Best and Worst Cars and SUVs for Visibility
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.
Car shoppers are often drawn to a vehicle by its appearance, but the most important view is actually from the driver’s seat. Outward visibility plays a key role in safety, and it goes far beyond what drivers see through the windshield.
The view through the side and rear glass is important because it helps drivers maneuver safely, whether they're changing lanes, merging onto a highway, or getting into a parking spot. That view has become ever more critical because recent car design trends have resulted in thicker roof pillars that are harder to see around. (Those design changes have been driven in part by tougher roof-crush standards in crash tests, improving aerodynamics, and even car style, with rear pillars and glass now increasingly sloped.)
The decreased visibility means drivers are having a harder time seeing not only other cars but also pedestrians, a particular concern in cities, parking lots, and near schools.
CR evaluates the visibility on every car, SUV, and truck we purchase and test. This is done with a jury approach, with several testers of different sizes and heights recording their impressions and assigning a score. The detailed findings are presented in our online road tests.
Ranking Visibility
We have broken out the visibility scores, part of our driving position rating, from our Road Test Scores to rank models by categories for the first time.
Our findings show that, in general, sedans have better visibility than SUVs, with some exceptions.
A few categories have a clear trend, with a dramatic outlier. For example, among small SUVs, the Subaru Forester is vastly superior to its rivals, a trait that makes it especially appealing for teen and senior drivers.
We've omitted several categories, such as minivans and large SUVs, because there isn’t a large difference in visibility from the best to worst model.
When you're test-driving a car, look beyond just acceleration and the feature-laden infotainment system to consider the all-around visibility. Be attentive to how easy it is to look over your shoulder when changing lanes or when backing out of a parking space.
Below are the best and worst cars, SUVs, and trucks for visibility.
Subcompact Cars
Best: Honda Fit, Worst: Chevrolet SparkCompact Hatchbacks
Best: Fiat 500L/Volkswagen Golf, Worst: Toyota C-HRLuxury Compact Cars
Best: Infiniti Q50, Worst: Kia Stinger/Mercedes-Benz CLAMidsized Sedans
Best: Subaru Legacy, Worst: Honda ClaritySports/Sporty Cars
Best: Subaru WRX, Worst: Chevrolet CamaroCompact SUVs
Best: Subaru Forester, Worst: GMC TerrainLuxury Compact SUVs
Best: Audi Q5, Worst: Jaguar I-PaceMidsized SUVs (2-row)
Best: Honda Passport, Worst: Nissan MuranoMidsized SUVs (3-row)
Best: Honda Pilot, Worst: Nissan PathfinderLuxury Midsized SUVs
Best: Land Rover Range Rover, Worst: Tesla Model X
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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2019, Consumer Reports, Inc.
