no matter how wonderful they are, exotics or supercars will not make the list. Some winners stay, but a lot of them go, and only a few remain consistent champions that retain their relevance and greatness. Here are the nine cars that have won it the most.

In 1979, Honda had already established a comfortable place in the U.S. market. The Japanese brand was well known and recognized across American cities and highways for its commitment to making practical cars that wouldn't break down. Americans could rely on Honda, but Honda wanted to be respected as well as relied upon. The Civic was doing well, so Honda decided to complement it with the Prelude, a more stylish and athletic sibling. The Prelude stuck around until 2002, and although a new version is incoming, its 23-year tenure was enough to earn it a spot on Car and Driver's 10Best 10 times.

Winning in 1984-1986 and 1992-1998, the Prelude was always praised for its driving dynamics and well-roundedness. For its 1985 win, Car and Driver said it was the best handling imported car money could buy, "second only to the Porsche 944." Being compared to a performance car made for customers in a different tax bracket is no small feat. The 1993 model introduced VTEC, which allowed the Prelude to produce impressive power from all rev ranges, further solidifying its reputation as a driver's delight. The new Prelude looks promising, but its predecessors give it a lot to live up to.

The Prelude was meant to complement the already successful Civic, but the Civic itself has been a long-appreciated car and a 10Best veteran. The Civic has been gracing roads across the globe since 1972. Like many other automotive creations of the time, the Civic was created as an answer to the global oil crisis. Consumers needed a car that could make the most of a tank, and Honda's answer was so successful that the Civic has now lived through 11 generations. It has changed a lot with each iteration, but its underlying character has remained consistent enough for it to win the 10Best award 11 times.

First winning in 1985, the Civic was praised for its jack of all trades personality that left buyers with an uncompromised package good for fun, practicality, and low gas station bills. In 1988, the Civic won again for its faith in its mission while enjoying substantial upgrades such as an improved chassis and larger interior space. The Civic fell behind in the early aughts and 2010s, but it regained its recognition in 2018 with the Civic Si. The Civic returned with a bang and was applauded for its newfound athleticism in the Si and Type R models, with the magazine going as far as to say that it was "quite possibly the highest performing and most satisfying front-wheel-drive car on the market."

One underlying theme for a car that's enjoyed a slough of 10Best awards is a long-standing nameplate, and there is perhaps no better example than the Ford Mustang. Debuting in 1964, the Mustang name has been at the forefront of Ford's catalogue for 61 years and seven generations. The pioneer of the pony car, the Mustang is a staple in not only car culture but American culture. The Ford Mustang often belongs in the same sentence as rock and roll, American football, and apple pie. A car this big must be good, and it is, with 11 wins of the 10Best award.

The Mustang comes second only to a close rival (that will be mentioned) for the most 10Best awards given to American cars, and it was one of the 10 that won in Car and Driver's first edition of the 10Best competition in 1983. Like the two Hondas before it, part of the Mustang's success is due to its clarity of purpose. The mission here is to make a car that puts a smile on the face of everyone in the car and around it. Each Mustang generation hits this goal on the nose with constantly improving performance and styling, with Ford introducing special models like the GT500 and Shelby GT350 to keep the Mustang a competitor on the track as well as on the road.

The Golf is to Volkswagen what the Mustang is to Ford. Not in the sense that it's a gas guzzling muscle car, but that it is the brand's most recognizable nameplate. Introduced in 1974, the Golf was meant to offer something different to Volkswagen's other star, the Beetle. Where the Beetle was powered by a water-cooled engine placed in the rear in a front wheel drive configuration, the Golf was powered by an air-cooled engine placed in the front, in a rear wheel drive configuration. It was a compact hatchback that was made for the masses, and since the beginning of its production, it has enjoyed 19 wins for Car and Driver's 10Best.

The Golf and Rabbit, which are essentially the same car, landed a spot on the list a couple of times in the 80s, but its majority came from a winning streak lasting from 2007 all the way to 2022. The 2007 model brought the family back from a lull in personality with the new GTI, which featured upgrades like the Direct Shift Gearbox and a 200-horsepower four-cylinder. Its most recent win in 2022 came again from the GTI model, thanks to its straightforward offer of good fun at a good price. Like the Prelude and the Civic, the Golf's main attraction throughout its years has been its ability to satisfy buyers of all desires. Its peppy performance, pleasant interior, convenient size, and affordable price have made it a long-standing victor in the 10Best awards.

The Porsche 911 may be the conclusion of all a sports car can be, but the Mazda MX-5 Miata is the introduction. Although much smaller in price and performance, the Miata is widely admired for its fun, engaging ride. What makes the Miata special is that it's all about bang for your buck. Throughout its over 30-year tenure, the Miata has been priced to allow almost anyone with an inkling for speed to get their hands on the wheel. The Miata is the gateway for any gearheads who want a peek into the world of sports cars, and its success in this venture has earned it 19 10Best awards.

