Best luxury midsize cars of 2026, ranked by owner data
We ranked 10 luxury midsize cars on sale in the US and Canada against each other on three measured things: problems reported by owners, the new asking price, and EPA combined fuel economy.
Data from October 2026. Sources: owner reports, Auto.dev US listings, EPA ratings. How we rank · Best used luxury midsize cars
Photo: MrWalkr / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
#1 of 10
BMW 5 Series
Score 96 out of 100
- Owner reliability (45 of 45 points): 2 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent: the fewest on this list
- Price (26 of 30 points): median new asking price $66,910 (48 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 88% of this list
- Fuel economy (25 of 25 points): 29 mpg combined (EPA): the best gas or hybrid on this list
- New price
- $63k–$76k (median $66,910)
- Fuel economy
- 29 mpg
- Owner reports
- 2 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent
- Main owner complaint
- Excessive size and lack of physical controls (G60 generation)
Best for
Most reliable by owners
2 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent. Ranked #1.
Lowest new price
Median new asking price $49,915. Ranked #2.
Best fuel economy
29 mpg combined (EPA). Ranked #1.
The full ranking
- #1
BMW 5 Series
Score 96- New price
- $63k–$76k (median $66,910)
- Fuel economy
- 29 mpg
- Owner reports
- 2 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent
- Main owner complaint
- Excessive size and lack of physical controls (G60 generation)
Why #1
- Owner reliability (45 of 45 points): 2 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent: the fewest on this list
- Price (26 of 30 points): median new asking price $66,910 (48 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 88% of this list
- Fuel economy (25 of 25 points): 29 mpg combined (EPA): the best gas or hybrid on this list
- #2
Cadillac CT5
Score 77- New price
- $47k–$54k (median $49,915)
- Fuel economy
- 21 mpg
- Owner reports
- 3 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent
- Main owner complaint
- 10-speed automatic transmission valve body failures
Why #2
- Owner reliability (37 of 45 points): 3 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent: fewer than about 83% of this list
- Price (30 of 30 points): median new asking price $49,915 (49 US listings, Auto.dev): the lowest of this list
- Fuel economy (10 of 25 points): 21 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 38% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #3
Mercedes-Benz E-class
Score 71- New price
- $67k–$89k (median $72,482)
- Fuel economy
- 26 mpg
- Owner reports
- 1 very frequent problem and 1 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- High maintenance and repair costs
Why #3
- Owner reliability (37 of 45 points): 1 very frequent problem and 1 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 83% of this list
- Price (15 of 30 points): median new asking price $72,482 (37 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 50% of this list
- Fuel economy (19 of 25 points): 26 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 75% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #4
Genesis G80
Score 54- New price
- $62k–$79k (median $71,264)
- Fuel economy
- 21 mpg
- Owner reports
- 1 very frequent problem and 3 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- Dealership & Service Experience (U.S.)
Why #4
- Owner reliability (25 of 45 points): 1 very frequent problem and 3 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 56% of this list
- Price (19 of 30 points): median new asking price $71,264 (48 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 63% of this list
- Fuel economy (10 of 25 points): 21 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 38% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #5
Audi A6
Score 53- New price
- $63k–$72k (median $68,093)
- Fuel economy
- 114 MPGe
- Owner reports
- 2 very frequent problems and 5 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- High maintenance and repair costs
Why #5
- Owner reliability (5 of 45 points): 2 very frequent problems and 5 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 11% of this list
- Price (23 of 30 points): median new asking price $68,093 (50 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 75% of this list
- Fuel economy (25 of 25 points): 114 MPGe combined (EPA): the best EV on this list
- #6
BMW i5
Score 51- New price
- $72k–$80k (median $75,550)
- Fuel economy
- 99 MPGe
- Owner reports
- 4 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent
- Main owner complaint
- Software glitches and system failures
Why #6
- Owner reliability (30 of 45 points): 4 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent: fewer than about 67% of this list
- Price (8 of 30 points): median new asking price $75,550 (45 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 25% of this list
- Fuel economy (13 of 25 points): 99 MPGe combined (EPA): better than about 50% of the EVs on this list
- #7
Tesla Model 3
Score 34- New price
- No data yet
- Fuel economy
- 111 MPGe
- Owner reports
- 1 very frequent problem and 5 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- Front suspension/control arm failures
Why #7
- Owner reliability (15 of 45 points): 1 very frequent problem and 5 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 33% of this list
- Price (0 of 30 points): No data yet (no new listing prices)
- Fuel economy (19 of 25 points): 111 MPGe combined (EPA): better than about 75% of the EVs on this list
- #8
BMW M5
Score 24- New price
- $135k–$142k (median $137,000)
- Fuel economy
- 14 mpg
- Owner reports
- 2 very frequent problems and 2 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- Catastrophic engine failure (E60 V10 S85)
Why #8
- Owner reliability (20 of 45 points): 2 very frequent problems and 2 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 44% of this list
- Price (4 of 30 points): median new asking price $137,000 (47 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 13% of this list
- Fuel economy (0 of 25 points): 14 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 0% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #9
Mercedes-Benz EQE
Score 17- New price
- $71k–$78k (median $74,317)
- Fuel economy
- 87 MPGe
- Owner reports
- 3 very frequent problems and 4 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- High price / poor value proposition
Why #9
- Owner reliability (0 of 45 points): 3 very frequent problems and 4 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 0% of this list
- Price (11 of 30 points): median new asking price $74,317 (45 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 38% of this list
- Fuel economy (6 of 25 points): 87 MPGe combined (EPA): better than about 25% of the EVs on this list
- #10
Porsche Taycan
Score 10- New price
- $133k–$180k (median $152,112)
- Fuel economy
- 86 MPGe
- Owner reports
- 3 very frequent problems and 2 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- Major reliability and component failures
Why #10
- Owner reliability (10 of 45 points): 3 very frequent problems and 2 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 22% of this list
- Price (0 of 30 points): median new asking price $152,112 (41 US listings, Auto.dev): lower than about 0% of this list
- Fuel economy (0 of 25 points): 86 MPGe combined (EPA): better than about 0% of the EVs on this list
How we rank
- Owner reliability, 45 points. Problems that owners report again and again, from our owner reports. A very frequent problem counts twice. Fewer problems than the other cars on this page earns more points.
- New price, 30 points. The median asking price in US listings (Auto.dev). Cheaper than the others earns more.
- Fuel economy, 25 points. EPA combined rating. Electric cars are compared only with other electric cars, in MPGe.
- No guesses. A car needs enough owner reports and three years on sale to be ranked. A number we don't have earns 0 points and says "No data yet". We never compare NHTSA complaint counts between models, because they grow with the number of cars sold.
Questions
- What is the best luxury midsize car of 2026?
- The BMW 5 Series ranks #1 of 10 with a score of 96 out of 100. 2 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent, and its new price is $66,910 at the median.
- Which luxury midsize car has the fewest owner-reported problems?
- The BMW 5 Series: 2 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent.
- What is the cheapest luxury midsize car on this list?
- The Cadillac CT5, with a median new asking price $49,915, based on US listings.
- How does CarWizz rank luxury midsize cars?
- Each car is compared only with the other cars on this page. Owner reliability is worth 45 points, new price 30 points and EPA combined fuel economy 25 points. A car without enough owner reports is not ranked, and a missing number earns no points.
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