Best AWD Luxury Cars for 2025
These are the best AWD luxury cars based on iSeeCars' analysis of each vehicle’s reliability, resale value and safety.
Many lists ranking awd luxury cars may already exist, but those depend mostly on subjective editorial criteria. iSeeCars' Best AWD Luxury Cars are ranked using a data-driven and objective methodology. By applying data science to over 330 million vehicles, iSeeCars analyzes each car to understand its reliability and how long-lasting it is, its safety, and how well it holds its value over time. Each awd luxury car is compared to others within its own category, and the best one in a given category is the model with the best ratings across these three key areas, summarized by the iSeeCars Quality Score. Here are the top models in each awd luxury car category:
The best awd luxury small and compact car is the Lexus IS 350 (9.1 quality rating), with the Lexus ES 250 being the best awd luxury midsize car (9.0 quality rating). The Buick LaCrosse ranks #1 for the best awd luxury large cars (8.4 quality rating).
The best awd luxury hybrid car is the Lexus LS 500h (7.9 quality rating) and the best awd luxury plug-in hybrid car (PHEV) is the Volvo S60 (Plug-in Hybrid) (7.6 quality rating). Topping the list for the best awd luxury electric cars is the Tesla Model 3 (8.3 quality rating), while the Audi TT (coupe) ranks first for the best awd luxury sports cars (8.3 quality rating).
The best awd luxury convertible is the Audi TT (convertible) (8.1 quality rating), with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (wagon) being the best awd luxury wagon (8.7 quality rating).
How We Rank These Cars
The best AWD cars rank vehicles by iSeeCars Score which is based on our proprietary assessment of a vehicle’s reliability, resale value and safety (based on ratings from IIHS and NHTSA).
The iSeeCars Score is an analysis of three factors: reliability, resale value and safety. It is calculated based on the latest research and analysis by our data science team. The data analysis comes from over 12 million new and used vehicles in our Longest-Lasting Cars and 5-Year Depreciation Studies, combined with NHTSA and IIHS Safety Ratings.
Vehicles are scored in three categories:
Reliability
The reliability score represents an analysis of iSeeCars' proprietary research on the longest-lasting vehicles.
Value Retention
The value retention score is based on our data science team's statistical analysis and prediction of 5-year depreciation from MSRP to determine which cars hold their value best, using US Bureau of Labor Statistics data to adjust for inflation.
Safety
The safety score is calculated based on the last five years of crash test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and incorporates the latest Top Safety Pick information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