Winning first in 1990, a year after the model debuted, Car and Driver gave the Miata high praise, saying that "all Mazda did with this car was reinvent the sports car." Its stardom came from its simplicity. A lightweight convertible with a responsible but fun horsepower count is all you need for some automotive amusement, and the Miata has stayed true to this formula in each generation. With the Miata's most recent win in 2019, Car and Driver highlighted the training wheels role the Miata plays for car enthusiasts. Though 2019 was its last win, in 2025, it remains an approachable and accessible sports car that anyone from a racing driver to a first timer can enjoy.

Since its first generation was released in 1975, the BMW 3 Series has become the glue that holds the brand together. Other models come and go and live lives of varying greatness or mediocrity but the 3 Series remains the focal point in the BMW lineup. The 3 Series has now lived through seven generations, with each improving on the last so effectively, that the 3 Series has earned itself 20 10Best wins from Car and Driver.

For its inaugural win in 1992 it was lauded for its ability to bring consumers BMW quality at a reasonable price, with the magazine saying it was "a BMW you can actually afford." Part of the bloodline's DNA comes from its inline six engine which has remained a mainstay in nearly all models under the 3 Series name. The 3 Series also birthed the M3, which has now become an icon of performance for the German brand, and a fellow winner of a handful of 10Best awards. The 3 Series remained the king of entry level sports sedans throughout the 90s and 2010s, although its consistency to this purpose started to dwindle in its later championing years. For its final award in 2014, Car and Driver noted the 3 Series had begun to lose track of its identity as a sports sedan, and started to veer more into being just a sedan. Still, despite its recent downturn in victories, the 3 Series remains the prodigal son of BMW.

Porsche's shining star is the 911, but without the 718, the company likely wouldn't exist today. Though hard to believe for a brand of such stature, Porsche nearly went bankrupt in the 1990s. As usual, the product was more than satisfactory, but the poor U.S. economy, matched with an overcomplicated manufacturing process, made profit an increasingly slippery goal. 

Everyone wanted a Porsche, but not enough could afford one. To solve this issue, Porsche developed the 718. Where past 911 complement models had been relatively different from the 911, the 718 was meant to bring the 911 experience to a wider audience of buyers. Its mid-engined layout and looks are proof of this, and the 718 became a true baby 911. The 718's imitation was so spot on that the nameplate has earned 26 10Best awards over the years.

Coming to consumers as the Boxster and the Cayman, a convertible and coupe respectively, the 718 has only missed out on a 10Best spot twice since 1998. Since its inception, the 718 has stayed true to Porsche's ideals, with a focus on lightness, precision, and calculated power. Although some models have moved to a turbocharged flat-four powertrain, the classic flat-six remains an option for those with a little extra cash and an affinity for adrenaline.

The Chevrolet Corvette has been around since 1953, but it only won its first 10Best award in 1985. However, that would go on to be the first win of many, 26 to be exact. Similar to the story of the 718, the original first generation Corvette was cooked up by GM engineers looking to pull the sales chart out of a dive. While it is often grouped with cars like the Mustang, the Corvette represented a more European approach to the sports car than the classic American pony car. It was meant to be lightweight, quick, and pretty, and the C1 generation ticked all the boxes with ease.

As production continued, the Corvette evolved, but never lost its identity. Car and Driver applauded the Corvette for its 150 mph top speed and for its representation of what an American sports car could be in its 1985 win, and this streak continued into 1989. Picking up another win in 1998, where it was recognized by the magazine for refining its previously impressive but brutish driving characteristics. 

For the C8 generation, Chevrolet switched things up with a new mid-engined layout. The choice was met with skepticism, but ultimately paid off, as the C8 has been praised for its supercar-like abilities with a sports car price. Now in 2025, with incredible performance options like the ZR1, the C8 'Vette has won again. Consistency is key, but so is improvement, and the Corvette has been a long-standing example of how to do both.

Try as they might, no other carmaker can top Honda's reign in the 10Best awards. With the Civic and the Prelude already mentioned, Honda returns to close the show with the Accord, which has earned itself a whopping 39 wins. The Accord is a car in its simplest form. The Accord is reliable, well priced, pleasant to be in, and does everything the average driver could ask of it without lacking anywhere, and without extra frills. Since its introduction in 1976, the Accord has come to consumers in all shapes of cars, but its soul as a family sedan has always been its true purpose.

In its first win in 1983, Car and Driver deemed the Accord so superior to all other economy sedans that they said, "By now, every manufacturer in the world has torn down an Accord, scratched his corporate head, and marveled at how they do it." That kind of praise is high, but deserved, and the Accord would keep on deserving it until 1991. After a two-year hiatus from the winner's circle, the Accord returned to the podium in 1994, this time recognized for its all-around improvements and fresh new face. Fast forward past another three-year hiatus, and the Accord won again in 1998 and has continued to make the list to this day. With 13 more wins than the Corvette, the Accord is the clear king of Car and Driver's 10Best awards.