Car and Driver

Car and Driver is an American automotive media brand centered on vehicle testing, automotive journalism, and enthusiast culture. It began publication in 1955 under the title Sports Cars Illustrated and adopted the name Car and Driver in 1961. From its early focus on sports cars and driving enjoyment, the publication developed into a broad automotive authority covering passenger cars, performance vehicles, trucks, sport-utility vehicles, electric vehicles, motorsports, buying advice, technology, and the wider business of transportation. The brand's editorial identity has traditionally emphasized independent testing and a strong point of view. Its road tests and comparison tests assess measurable performance, handling, braking, acceleration, comfort, practicality, technology, and value, while its feature writing often places cars within broader cultural and enthusiast contexts. The magazine became particularly recognized for long-term testing, instrumented performance data, annual vehicle rankings, and an irreverent but technically informed writing style. Its signature recurring features have included the 10Best awards, annual Editors' Choice selections, comparison tests, road tests, buyer's guides, and long-term test vehicles. Car and Driver operates across print and digital channels. The magazine remains a major product, while caranddriver.com publishes frequent reviews, news reports, buying guidance, explainers, videos, and data-driven testing content. Digital coverage has expanded the brand beyond traditional enthusiast subjects to include electric vehicles, advanced driver-assistance systems, charging infrastructure, automotive software, ownership costs, and changing mobility technologies. The brand also participates in events and editorial franchises intended to connect its testing authority with consumers and enthusiasts. Ownership has changed over the publication's history. After periods under different magazine-publishing groups, Car and Driver became part of Hearst Magazines in the early 2010s. It operates within Hearst's broader portfolio of consumer media brands. The brand is not a publicly listed company in its own right and has no separately traded stock ticker. Car and Driver's continuing market position rests on a combination of recognizable editorial voice, repeatable testing methods, comparative rankings, and a large digital publishing operation. Its audience includes enthusiasts, prospective vehicle buyers, industry observers, and readers seeking practical evaluations of new cars. As the automotive market has shifted toward electrification, software-defined vehicles, crossovers, and new ownership models, the publication has broadened its subject matter while retaining its core emphasis on driving experience and evidence-based evaluation.

Car and Driver traces its origins to 1955, when it was launched as Sports Cars Illustrated. The original editorial concept was built around sports cars, driving performance, and the emerging American interest in imported and high-performance automobiles. In 1961, the publication changed its name to Car and Driver, a title that better reflected a broadened editorial scope and a continuing emphasis on both automobiles and the experience of driving. During the 1960s and 1970s, the magazine developed a recognizable enthusiast voice and established a reputation for testing cars rather than merely reproducing manufacturer information. Its coverage combined road tests, performance measurements, technical explanations, road-trip writing, motorsport material, and commentary on the automotive market. The publication's willingness to compare vehicles directly and to express clear editorial judgments helped distinguish it from more general-interest automobile publications. Car and Driver subsequently expanded its testing and reference franchises. Instrumented evaluations provided standardized measurements for acceleration, braking, handling, and other attributes, while comparison tests placed competing vehicles in a common editorial framework. Long-term tests examined how vehicles performed over extended ownership periods rather than only during short press loans. Annual lists and awards, especially the 10Best franchise, gave the brand recurring reference points for readers and advertisers. The publication changed corporate hands as the magazine industry consolidated. It became associated with Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. before that group was acquired by Hearst in 2011. Car and Driver has since operated as part of Hearst Magazines, alongside other consumer publishing brands. Its corporate ownership did not eliminate the magazine's independent editorial identity, which continued to be expressed through testing, rankings, reviews, and opinionated feature writing. The rise of the internet led Car and Driver to develop a substantial digital operation. Its website extended the magazine's traditional categories into continuously updated automotive news, reviews, buying advice, videos, galleries, explainers, and search-oriented consumer content. Digital publishing also made it possible to cover breaking product announcements, recalls, regulatory developments, charging networks, software updates, and new vehicle technologies more rapidly than the print cycle allowed. In the 2010s and 2020s, the brand broadened its coverage as the industry changed. Crossovers and pickup trucks became central consumer subjects, while electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, driver-assistance systems, connected-car services, batteries, and charging infrastructure became established parts of the editorial agenda. The publication continued to preserve its performance and enthusiast focus, but its vehicle testing increasingly addressed efficiency, usability, technology integration, passenger space, ownership considerations, and everyday practicality. Today, Car and Driver is best understood as a multi-platform automotive media brand rather than only a monthly magazine. Its authority is built from recognizable testing procedures, long-running editorial franchises, comparative judgments, and a large archive of vehicle information. The brand serves both enthusiasts looking for performance analysis and mainstream shoppers seeking independent guidance on new vehicles.

1. 2011Joins the Hearst Magazines portfolio

   Hearst's acquisition of Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. places Car and Driver within Hearst Magazines.

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2. 1961Renamed Car and Driver

   The magazine adopts the Car and Driver name as its editorial scope develops beyond its original sports-car emphasis.

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3. 1955Launch as Sports Cars Illustrated

   The publication begins as Sports Cars Illustrated, with an editorial focus on sports cars and driving enthusiasm.

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4. Digital expansion

   The brand develops caranddriver.com into a substantial digital destination for automotive news, reviews, testing, buying advice, video, and technology coverage.

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A technically rigorous but enthusiast-oriented automotive media brand combining independent vehicle testing, consumer advice, performance journalism, and a distinctive editorial voice.

• Car and Driver magazinePrint magazine1955

  The core print publication presents vehicle road tests, comparison tests, performance data, automotive features, news, buyer guidance, and commentary. It combines consumer-oriented evaluation with an enthusiast perspective and maintains recurring editorial franchises that make the magazine a reference point for new-car shoppers and automotive hobbyists.

• caranddriver.comDigital automotive media

  The brand's website publishes frequently updated automotive news, vehicle reviews, road tests, comparison content, buying guides, rankings, explainers, galleries, and video. Its digital format supports rapid coverage of new product announcements, recalls, technology changes, electric vehicles, and market developments.

• 10BestAutomotive awards and rankings

  10Best is a recurring Car and Driver editorial franchise that recognizes vehicles selected by the publication's editors. It serves as both a consumer reference and a statement of the brand's views on performance, usability, engineering, and overall desirability.

• Instrumented testingAutomotive evaluation

  Car and Driver's testing operation uses repeatable measurements and editorial evaluation to assess vehicle performance and behavior. Published testing commonly addresses acceleration, braking, handling, fuel economy or energy consumption, interior usability, and other characteristics relevant to drivers and buyers.

• 2011Car and Driver becomes part of Hearst Magazines

  Hearst acquired Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., bringing Car and Driver into the Hearst Magazines portfolio.

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1. Car and Driver
2. Car and Driver official website
3. Hearst corporate website