The 5 ‘Worst of the Worst’ Cars for 2015

‘Tis the season for car shopping, and 2015 has given shoppers ample rankings to help — whether they’re looking for vehicles that are the most gratifying to own or that have the best resale value, for example.

But a recent car ranking from Consumer Reports is a little different. The nonprofit watchdog calls these five vehicles “the worst of the worst” that it has tested all year.

These cars scored the lowest in Consumer Reports’ tests and failed to earn its recommendation regardless of reliability or owner satisfaction.

So what causes a vehicle to earn such a poor score? According to Consumer Reports:

An insufferably noisy cabin. A spine-jolting, kidney-quivering ride. Underwhelming fuel economy. Wobbly and vague handling. Some cars even manage to have all of those downsides.

Those vehicles that are clearly deficient in multiple areas earn scores well below the norm for their class.

The worst-ranked Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, for example, earned 20 out of 100 points due to its poor ride, handling and fuel economy.

While the other four vehicles on Consumer Reports’ naughty list are compacts or subcompacts, the nonprofit says it’s not picking on small cars:

A few small cars do well in our tests and are recommended, including the Chevrolet Sonic and Honda Fit.

But low-budget models tend to struggle in our tests, due to the packaging, noise and performance shortcomings inherent when trying to meet a low-cost package.

Consumer Reports’ “true stinkers” of 2015 — and their scores — are:

• Toyota Yaris (subcompact) — 47 out of 100
• Scion tC (sport compact) — 44
• Mitsubishi i-MiEV (electric subcompact) — 35
• Mitsubishi Mirage (subcompact) — 29
• Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (off-road SUV) — 20

If you plan to buy a car before year-end, be sure to first check out Consumer Reports’ ranking of the “10 Top 2015 Cars to Buy at a Discount Before Year-End.”

Would you nominate any cars for a naughty or nice list this year? Let us know why below or on our Facebook page.