(November 13, 2018) IRVINE, Calif. — Following head-to-head testing and evaluation of 2019 model-year vehicles, the experts at Kelley Blue Book have announced the 2019 Best Buy Award winners. Kelley Blue Book's Best Buy Awards honor the top new model-year vehicles available in the U.S. market in 14 major categories, along with a brand-new category for 2019 — Best New Model — with the Volvo XC40 taking home this top honor.

To aid new-car buyers in their quest, Kelley Blue Book curated the Best Buy Awards to help shoppers narrow down their new-car consideration list and purchase their next vehicle with confidence, by identifying the best of all available 2019 models, with a special emphasis on value-per-dollar in both purchase and ownership experience.

"Shopping for a new car can be a daunting task, and with hundreds of options to choose from, it is hard to identify what vehicles earn top marks in pricing, ownership costs, expert evaluation, consumer opinion and more," said Karl Brauer, executive publisher for Kelley Blue Book.

"The Best Buy Awards were designed to help consumers shop with confidence by doing the heavy lifting for them and providing clear guidance on which specific car, truck, minivan and SUV models they should be prioritizing and considering for their next new-car purchase."

Starting with the more than 300 new models available for 2019, Kelley Blue Book's annual Best Buy Awards are based on a year-long regimen of expert vehicle evaluation and testing of nearly every new vehicle available in America, along with analysis of a broad array of vehicle-related data, including vehicle pricing, 5-Year Cost to Own data (which includes depreciation, insurance, maintenance, financing, fuel, fees and taxes for new cars), consumer reviews and ratings and vehicle sales information.

To be considered for Kelley Blue Book's newest award, Best New Model, the vehicle must be an all-new or redesigned vehicle and offer a strong value proposition to consumers based on pricing, innovation, and available standard technology and safety features.

2019 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award Winners

Best New Model: Volvo XC40

Positioned in one of the hottest segments, the XC40, which starts at about $34,000, offers plenty of usable passenger and cargo space on a compact footprint. The XC40 effectively combines modern styling inside and out (we particularly like the two-tone paint scheme treatment) and cutting-edge technology on both the infotainment and safety front, the latter a traditional Volvo talking point.

Compact Car: Honda Civic

With fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engines, an affordable sticker price, and a history of trouble-free service, the Honda Civic continues to serve up 5-Year Cost to Own numbers that are impressive. All-in-all, its combination of low running costs, competitive pricing and great retained value makes a solid case for the 2019 Honda Civic as the Kelley Blue Book Best Buy among Compact Cars.

Midsize Car: Honda Accord

We said last year the Accord "isn't just the finest midsize sedan money can buy, it's the most sophisticated, most advanced and most impressive automobile not wearing a luxury badge." We stand by that statement and the Accord's return to the winner's circle is clear proof of that judgment.

Subcompact SUV: Hyundai Kona

The new Hyundai Kona has won us over with its entertaining driving manners and lively style, not to mention its superb controls, abundant high-tech safety equipment and impressive warranty, highlighted of course by its 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain protection, the best in the business.

Compact SUV: Honda CR-V

Whether you're looking for a safe, practical, easy-to-drive and easy-to-own car for a younger driver or a leather-laden mainstream SUV that could give some luxury vehicles a run for their money, there's a CR-V to fit your needs.

Midsize SUV: Honda Pilot

When you buy a Honda Pilot, you get a lot of useful features for the money. As you own the Pilot, you'll enjoy the comfortable ride — one of many reasons this is a terrific road-trip car — and the family-friendly attention to detail throughout. The Honda Pilot, the Midsize SUV Best Buy of 2019, offers many forms of value from day one, and little to no compromise in the process.

Full-Size SUV: Ford Expedition

The 2019 Ford Expedition has moved away from the ideas of the traditional full-size SUV, advancing the segment in the process. Like the Ford F-150, the Expedition leverages a generous amount of high-strength aluminum in the body and high-strength steel in the frame, innovations that caused the underpinnings and sheetmetal to weigh less.

Minivan: Honda Odyssey

What makes the Odyssey so good? It all starts with the minivan essentials: a solid chassis, seats for eight, a pair of sliding side doors, a spacious cargo area and cupholders galore. And of course, the 2019 Honda Odyssey is loaded with safety features.

Subcompact Luxury SUV: Volvo XC40

The Volvo XC40 is an all-new vehicle, and it has wasted no time shaking up not just the Swedish automaker's lineup, but also the burgeoning segment of subcompact luxury SUVs. In shape, style and attitude, the all-new 2019 XC40 goes its own way.

Compact Luxury SUV: Audi Q5

Shoppers have embraced the second-generation Q5, pushing it to where it sits today — at the top of the luxury compact SUV sales chart. Its success in the showroom, and its aptitude to recurrently capture awards, demonstrates its well-rounded balance of interior space, utility, driving dynamics, technology, safety, and luxury.

Midsize Luxury SUV: Audi Q7

Today's choices in the midsize luxury SUV market abound, but only the 2019 Audi Q7 has risen to the top and earned the distinction of being named KBB.com's Midsize Luxury SUV Best Buy of 2019. At once attractive, practical and modern, the Q7 exudes luxury through subtle sophistication.

Pickup Truck: Ford F-150

The 2019 Ford F-150, our Pickup Truck Best Buy for the fifth year in a row, continues to offer the features and the capability serious truck buyers need, while providing the creature comforts and modern-day tech everyday commuters want.

Performance Car: Hyundai Veloster N

Three laps around the short course at Willow Springs Raceway and the huge-hearted Veloster N had seduced us, even after mixing it up with the best under-$40,000 sports cars every automaker had to offer. To say the Veloster N held its own is an understatement — it didn't just change our minds about what a Hyundai was, it completely rewrote our expectations about how much fun a $30,000 performance car could be.

Electric/Hybrid Car: Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid

Starting at just over $34,000, the newest Clarity serves as one car that could please electric-car fans and old-school long-distance road-trippers alike. Best of all, the 2019 Clarity is pure Honda. Imagine your favorite Honda sedan, Accord or Civic for instance, and rest assured the Clarity driving experience is just as rewarding.

Luxury Car: Lexus ES

Completely redesigned from the ground up, the seventh-generation ES sedan is built on the company's Global Architecture-K platform. Compared to its predecessor, the 2019 Lexus ES is longer, lower, and wider, which translates to a more comfortable and stable ride and a more spacious interior.