(WASHINGTON, February 22, 2016) The national average for regular unleaded gasoline continues to hover at levels not seen since the Great Recession, largely due to abundant supplies and low crude oil costs. Today’s average price of $1.71 per gallon is the lowest price for this date since 2004, and pump prices have fallen for 41 of the past 47 days for a total savings of 29 cents per gallon. Consumers are paying one cent more per gallon to refuel their vehicles on the week, though average prices are down by 13 cents per gallon on the month and 58 cents per gallon on the year.

Audi, Subaru, Lexus, Porsche, BMW lead the pack

YONKERS, NY— Consumers don’t always have to spend top dollar to get a great car. The Consumer Reports 2016 Brand Report Card reveals mainstream brands like Subaruand Mazda can often deliver as much quality as more opulent luxury brands.

The highest overall brand scores in Consumer Reports’ annual indicator of which brands make the best cars went to Audi (80) and Subaru (78). Consumer Reports currently Recommends 100 percent of each brand's models that it has tested. Luxury brands Lexus (76), Porsche (76), and BMW (76) rounded out the top five in CR’s rankings.

Mazda finished just outside the lead pack in sixth place, with GM’s premium brand Buick in seventh place. Consumer Reports is currently Recommending 100 percent of the Mazda models and 80 percent of the Buick models it has tested.

Both wholesale vehicle auction prices and used vehicle price index slightly underperformed first month of 2016

MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In their most recent report on the U.S. vehicle market, analysts at NADA Used Car Guide, a division of J.D. Power and Associates, concluded the used vehicle market slightly underperformed in January 2016 compared to December 2015. According to the free report, wholesale prices of vehicles up to eight years in age were down 0.1 percent in January versus December. January's used vehicle price index followed a slightly greater decline of 0.3 percent compared to December, bringing the index to 122.2.
  
Jonathan Banks, executive analyst for NADA Used Car Guide said, "Bouncing back after the holiday season slowdown, auction sales volume of models up to eight years old grew by 38 percent over the four week period ending January 25, reaching 322,200 units."

According to AAA, potholes cost American drivers almost $3 million a year. How can you avoid these expensive mishaps? Lauren Fix, The Car Coach discusses simple tips to prevent pothole damage!

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 25, 2016) – About 87 percent of drivers engaged in at least one risky behavior while behind the wheel within the past month, according to latest research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. These unsafe behaviors include driving while distracted, impaired, drowsy, speeding, running red lights or not wearing a seat belt. These disturbing results come as nearly 33,000 Americans died in car crashes in 2014, and preliminary estimates project a nine percent increase in deaths for 2015.

“There is a culture of indifference for far too many drivers when it comes to road safety,” said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “The vast majority of motorists believe they are more careful than others on the road, though most of them are not making safe decisions while behind the wheel. We’re asking every driver to make responsible decisions to make the roads safer for everyone.”

The report finds that 1 in 3 drivers have had a friend or relative seriously injured or killed in a crash, and 1 in 5 have been involved in a crash that was serious enough for someone to go to the hospital. Common unsafe behaviors include: