As your child outgrows his infant car seat, a convertible seat is the next step. This versatile seat can be installed in both rear- and forward-facing configurations, and will likely be the one your child sits in for the longest period of time.

A convertible seat is a must in order to keep your child rear-facing until the recommended age of 2 years old. Most kids will outgrow an infant or rear-facing-only seat long before that age. Based on our recent tests, Consumer Reports recommends you transition your child to a rear-facing convertible seat by age 1 because of a key potential safety benefit.

We found that in more than half of the infant seats we tested, the 12-month-old child dummy had head contact against the simulated front seatback, which could result in injury. By contrast, in nearly all of the rear-facing convertible seats, the 12-month-old dummy avoided head contact. (Learn more about how we test car seats.)  

We tested the convertible child seats to our revised crash test protocol (first implemented with infant seats), and the result is a new lineup of the best performing convertible seats. These models have the highest overall scores, representing balanced performance in all three test areas: fit-to-vehicle, ease-of-use, and crash performance.

Protecting Young Passengers

Consumer Reports’ new crash test evaluates the ability of the child seat to reduce the injury risk in conditions that simulate a car’s interior environment, and the forces encountered during a crash. The results provide comparative scores of a seat’s performance relative to its peers on the market. Each convertible seat is crash tested in all of its configurations and installation methods with the age-appropriate child-sized dummies.

While crash protection is key, optimal crash protection is only truly provided when a child seat is correctly and securely installed. Our ease-of-use and fit-to-vehicle assessments provide an insight into each seat’s potential to be installed properly. That's where a parent has control. It is extremely important that a parent is able to understand how to securely install a child seat in his or her own vehicle.

Our fit-to-vehicle ratings now reflect the differences between using LATCH or the standard 3-point seat belt, with separate ratings for the different orientations and installation methods. Overall scores now take into consideration the newest regulations regarding LATCH lower-anchor use: up to a 65-pound weight limit (child seat plus the child). This means that with heavier seats, you may be limited as to how long you can keep the seat installed using LATCH connectors, and when you must switch to a seat belt installation. This transition is reflected in each seat’s overall score.

Bottom Line

To abide by best-practice recommendations, a convertible seat is a must in order to keep your child rear-facing until 2 years old. While all of these convertibles meet the minimum requirement for safety, our Ratings and recommendations help you to differentiate which seats provide your child with a greater margin of protection and increase your chance of getting the seat securely and correctly installed. Visit our Types and Timeline to see whether your child should be in a convertible seat.

Featured below are the convertible models with the highest overall scores. On top of that, these seats span a price range from $45 to $300. Price doesn’t necessarily reflect quality or safety—you can buy a safe, top-performing seat without breaking your budget. Full details and ratings can be found on their individual model pages.

Chicco Nextfit ($300)

A solid performer in crash protection, the Nextfit also scored highly for ease-of-use and fit-to-vehicle. With push-on LATCH connectors and SuperCinch tensioning technology, this seat makes LATCH installations easier to navigate. The no-rethread harness makes it easy for parents to adjust the height of the harness for a growing child. One challenge could be the seat’s weight, but it isn’t so heavy that it detracts from the Nextfit’s easy-to-use features.

Britax Marathon ClickTight ($265)

The Marathon ClickTight performed well overall. One reason is Britax’s ClickTight technology, which eliminates the need for a parent to use extra force or their full body weight to get a tight installation. Rather, just route the belt or LATCH strap in the proper belt path and the ClickTight tensioner does most of the tensioning. ClickTight is not the only feature that makes installation easier. The no-rethread harness eases the burden on the parent when adjusting harness height to accommodate their growing child. While a bit heavier, overall this is a great seat with an innovative feature that makes both LATCH and seat belt installations easier. One tip: When opening the ClickTight feature, parents should take care to press down on the seat, releasing some of the tension so that the ClickTight can open. Parents should also be careful to keep the belt flat and not twisted.  

Evenflo SureRide/Titan 65 ($100)

The SureRide demonstrated the best potential for limiting injury based on our simulated crash test results. It’s a lightweight model, making it easy to install and convenient for parents to carry around. Forward-facing installations are easier than rear-facing, because recline indicators are difficult to read. This seat is also a CR Best Buy, based on its combination of price and performance.

Cosco Scenera NEXT ($45)

This CR Best Buy has a maximum weight capacity of 40 pounds. While it isn’t loaded with fancy features, this seat is straightforward to use, and it scored well in forward-facing fit-to-vehicle and crash performance. It is a great seat at a bargain price.

Graco Contender 65 ($140)

The Contender 65 features an eight-position external harness adjuster, and has a lower price point than most competitors with a similar feature. It had impressive crash-test performance, and it scored very well in both ease-of-use and fit-to-vehicle. The recline angle may be difficult to achieve for rear-facing installations, but placing a rolled towel underneath may help.  

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

You might be tempted to wait to buy a convertible child seat for your infant, if for no other reason than the convenience of using the detachable carrier. But the results of our recent tests—in addition to new safety guidelines and state laws—should encourage you to buy a convertible car seat by the time your child celebrates his first birthday. (Read "5 Top-Rated Convertible Car Seats.")

What We Found

The recent release of Ratings for convertible child seats marks the second group to be rated using Consumer Reports' new test protocol for child car seats. Ratings for rear-facing only/infant seats already reflect their performance in the new test.

One of the main objectives in developing the new test was to better differentiate the ability of a variety of child seats to protect a child’s head. Head injuries to children in crashes are a significant concern for Consumer Reports. Other crash tests, including the government standards, do not measure what happens when a child comes into contact with another part of the vehicle. To that end, a key component of our test is the addition of a surface that simulates the interaction the child seat would have with the front seatback in an actual vehicle crash.

It was this interaction that provided some key insights into the potential safety benefits of convertible seats for rear-facing kids. In previous testing of a group of infant seats that include a detachable carrier, we found that the 22-pound dummy, representing an average 12-month-old child, suffered a head strike against the simulated front seatback with 16 of the 30 tested models (53 percent).

In our most recent tests of rear-facing convertible models with that same dummy, we found that the dummy’s head contacted the front seatback with only one of the 25 convertible models we tested (4 percent). The longer shells and shape of the convertible seats provided additional space between the dummy’s head and the simulated seatback preventing direct contact of the head. 

What Do Those Results That Mean to You?

• Height matters. Many infant and rear-facing-only seats have weight limits between 30 and 35 pounds, so you may think those seats are adequate until your child reaches that weight—at about 2 years of age. However, your child will more likely grow out of those seats, height-wise, before reaching those weight limits. See the Types and Timeline in our car seats buying guide.
• You’ll need one anyway. In order to keep your kid rear-facing until her second birthday, you’ll still have to buy a convertible model. Not only do Consumer Reports’ child-seat experts encourage this strategy, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents keep children rear-facing until the age of 2. New laws in California, New Jersey, and Oklahoma require that all children under the age of two be in a rear-facing child seat.
• Best for your kids. These new results show that for kids around age 1 that convertible seats may provide some additional protection over an infant seat in protecting a child’s head.
  
• Safety outweighs inconveniences. Yes, moving to a fixed rear-facing seat means you lose the convenience and portability of the infant carrier. But your growing baby’s weight, combined with the portable seat, become heavy to lug around, negating the seat's appeal. Plus, the Journal of Pediatrics found that it’s dangerous to let a baby sleep in an infant seat when outside of the car. So don’t worry about waking your baby when taking him out of a rear-facing seat. It’s the safer option.
• Make the switch now. To take advantage of a convertible seat’s added potential for head protection, we advise that if your child has not already outgrown her infant seat (many will), transition your child to a rear-facing convertible seat no later than age 1.  

The good thing is that this new advice doesn’t change the number of seats you’ll need. It simply suggests making a transition that you already needed to make, sooner rather than later.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

After thousands of meals, your kitchen may be looking a little dingy and you may not have the $19,000 that the average homeowner spends on a kitchen remodel to fix it. Still, there are a few things you can do that’ll brighten your space until you have the money and time for a full refresh. Here are five kitchen updates that cost $250 or less. Why not try one this weekend? (Also see our Kitchen Design & Planning Guide.)

Consider a spot of color, $200

A few prominently placed bursts of bold color can work wonders by drawing the eye away from less attractive features. Pick furnishings like bar stools, small appliances, and accessories in bright shades, and don’t forget the often-overlooked kitchen window, an ideal place to add color and pattern.
Tip: For window treatments, be sure to buy machine-washable fabric, so you can periodically nix cooking grease or lingering smells. Look for deals in the remnant rack at the fabric store; instead of paying custom prices, use iron-on hemming tape and clip-on rings to make your own.

Install a focal-point fixture, $100

Choose one prominently located fixture, like the one over the kitchen island, and replace it with a show-stopper. Think bold color, an eye-catching design, or the sparkle of crystal. There are many online sources for light fixtures at reasonable prices (three great examples: lightinguniverse.com; lampsplus.com; progresslighting.com) but you might fare even better on Craigslist.org or by trolling local flea markets. Even if you have to pay an electrician to rewire a nonworking fixture, the price will probably still be right.

Add an island, $250

A custom-built island combines style and storage with a sometimes-hefty price. Save by opting for an unfinished or ready-to-assemble island and doing part of the work yourself. You’ll find a wide variety of doors, drawers, and countertops in different configurations, starting at around $150 at sources like unfinishedfurnitureexpo.com, amazon.com, or JC Penney.
Tip: Before you buy, make sure you have enough room to fit the island comfortably; you should have a 36- to 48-inch wide clearance on all four sides.

Update the hardware, $100

Installing new hardware is probably the simplest cabinet update. To avoid having to fill a bunch of screw marks, be sure to measure the distance between the holes after you remove the original hardware, and then choose new styles that match that size. There are plenty of places to buy new knobs and pulls, but you’ll find bargain prices in the hardware aisle (not the cabinetry aisle) of your local home center, online (try overstock.com), and at Ikea.

Paint high-impact areas, $100

You probably know that you can give old cabinets new life with a pretty new finish. But before you commit to what can be a painstaking project, especially if you’re hoping to transform your whole kitchen, think about focusing the power of color on a single area. Choosing an unexpected hue for one section—around the sink, say, or on an island, or both, can make a surprisingly big impact, with a lot less work than tackling an entire room of cabinets.

Top paint picks from our tests

When selecting an interior paint, you can’t go wrong by shopping at your local home improvement store. The best paints in Consumer Reports' tests are sold at Ace, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. Here are the details.

Home Depot

• Behr Marquee, $43
• Behr Premium Plus Ultra, $34

Lowe’s

• Valspar Reserve, $44

Ace Hardware

• Clark + Kensington Enamel, $32

—Adapted from Consumer Reports Kitchen Planning & Buying Guide

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

Q. I’m feeling tired all the time. Should I take iron supplements and see if that makes me feel better?

A. Not without seeing your doctor first.

Your body needs iron to produce hemoglobin, the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen to every part of your body.

When iron levels are low, your cells don’t get the oxygen they need, which can leave you feeling tired. And it’s not uncommon: In the U.S., iron deficiency affects up to one in six older adults, including 16 percent of menstruating women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also affects 7 percent of children.

“But don’t take iron supplements unless a doctor has recommended them,” says Consumer Reports chief medical adviser Marvin M. Lipman, M.D.

That’s because there are many possible reasons, other than low iron levels, for fatigue. These include disorders that interfere with your sleep (like achy hips and knees or sleep apnea), and conditions that can zap your energy, like hypothyroidism, or even boredom and stress. So your doctor’s first step, Lipman says, should be to take a thorough medical history to look for other health issues that might be making you listless.

If the history doesn’t suggest a reason for your exhaustion, then a blood test makes sense. The test will count your red blood cells. If they are low (a condition called anemia), that’s a good indication that your iron levels are low, too, and your doctor may order a specific iron test.

If that test confirms that you have low iron, it’s important to identify the cause. Low iron levels can be a symptom of health problems, including heavy menstrual bleeding, gastro-intestinal bleeding from an ulcer, or even a cancer. Certain intestinal disorders, such as celiac disease, can also interfere with nutrient absorption and result in iron deficiency.

“Taking iron supplements on your own can boost blood iron levels. That can mask anemia and interfere with the diagnosis of a serious underlying health problem—one that might require immediate attention,” Lipman says.

Iron supplements can also cause side effects such as constipation, nausea, and vomiting.

What you eat (or don’t eat) can also affect iron levels. According to the Institute of Medicine, men need 8 mg per day and women require 18 mg per day until age 50, and then 8 mg per day after their 50th birthday; pregnant women require 27 mg; and nursing moms need 10 mg per day. You’ll get about 8 mg of iron in total, for example, if you eat 2 eggs (2 mg iron), 3 ounces of steak (2 mg iron), 1 cup of broccoli (2 mg iron), and a half cup of kidney beans (2 mg iron).

“If you eat a balanced diet, you should get enough iron from the foods you eat,” says Consumer Reports dietitian Maxine Siegel, R.D. “But if you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, fulfilling that iron requirement can be challenging,” she says.

That’s because the iron in meat, poultry, and fish is better absorbed than the iron from fruit and vegetable sources.

“Eating iron-rich foods, like legumes, with fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C, such as oranges, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and tomatoes can boost your body’s ability to absorb iron,” Siegel says.

On the other hand, some foods, including coffee and tea, can block iron absorption.

If your doctor does recommend taking iron supplements, be sure to tell him or her about any other medications you are taking, since iron supplements can interact with certain drugs. For example, iron can hinder the body’s absorption of the thyroid drug levothyroxine (Synthroid and generic), and proton pump inhibitors, such as lansoprazole (Prevacid and generic) and omeprazole (Prilosec and generic), can reduce the amount of iron your body absorbs.

And if you have any young children in the house, be sure to keep all iron supplements well out of reach.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

After the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the phones at the call center of InsureMyTrip.com started ringing more than usual. Travelers were asking the online insurance broker whether they could buy travel insurance that would allow them to cancel a planned flight and receive a full refund in the event of a terrorist attack at their destination. The callers also wanted to know whether travel insurance would cover unexpected expenses due to related delays and whether the insurer would cover the cost of fleeing a country, should that be necessary.

Most insurance plans do cover trip cancellation if a terrorist attack prompts you to back out, says Lynne Peters, an insurance product manager at InsureMyTrip.com. But she points out that you need to ask about this because some lower-priced policies might not include it.

If you are concerned about the risk of terrorism while you travel, check the terms of the insurance policy you're considering before making the purchase. Be sure to review:

• When the policy needs to be purchased. If you are purchasing tickets for a flight one month from now, buy your travel insurance at the same time. If you go ahead and buy the ticket but wait to purchase the insurance until closer to your departure date your ticket will not be covered in the event of a terrorist attack.
• Your itinerary. Terrorism coverage allows cancellation if an attack takes place in any of the cities on your itinerary, which includes stopovers. But it may not cover you if you are going to Paris, say, and a terrorist attack takes place in a different French city.
• Emergency-medical-care coverage. Read the fine print and ask the sales agent if the policy will cover payment for your care up front, which some overseas hospitals require. A good number of travel insurance policies will pay the medical facility directly.
• The “cancel-for-any-reason” option. While this clause can increase your travel insurance premium by as much as 50 percent, it also gives you the greatest benefit. You can cancel your plans and get a full refund whether you’re worried about terrorism or simply have a change of heart about taking the trip.  

Travel Insurance and Terrorism Tips

While terrorism might be top of mind these days, it’s not the main reason consumers purchase travel insurance. About 25 percent of travelers buy insurance for international travel, according to Jim Grace, the founder of InsureMyTrip. The insurance typically covers trip cancellations due to a medical illness, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. It can also protect you in the event of an unforeseen epidemic such as a SARS or H1N1 outbreak or say, civil unrest, such as the Arab Spring in Egypt.

If you decide to purchase insurance, think carefully about where to buy it. If you buy insurance from a travel agent, you'll probably be offered a small selection of policies from one company and you may not get the coverage you want. A site such as InsureMyTrip.com, however, offers more than 250 polices from 29 different insurance companies, so you’ll have a wider array of coverage and prices to consider.

How much will it cost? Expect to pay about 7 to 10 percent of your prepaid nonrefundable costs. If you pay $8,000 for airline tickets, hotel, and perhaps a tour your travel insurance could cost you $560 to $800. If you are over 40 years old or you are traveling for, say, a month versus a week, the premium will likely be higher.

If you're traveling overseas, you'll have some other considerations as well. Since many U.S. health insurance policies don't provide coverage overseas, you might want to buy travel health care insurance. You'll have the option of choosing a policy with no deductible or policies with up to $1,000 deductible for health care expenses. Be sure to find out the maximum the policy will pay out. Something else to consider is whether the policy covers transportation to the health care facility, which could be exorbitant depending on how far you need to travel.

Finally, if you have any chronic illnesses or medical conditions, look into getting a pre-existing medical condition waiver with your policy. That way, even if you become ill from a condition you have long been treating, you'll still be covered. To be eligible, however, you’ll have to buy your travel insurance within seven to 30 days of making your first payment for your travel.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

When Benjamin Moore named Simply White its color of the year recently, it caught many by surprise. Is white even a color? Let alone the year's hot color. Now, Pantone has chosen Rose Quartz and Serenity blue as their colors of the year. That’s right, actual colors. So Consumer Reports asked paint manufacturers and retailers to point us to the paint chips that best match this pastel pink and blue.

For 15 years Pantone, which markets itself as the global color authority, has announced a color of the year. This is the first time two colors, or more specifically, the blending of these colors, were selected. “The harmonious shades of the Pantone Color of the Year 2016 evoke feelings of calmness, well-being, and understanding,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, via email. “Only by combining the two shades do they perfectly reflect a feeling of wellness and comfort.” She expects consumers will see the pairing of Serenity and Rose Quartz in many product categories, including fashion, paints, bedding, and home accessories.

Which brings us to the home. The KitchenAid Artisan KSM150PS stand mixer, which was a top-performer in our stand mixer tests, comes in Cornflower Blue, a color the manufacturer says parallels Pantone’s Serenity. And in July, KitchenAid will introduce stand mixers in Guava Glaze, a warm pink based on Rose Quartz. As for interior paints, we asked color experts who make the top-scoring interior paints in our tests to share the paint names that match Pantone’s Rose Quartz and Serenity.

Think Pink and Blue Hues

Here are the matching paint names from top paint retailers as well as recommended paints from our tests. Prices are per gallon.

Home Depot

• Pink: M120-1 Pink Proposal
• Blue: P520-3 Toile Blue
• Recommended paints: Behr Marquee, $43; Behr Premium Plus Ultra, $34, CR Best Buy.

Lowe’s

• Pink: 1008-6C Delicate Pink Rose
• Blue: 4005-10A Simply Periwinkle
• Recommended paint: Valspar Reserve, $44

Ace Hardware

• Pink: 03B-2 Rose Quartz
• Blue: 38B-4 Vantage Point
• Recommended paint: Clark+Kensington Enamel, $32, CR Best Buy.

Benjamin Moore and independent hardware stores

• Pink: 1282 Tippy Toes
• Blue: 816 Aqua Marina
• Paint to pick: Benjamin Moore Aura, $54

How We Test Paint

For great results you want a paint that goes on smoothly and hides old paint well. So we test for that, along with how well the paint resists stains, scrubbing, gloss change, sticking, mildew, and fading. Our tests found that a brand's flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss paints performed similarly overall so we’ve combined the scores to make it easier for you to shop.

The best paints from our tests are self-priming and manufacturers claim they’re low in volatile organic compounds or lack VOCs—the noxious chemicals that can give paint an odor, cause headaches and dizziness, and are linked to smog and respiratory problems.

More Choices
Our interior paint Ratings include 25 products, from $17 Color Place from Walmart to $105 Farrow & Ball. The paint Ratings tell the whole story. Questions? Email me at kjaneway@consumer.org.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

Tablets make great gifts, but they often carry a high price tag. Still, if you know what you're doing, there are ways to save money and get what you want.

Android tablets are generally less expensive than their Windows counterparts, for example, because Windows uses higher-powered processors. You can also cut costs by choosing a Wi-Fi only tablet, and skipping the broadband charges. Sign up for a cloud service, and you can save money by choosing a 16- to 32GB model instead of one with more storage capacity. And unless you are sure you need the extra screen real estate, buy a smaller tablet: It should cost less, and will certainly be more portable.

Adhering to that advice, we found five tablets under $300 that did great in our Ratings. (All are Wi-Fi-only models.)

Apple iPad Mini 2 (16GB, iOS), $270. If you’re on a tight budget, you might think an Apple iPad is out of reach. But it’s not—this older version of the iPad doesn’t have fingerprint recognition like the latest ones do, but it’s still an excellent performer. With a 324-pixel-per-inch Retina display, everything looks crisp and sharp. It’s easy to see in bright daylight, and the colors are accurately reproduced. And of course you get access to Apple’s great app market.

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10 (16GB, Android), $240. Deals can also be found on larger tablets. This one from Lenovo is a 10.1-inch Android model (there’s also a 32GB Windows-based Yoga starting at about $300), with battery life that’s among the longest we’ve seen in the tablets we tested—more than 14 hours. It did equally well in all of our other tests. There’s an 8-megapixel camera that’s higher resolution than most. And the tablet has a kickstand in back so you can stand it upright.

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 (16GB, Android), $120. The excellent display on this Lenovo tablet is one of the brightest we’ve seen, and it’s great for reading in sunlight. It’s also got long battery life, uses the same type of kickstand as the larger model, and is a speedy performer. Also like the larger version, this Yoga has an 8-megapixel camera that's higher resolution than what you’ll find on most tablets.

Asus ZenPad S 8.0 Z580C-B1 (32GB, Android), $200. This tablet has a very high-resolution display in comparison to many other Android models. Its 329 pixels per inch result in crisp graphics and text. And we really appreciated the accuracy of the color reproduction. You get 32GB of storage with this machine, double the base configuration of most others. Battery life isn’t super-long, but we still measured more than nine hours in our tests. If you’re planning to view a lot of photos on your tablet, you’ll appreciate the more-square aspect ratio.

Acer Iconia One 8 B1-810-11TV (16GB, Android), $130. If you’re looking to add a little color to your life, or at least to your tablet, Acer offers its Iconia One 8 in a variety of hues. Beyond that, this 8-inch tablet proved a very good performer, with nine hours of battery life and a great-looking display.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

It’s easy to walk right by the new Kia Optima; it’s not all that visually different than the last one. However, the Optima sedan has indeed been redesigned for the 2016 model year.

The Optima, a corporate sibling of the Hyundai Sonata, has been a stylish and competitive midsized sedan for the past five years, but it didn’t excel in ride comfort and noise isolation.

To take measure of the improvements, we bought an EX model fitted with a 185-hp, 2.4-liter engine and six-speed automatic transmission. Even with a quick glance inside, it’s clear that the passenger space is greatly increased. The rear seat, in particular, seems enormous, offering lots of leg room.

And even though the EX version isn’t the top of the line, the interior has impressive features, such as a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate system, keyless ignition, and leather seats (the front ones are heated). All for a competitive price of $25,860.  

With the structural changes, the new Optima’s wheelbase and overall length grew, and the trunk is more voluminous. Other news is that the 2016 models get the latest UVO infotainment touch-screen system that can utilize Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, allowing smartphone-like functions.

We like that you get a standard touch screen for audio and phone functions, but the display is pretty small. Unlike the flashy exterior, the interior has a purposeful and practical bent to it: functional and user friendly. Too bad the center dash vents are too low. Fit and finish is commendable.

First driving impressions show that the engine is responsive enough; you don’t feel it’s lacking for power. We’re pleased that Kia fitted a true automatic instead of a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which several competitors have turned to with mixed results. The steering has some heft to it so it gives you some confidence, but the Optima is no sports sedan, nor a challenge for say a Ford Fusion or Mazda6. Unfortunately, like the last Optima, the ride remains rather stiff but not brutally so.

The leather seats give decent support and come with power adjustments, including a four-way lumbar adjustment—rare in this class. Visibility, one of the criticisms we had with the last car, is better for the 2016 model. The interior isn’t as quiet as some in class, but it doesn’t make for a grating highway ride.

The Optima has a good shot of success since it excels in offering impressive interior space with lots of features, making it a shockingly good value. Throw in a stylish flair typically missing from the mainstream, and you can see the car’s appeal. It simply looks better than most sedans in this segment and fools people into thinking that you spent more money.

Kia has always sold its cars by adding impressive features for a reasonable price and with the new Optima, the tradition continues. As the miles pile on, we will soon put our Optima through our battery of tests and evaluations to see how it ranks against its peers.  

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

Even the best cars develop problems as they rack up the miles. Parts wear, break down, and ultimately need replacement, following the natural order for cars. But components wear at different rates, as highlighted in the chart below.

Breaking out the data from our Annual Auto Survey reveals trends among the 17 potential trouble areas. We've sorted the average problem rates at three, six, and nine years to show the prevalence of some problems and how they increase over time.

Most categories cover multiple subsystems. For example, “Power Equipment,” the most frequently cited problem in 6- and 9-year-old cars, includes keyless entry, wiper motor and washer, tire pressure monitor, and the alarm and security system.

See our complete guide to car reliability.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

With the holidays upon us, many families will be heading off to visit relatives or friends. For parents of a new baby, the trip can be even more exciting—perhaps it’ll be the first time your relatives get to meet the little one. But remember, when you’re traveling, don’t leave good sleep habits at home. Hand-me-down play yards may not be the safest place for your youngster to sleep. Here’s what to know about play yard safety.

Safety standards for play yards were strengthened by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2013 so models made before then may not meet the mandatory standards. That’s why you should be especially wary of a play yard that you borrow or rent. No matter what the age of the play yard, always check www.recalls.gov to make sure it hasn’t been involved in a safety recall.

Safety check
Take a good look at the play yard you plan to use. It should be in good condition, with a sturdy frame and side rails, and strong corner brackets. A safe play yard will have a mattress that is thin, firm, and securely attached to the floor of the play yard. Well-attached mattresses help prevent entrapment and injuries. If you can easily lift or pull the mattress up by hand, don’t use that play yard.

Never buy or use a mattress that’s sold separately from the play yard, and never add a second pad on top of the mattress for comfort—it isn’t necessary. Remember, for safe sleep in a play yard, just as in a crib, bare is best. That means you shouldn’t place pillows, quilts, comforters, stuffed animals, or other extraneous items in the play yard with your little one. Dress your baby in footed pajamas to keep him warm without unnecessary blankets, and place him on his back to sleep.

Finally, be sure your baby is within the weight and height limits specified by the manufacturer, typically less than 35 inches tall. A child who’s able to climb out, or even one who’s beginning to have interest in trying to climb, is not a good candidate for a play yard.

More gear for the road
To find the safest baby equipment, check the results of Consumer Reports' tests of car seats, high chairs, and strollers.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

An industry veteran before coming to Consumer Reports, Peter Sawchuk has tested outdoor power equipment and other products for us for 15 years. Still, with every new project he comes up with additional advice to pass along. We asked for some, and Sawchuk delivered.
 
Q. What mistakes have you seen homeowners make with their snow blowers?
A. Their biggest mistake is that they fail to siphon out or run dry last year’s fuel, so they have stale gas in the tank that, come summer, sits for months in a hot shed. This damages the fuel system and makes it hard if not impossible to start the machine when you need it. In season, add stabilizer to the gas before fueling up. The best practice is to add it while you’re at the pump. Store your fuel stabilizer right next to your gas can to remind you to take it with you when you go or, better yet, add the correct amount to the can first.

Another miscalculation is waiting until the first storm, rather than some time during the fall, to try to start the snow blower. When checking the machine, look for corrosion on the bolts. And be sure to stock up on extra shear pins (or bolts, depending on the model) in case they break in the middle of a job.

Homeowners often overlook if the tires are inflated properly. Single-stage models have hard-plastic wheels, but on two-stage models they’re pneumatic, like those on your car. Tires lose their air pressure when a snow blower sits over time, and in cold weather this can happen suddenly. Your tires may become soft or flat. Before the snow flies, check the recommended tire pressure; it’s usually 12-20 pounds per square inch, but it should be marked on the side of the tire. Add air and you’ll see better traction and handling. There’s no need to go to the gas station; all it takes is a bicycle hand pump.
 
Q. How do you care for your own snow blower?
A. I use ethanol-free fuel (such as TruFuel) throughout the season—it’s insurance that my machine’s fuel system will be fully operational, even if it doesn’t get much use during a light snow year.

Q. Snow blowers can be expensive. Any advice for making one last?
A. Unlike a lawn mower, a snow blower you maintain as recommended can easily last 20 years. A lawn mower is used 30 to 40 hours a year, with an expected life of about 150 hours. Snow blowers average less than 10 hours of use a year, with an expected life of more than 200 hours. So paying more for the features and performance that make the machine easier to use is worth it, because you’ll have the machine a long, long time.
 
Q. Any features you thought were silly—but now like?
A. I discovered that heated hand grips aren’t wimpy. I used to think so when I first saw them on a Bolens machine 35 years ago. The advice I heard: “Just try it.” I did, on a loaner machine, and was sold. When you’re clearing snow and squeezing those control levers, you tend to lose blood flow in your hands. The heated grips are mostly found on the more expensive models, but we’ve seen them on machines costing as little as $650.
 
Q. Lastly, got any cool snow-clearing tips?
A. You bet. Here are a few:
• Have up to 3 inches of dry, dusty snow on a walk or small deck? Try your leaf blower instead for clearing to the surface.
• For moist, heavy snow, spraying silicone or WD-40 on the scoop of a shovel keeps snow from caking up. This also works for snow-blower chutes, particularly metal ones, to reduce friction and clogging. And you might get more throwing distance.
• To keep two-stage snow blowers from leaving too much snow behind, adjust the skid shoes. These keep the auger housing’s scraper at the right height. Too low and it scrapes the driveway; too high and it doesn’t clear everything away. To set the height of the skid shoes, loosen them and put a section of corrugated cardboard under the scraper. Rest the snowblower on the cardboard and there will be a very slight gap beneath the scraper. Then tighten the bolts.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

In the midst of Congress's year-end push to wrap up its work and adjourn, Wall Street and its allies are attempting to slip an extraneous "rider" paragraph into the spending bill that would block the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from moving forward on its rule-making to rein in the abuse of forced arbitration clauses by banks and other lenders in consumer loan, credit card, and other consumer financial services agreements.

These clauses are forcing consumers to give up their rights to seek justice in court against fraud and other misconduct. This is one of a number of riders now in play in the spending bill negotiations that would be bad for consumers.

This article, published on December 2, 2015, by our sister publication, Consumerist, explains what's at stake in the forced arbitration rider:

Nestled deep in the text of the lengthy contracts for most credit cards and bank accounts are little clauses that not only prohibit harmed customers from suing their bank or card issuer but also prevent them from banding together with similarly injured consumers to argue their dispute as a group. In October, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced it would consider limits on these clauses, but now the banking industry is trying to use its leverage with D.C. lawmakers to shut down that process.

The clauses in question are generally referred to as “pre-dispute arbitration” or “mandatory binding arbitration” clauses. They are used by companies to prevent customers from taking them to court to resolve legal disputes. Rather than go to court, where a judge or jury would hear the facts and reach a decision on liability and damages, the matter is decided by an independent arbitrator.

Critics of the process note that arbitration often limits damages and supporters of the process have even admitted that it can be biased in businesses’ favor.

In many cases, these clauses also explicitly bar customers from joining in class actions. Because of the limited possible rewards of a single arbitration dispute—and because each wronged individual would need to go through the process on their own—companies can harm large numbers of customers, knowing they will only face arbitration actions from a small number of those affected.

Such class-action bans have been repeatedly upheld by the Supreme Court in recent years. In 2011, the nation’s highest court sided with AT&T in its attempt to use arbitration clauses to shut down a class action complaint.

Then in 2013, in the matter of American Express v. Italian Colors Restaurant, a group of AmEx-accepting merchants claimed that the only way they could afford to mount an antitrust lawsuit against the credit card giant was to pool their resources in a class action. On an individual basis, the costs would be too high and the rewards too little to justify the expense. But a narrow SCOTUS majority held there was no “effective vindication” exemption to these arbitration agreements, even if they allowed companies to break the law.

The 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law directed the CFPB to research the arbitration issue. And earlier this year, the Bureau published its first report on the use of pre-dispute arbitration on financial products. Its results raised questions about the supposed goal of these clauses.

Supporters of arbitration have positioned the process as pro-consumer and more expeditious and affordable than litigation. But the CFPB noted that financial services companies rarely try to compel individual consumer complaints into arbitration, only turning to these clauses when consumers try to join together. The report found that when credit card companies faced class action claims, they turned to arbitration 65 percent of the time in order to prevent the joined complaints from being heard together.

As a result, the CFPB is primarily interested in barring the use of arbitration clauses to prohibit class actions. And that’s what has the banking industry trying to pull some strings on Capitol Hill.

More on Forced Arbitration

• The Arbitration Clause Hidden in Many Consumer Contracts

• CFPB Should Curb Use of Forced Arbitration Clauses That Limit Your Legal Rights

• Ban the Use of Forced-Arbitration Clauses in Consumer and Employment Contracts

On page 113 of the current version of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act (PDF), you’ll find Sec. 632—also referred to as the Womack-Graves Amendment for Representatives Steve Womack (R-Arkansas) and Tom Graves (R-Georgia).

This amendment would prohibit the CFPB from using any of its funding to restrict the use of forced arbitration clauses until after the Bureau completes an even more in-depth study on the issue than the one it undertook for its previous report.

In letters sent yesterday to lawmakers, a coalition of industry groups—including the American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, Financial Services Roundtable, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—argue that the CFPB’s report is “opaque, incomplete, and unfair,” and that the Bureau did not seek proper feedback from the public or industry before releasing it.

However, others point out that the CFPB worked on the study for three years—from 2012 to 2015—and that the Bureau solicited public comment on the matter. It even held two different public hearings, in addition to meeting with many of the same stakeholders who are now attempting to stall the rulemaking process.

These supporters of the Bureau’s actions also contend that the “Additional Topics to be Studied”—including how consumers would be able to resolve disputes cheaply and efficiently without arbitration— detailed in the amendment have already been included in the CFPB report.

And it’s not as if there isn’t other available research on this issue that has come to a similar conclusion. A 2008 study on arbitration by researchers at Cornell and New York University found that “the frequent use of arbitration clauses . . . may be an effort to preclude aggregate consumer action rather than, as often claimed, an effort to promote fair and efficient dispute resolution.”

In its letters to members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, the bankers attempt to downplay the importance of class actions.

“The Bureau’s own study found that class actions provide little benefit to consumers (an average of $32), but lawyers reap an average fee of $1 million for each settled case,” reads the letter. “It is no wonder that plaintiffs’ lawyers and their allies have made regulating arbitration their top priority.”

But that argument fails to take into account two things. First, that those people who got the $32 payout would likely have received nothing if it weren’t for a class action, because class actions don’t require that every single affected customer file a separate complaint. They only require that a small number of plaintiffs can show that a larger, definable class of people were harmed in a similar manner.

Second, it assumes that the point of a class action is purely monetary and not to hold companies accountable. By this logic, companies should be allowed to do whatever they want so long as it avoids a big courtroom payday.

“Wall Street is seeking a get-out-of-jail free card that keeps lawbreakers out of court and prevents them from being held accountable for widespread wrongdoing,” says Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center. “If a company has harmed millions of consumers, forced arbitration clauses can force the victims to file millions of individual claims instead of letting a court order the company to repay everyone it injured.”

Christine Hines, legislative director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, says that passing the funding bill with this rider “would take the country a step back, because it would not only waste taxpayer funds, it would deny legal remedies for harmed consumers, shield corporations from accountability for their misconduct, and ultimately encourage the re-emergence of the wild Wall Street practices that led up to the 2008 financial crisis.”

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced its initial list of 2016 Top Safety Pick+ and Top Safety Pick award winners—vehicles that meet the strictest IIHS standards to date. A total of 48 models received the Top Safety Pick Plus award, of which 33 are cars and 15 SUVs. Thirteen additional models made the grade for the lesser Top Safety Pick.

For the 2016 model year, qualifying for the Top Safety Pick award was made more difficult. Vehicles must now score a Good rating in the small overlap front test, and they still must score Good in the moderate overlap front crash, side crash, roof strength, and head restraint tests.

In order to meet the requirements for the more stringent Top Safety Pick+ designation, a vehicle must meet the above standards and also have, as standard or optional equipment, a frontal collision autobraking system that scores as Advanced or Superior.

The increased requirements to qualify for the awards directly reflect the effort to influence auto manufacturers to improve vehicle crashworthiness and promote the availability of front crash protection systems that can mitigate injuries. The IIHS, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Consumer Reports agree that forward collision systems with both a warning and autobraking should be standard on all cars in the near future.

Among the top winners, Toyota (including the Lexus and Scion brands) reeled in nine Top Safety Pick+ awards, including the Avalon, which has optional auto-braking, while Honda (including the Acura brand) was awarded Top Safety Pick+ on eight models.

One notable Top Safety Pick+ winner is the $16,000, entry-level Scion iA mini car. The only one of its type to earn the award so far, the iA comes standard with a low-speed forward collision autobraking system, which can automatically brake the car at speeds up to 18 mph.

The domestic automakers didn’t fare as well as imported brands, with only the Chrysler 200 receiving the Top Safety Pick+ award. Top Safety Pick was awarded to the Buick Encore, Chevrolet Equinox and Sonic, Ford F-150 SuperCrew, and GMC Terrain.

IIHS will be releasing more data and awards throughout the coming year as more 2016 models are tested, updated, or introduced.

Top Safety Pick+

Minicar: Scion iA

Small cars: Acura ILX, Lexus CT 200h, Mazda3, Subaru Crosstrek, Subaru Impreza, Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Golf (four-door and SportWagen models), and Volkswagen GTI (4-door)

Midsize moderately priced cars: Chrysler 200, Honda Accord coupe, Honda Accord sedan, Mazda 6, Nissan Maxima, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius V, Volkswagen Jetta, and Volkswagen Passat

Midsize luxury/near-luxury cars: Audi A3, BMW 2 Series, Lexus ES, Volvo S60, and Volvo V60

Large family car: Toyota Avalon

Large luxury cars: Acura RLX, Audi A6 (built after January 2015), Hyundai Genesis, Infiniti Q70 (not V8 AWD models), Lexus RC, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Volvo S80

Small SUVs: Fiat 500X (built after July 2015), Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forester, and Toyota RAV4

Midsize SUVs: Honda Pilot and Nissan Murano

Midsize luxury SUVs: Acura MDX, Acura RDX, Audi Q5, Lexus NX, Volvo XC60, and Volvo XC90

Top Safety Pick

Small cars: Chevrolet Sonic, Kia Soul, and Nissan Sentra (autobrake not tested)

Midsize moderately priced car: Chevrolet Malibu Limited (fleet model)

Small SUVs: Buick Encore and Nissan Rogue (autobrake not tested)

Midsize SUVs: Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, and Kia Sorento

Midsize luxury SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class (autobrake not tested)

Minivans: Honda Odyssey and Kia Sedona

Large pickup: Ford F-150 SuperCrew

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

In late August, Citibank began sending letters to its credit card and bank account customers allowing them to opt out of forced arbitration. Forced arbitration clauses, also called mandatory or predispute arbitration clauses, are usually buried in the fine print of lengthy contract agreements and limit your ability to take legal action against a company if you have a disagreement with it in the future.

These clauses, as we’ve previously reported, are in millions of consumer contracts. In addition to many financial products, they’re in the fine print of numerous website agreements, as well as the terms for car loans and leases, credit cards, checking accounts, insurance, investing accounts, student loans, and even certain employment and nursing home agreements.

Here’s how forced arbitration usually works: If you have a legal beef with a company, it picks an arbitrator who will settle the dispute. The decision is usually private, which means other consumers in the same position won’t know what happened to you. And there’s little basis for appeal if you don't agree with the arbitrator's decision. Arbitration clauses often restrict you from pursuing any type of court action, including joining similarly harmed individuals in a class-action lawsuit, where the results would be public. If you opt out of an arbitration clause, you’ll have the option to file legal action in court against the company if wrongs you. In the case of Citibank, customers can opt out by writing and mailing a letter back to the company—there is no form to fill out or prepaid envelope to use.

Why Is Citi Making This Change Now?

Citibank spokeswoman Elizabeth Fogarty says the company began introducing these revised agreements based on a number of factors, including customer feedback. The letters will continue to arrive in customer mailboxes for several more months, eventually reaching millions of consumers.

The move comes just a few months after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a lengthy report on the use of forced arbitration clauses in financial services agreements, and announced it intended to pass rules limiting the use of these clauses, which could happen as early as next year.

Now, however, an attempt is being made by some lawmakers to add a paragraph into the 2016 federal spending bill that would block the CFPB from moving forward on its rulemaking to rein in the use of forced arbitration clauses in consumer financial services agreements. Our sister publication, The Consumerist, explains in more detail what's at stake in the forced arbitration rider.

Citibank's letter offers consumers a choice when it comes to their legal options, but few customers actually opt out of binding arbitration. "How many of us really read what looks like junk mail from our bank?” says says Brad Reid, business professor and senior scholar at the Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. "So while the opt-out provision is good, the bank is probably counting on very few people ever triggering it."

Indeed, although 27 percent of the more than 400 credit card contracts the CFPB's March report looked at included an opt-out provision, none of the consumers it interviewed had opted out. Three consumers reported being given an opportunity to do so—but those three were mistaken. None of them actually had a contract that would have allowed them to opt out. "People are more focused on the cell phone, credit card, or other product they're buying and don't really read the fine print in agreements," Reid says.

Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, thinks lawmakers should be fighting against forced arbitration, rather than stalling the CPFB. "Congress should not block the CFPB as it works to rein in forced arbitration abuses in the area of consumer financial services," says George Slover, CU's senior policy counsel. "An opt-out letter is not going to be enough to fix the forced arbitration problem. And ultimately Congress needs to pass legislation to protect consumers against this unfair practice."

Opt Out If You Can

Citibank customers have a limited time to act. Letters are being mailed on a rolling basis, and those that were sent out in late October, for example, say customers must send a letter postmarked by December 10 to a P.O. Box in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to opt out. That letter must include account holders’ names and a statement saying they specifically reject arbitration. If you are a Citi customer and have yet to receive a letter, open up and read any correspondence Citi sends you; letters will continue to be sent to customers into next year, says Citibank's Fogarty. We’d suggest you send an opt-out letter via USPS Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. Keep a copy of everything you send and your receipt. This will prove that you opted out if you later need to file a lawsuit and Citibank claims you didn't opt out.

The language and process are similar to that of American Express, which began allowing its customers to opt out in 2013. Amex customers can opt out by sending a letter to an El Paso, Texas P.O. box within 45 days after receiving their new card; they do not get the agreement that explains the opt-out procedure until they receive the card.

Bank of America eliminated its forced arbitration clauses from credit card agreements in 2009. The CFPB found that many midsized banks and credit unions do not use them. Most other large banks still include them in the fine print of their contracts, however.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

With just two weeks to go, time to get the house ready for the holidays is growing short. Now’s a good time to take inventory of your pantry and make room in the refrigerator for the food you’re planning to buy and prepare. Make sure the guest rooms are ready before moving on to the areas of the house where you’ll be entertaining. And stock up on enough cleaning supplies to handle the inevitable messes. Here’s the drill:

Deep-clean high-traffic areas

Break rooms down into smaller parts, tackling a chore or two each day, so it’s not so daunting. Dust furniture, woodwork, pictures, and mirrors one day; vacuum curtains and upholstery another; clean kitchen range burners and wipe down all the surfaces next, and so on.

Reorganize the refrigerator

Toss down-to-the-dregs condiments and any item with a sell-by date that has come and gone. That will make room in your refrigerator for ingredients and make-ahead dishes. It’s also a good time to wipe shelves and drawers with a damp sponge dipped in a solution of ¼ cup baking soda mixed with 1 quart of water. And clean the refrigerator door seal; dirt can weaken its ability to hold in cold air. (Find out how to organize your fridge for better health.)

Clean your oven

Remove loose debris coating the oven cavity before starting the self-cleaning cycle. Check your manual for self-cleaning tips, but typically the advice you’ll find says that you should remove racks from the oven before pushing the self-clean button. The process can discolor racks and make them harder to glide. If that’s already happened, apply a little vegetable oil to the sides.

Check Consumer Reports' 2015 Holiday Guide for our picks of the best gifts, details on the latest deals, time-saving tips, and much more. And see our countdown calendar for top gift ideas for everyone on your list.

Pick up a meat thermometer

It’s the best way to tell whether your roast is cooked to a safe internal temperature recommended by the Department of Agriculture. For turkey, poke it in the innermost part of the thigh, the wing, and the thickest part of the breast. The CDN ProAccurate TCT572, $80, topped our meat thermometer tests of more than 20 instant read digital models, combining excellent temperature accuracy and consistency.

Stock up on top-notch cleaning supplies

Running out of dishwasher detergent with a table full of dirty dishes after a holiday feast can be a real bummer. Single-use packs allow you to see how many loads are left, and Cascade Complete ActionPacs did the best job overall on messy pots and dishes in our dishwasher detergent tests. Bounty DuraTowel won the top spot in our paper towel tests.

Plan ahead for spills and stains

Make sure you have dishwashing liquid, nail-polish remover, and hydrogen peroxide on hand. And prepare a detergent solution by mixing one teaspoon of a mild clear or white dishwashing liquid—no bleach—in one cup of warm water. For a vinegar solution, mix one-third cup of white vinegar with two-thirds cup of water. Check our complete stain removal guide for when and where to use each cleaning product.

—Adapted from ShopSmart

Check Consumer Reports' 2015 Holiday Guide for our picks of the best gifts, details on the latest deals, time-saving tips, and much more. And see our countdown calendar for top gift ideas for everyone on your list.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

Gift giving can be a stressful endeavor. To relieve a little of that stress this holiday season we created a series of gift guides that are grouped by price. Here, we focus on some of the top-rated products of 2015 for under $50. Don't forget to check our Top Gifts for Under $100 and Top Gifts for Under $200. 

Oregon Scientific Wireless BBQ/Oven AW131, $40

This holiday, let your meat monitor itself while you enjoy your guests. The probe of this digital thermometer remains in the roast while it cooks, constantly reading the temperature while the oven door stays closed. When the desired doneness is reached, the wireless receiver beeps two times and says, “It’s done.” Transmission range is about 160 feet. Well-­done, wouldn’t you say?

Check our meat thermometer buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Vornado SRTH, $45

Have an always-­cold office mate on your gift list? She’ll thank you for this small­-enough-­to-­fit-­under-­a-­desk personal heater. It’s quiet, draws less power than larger units, and aced our fire-­safety test. Just don’t expect it to heat a whole room.

Check our space heaters buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Clear20 CWS100A Water Filter, $30

This budget­-friendly carafe­-style water filter does the job of built­in models at a tenth of the price. It was excellent in our tests at capturing lead and chloroform—a surrogate for organic compounds such as atrazine and benzene, as well as for particulates in water that give it a bad taste. One caveat: Some user reviews cite trouble connecting the Clear2O to their faucet, so an additional hose extension may be needed.

Check our water filter buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Crane Owl Humidifier, $45

New baby in someone’s life? This humidifier from Crane’s Adorables line is top-­rated for its excellent output and is super­-quiet, too. Crane’s menagerie also includes penguins, tigers, polar bears, and more.

Check our humidifiers buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Speakman Reaction Showerhead, $25

Whether or not your intended giftee is a morning person, he or she will appreciate this super showerhead. A satisfying soak, low water use, and fun colors make this low­-flow showerhead an easy and attractive way to save water. Our staffers preferred the feel and forcefulness of the 2.5­-gallon-per-­minute version over the 2­-gpm one, though about half said they’d buy either version—and that was before we told them how inexpensive it is. Available with a translucent blue, green, or gray frame.

Check our shower head buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

Gift giving can be a stressful endeavor. To relieve a little of that stress this holiday season we created a series of gift guides that are grouped by price. Here, we focus on some of the top-rated products of 2015 for under $100. Don't forget to check our Top Gifts for Under $50 and Top Gifts for Under $200. 

Chefman My Barista RJ30, $80

If you have someone on your gift list whose theme-­song lyrics include “I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!” you won’t go wrong with this super-­speedy single­-serve coffeemaker. In our tests, this speed demon made a good fresh­-brewed mug of joe and is one of the least expensive models you’ll find. It takes K­- Cups or loose grounds and is available in white, red, or black.

Check our coffeemaker buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Goal Zero Lighthouse 250 Lantern, $80

Beneath that lamp and flashing red light, the Goal Zero has an internal battery capable of stowing 4400mAh of power—enough to recharge an iPhone 6s twice, with electricity to spare. For unforeseen emergencies, it also features a hand crank, though you might not want to lean too heavily on that. Five minutes worth of toil adds only 1 percentage point to the phone’s battery­-life indicator.

Ninja Nutri Ninja Pro, $90

Personal blenders feature a smaller blending container that doubles as a travel cup—perfect if the giftee you have in mind likes to take his or her morning smoothie on the go. Ninja’s version beat out the other half­-dozen tested models by a wide margin, combining puréeing prowess with superior ice crushing. Like all personal blenders, the Ninja is best for low-­impact tasks—say, making fresh fruit smoothies or mixing up a milk shake. Save the frozen cocktails for a full-sized blender.

Check our blender buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Ginsu Chikara, $75

Ginsu knives have come a long way since the name became synonymous with cheesy 1970s­-era infomercials. For less than $10 per knife, this eight-­piece set offers great value, providing the cutting performance and handle comfort of knife sets costing three to four times as much. The set includes a chef and santoku knife, but you’ll have to pay an additional $10 if you want a slicer.

Check our kitchen knives buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Ronco Ready Grill RG1005BLGEN, $80

This vertical broiler uses two sets of heating rods to quickly cook food in a basket from both sides, kind of like a toaster. It has no temperature control, just heating elements that are on the whole time and a 30-­minute timer that turns off the grill when time is up. Chicken wings, frozen fries, and burgers were nicely browned and tasty but not smoky or grilled, and the Ready Grill cooked them faster than even a convection oven. Plus cleanup is a cinch.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

Those of us with petrol in our veins are eyes-wide for the latest offerings in two-wheeled excitement. As a special holiday gift to warm our garages, we’ve been tempted by the increased industry focus on affordable, midsized motorcycles that can appeal to new and experienced riders seeking open-road thrills. The bikes tugging especially hard at our heartstrings tend to also have a certain retro charm and deliver performance at a surprisingly affordable price.

Sure, the recently updated Project Rushmore Harley-Davidsons and the Indian Chieftain heavy-weights are lustworthy dream machines, but their large-scale price tags make them cost prohibitive. In contrast, this vital new middle ground makes for a more comfortable budget discussion with your better half. Daresay, these bikes—BMW R NineT, Ducati Scrambler, Honda NC700X, Indian Scout Sixty, Kawasaki Vulcan S, and Yamaha YZF-R3—are more giftable and still quite gratifying.

While we haven’t evaluated these new machines, these are the sugar plums dancing in our heads—the bikes that have us justifying filling that lonely corner of the garage.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

Gift giving can be a stressful endeavor. To relieve a little of that stress this holiday season we created a series of gift guides that are grouped by price. Here, we focus on some of the top-rated products of 2015 for under $200. Don't forget to check our Top Gifts for Under $100 and Top Gifts for Under $50. 

Bose SoundLink Color, $130

Whether you like Lady Gaga or Frank Sinatra, this wireless speaker makes for a great traveling companion. Compact and intuitive, it delivers good sound at a nice price, and it’s easy to pair with any Bluetooth­-enabled device. For non-Bluetooth devices, it has an old-­school port for a wire. When choosing a gift, make sure you know your intended’s favorite color because it comes in red, white, blue, black, or mint.

Check our wireless speakers buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Kindle Paperwhite, $120

With its velvety case. sharp contrast, and super-crisp text, the Paperwhite is a welcome treat for anyone who takes pleasure in reading. The new typeface was designed for bookworms (hence the name Bookerly), and the character spacing and kerning engine has been upgraded, Amazon says. Spouses will love this gift, too, because the adjustable front light won't disturb their slumber. 

Epson Expression Premium XP-620, $100

If you know someone who likes printing photos without spending a lot on ink, this wireless all-­in-­one printer should fit the bill. It produces excellent quality photos, very good color graphics, and good text. It even has a separate tray for printing snapshot-­sized (4x6) photos. It also provides an auto-­duplexing feature so that you can print on both sides of the paper.

Check our printers buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Crock-Pot Smart Slow Cooker With WeMo, $130

Slow cookers have maintained their appeal in our too­busy­to­cook lives. This model boasts some better-­than-­basic features, including a roomy 6-­quart capacity, cool-­touch handles, and dishwasher-­safe stoneware and glass lid. Plus you can connect to it through an app on your smartphone, so if you’re stuck at your kid’s ballgame and need to turn down the heat on the evening jambalaya before the chicken turns to mush, you can do that. Also, being able to monitor a heat­-producing appliance while you’re away from home offers peace of mind.

Check our slow cooker buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Cuisinart Breakfast Central WAF-300, $100

Nothing says “Good morning, honey!” better than a plate of crispy Belgian waffles, which this Cuisinart did over and over, with aplomb, in our tests. A “ready” light and an audible beep let you know when the waffle iron has finished preheating, and once you pop in the batter, those signals again alert you when it’s time to dig in. Plus, the removable nonstick waffle plates are easy to clean.

Hitachi DS18DSAL, $170

The do-­it­-yourselfer you need to get a gift for will be thrilled with this Hitachi cordless drill. Almost as fast and powerful as heavy­-duty models, this 18­volt drill weighs just 3.4 pounds. Its 1⁄2­inch chuck can handle more bits for larger holes than drills with a 3⁄8­inch chuck, and its two speed ranges mean you’re ready for anything from turning tight screws to drilling through metal. It comes with a smart charger, an LED work light, and two lithium­-ion batteries—good news because recharging takes about 10 minutes longer than most other lithium­-ion models. We also found that its handle is especially comfortable.

Check our cordless drills buying guide and Ratings for more information.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

An internal investigation by Volkswagen has revealed more about how the company cheated on its diesel emissions and why.

The German automaker found that its employees were under extreme pressure to meet emissions standards in order to satisfy the company’s stated goal of selling more diesel cars in the United States and around the world.

The starting point for the deception, a company press release stated, “was a strategic decision to launch a large-scale promotion of diesel vehicles in the United States in 2005.”

Volkswagen stated that its engineers found it “impossible” to meet the stricter nitrogen oxide requirements in the United States within the required time frame and budget. And that began a slippery slope of illegal software adjustments to work around the strict standards. Later, even as a technical means to meet the standards became available, “it was not used to the full extent possible,” the automaker stated. 

In September this year, the automaker was caught rigging its emissions testing by the Environmental Protection Agency on about 482,000 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel models in the U.S. and an estimated 11 million worldwide.

With this latest announcement, VW claims that fewer vehicles had the cheating work-arounds than originally estimated, although specific figures were not released.

Another key admission to how some VW diesel engines were able to pass emissions tests is that “ . . . the software in question allowed the exhaust gas treatment additive ‘AdBlue’ to be injected in variable amounts such that the NOx values were particularly low when vehicles were in the test bay, but significantly higher when vehicles were on the road.” This has subsequently been referred to as a “cheat mode.”

Volkswagen expects to begin recalling 2.0-liter TDI engines in January in some overseas markets. But it says meeting the U.S. emissions standards presents a greater technical challenge. It is working with the EPA on a solution for North America.

By year end, Volkswagen anticipates diesel sales to resume in some markets, although there has been no indication when U.S. sales will restart. The automaker stated that “technical solutions . . . are now available for the European variants of the engine type affected. Volkswagen is thus ensuring that the models affected in Europe will meet all legal requirements in the future.”

Despite progress, Volkswagen says more time is needed to ferret all details of how this situation occurred, as well as solutions as to how make things right for customers. It has set April 21, 2016, as the target for an update on its ongoing investigation.

Already, VW’s investigation has collected 102 terabytes of data (equivalent to 50 million books) and involved about 450 internal and external experts. 

Thus far, the audit has revealed that the software-based NOx emissions cheat was brought on by:

• “The misconduct and shortcomings of individual employees”
• “Weaknesses in some processes”
• “A mindset in some areas of the Company that tolerated breaches of rules.”

As a result, Volkswagen says it is making significant changes to its corporate structure and policy to avoid such misbehavior in the future. The changes “ . . . will help us create a structure that, rather than favoring breaches of regulations, will prevent them, or at least allow them to be detected early on," Hans Dieter Pötsch, chairman of the parent company’s supervisory board, said in a statement.

Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, feels the company should compensate owners. These VW owners purchased a vehicle thought to be a “clean diesel,” yet EPA testing has shown it can pollute up to 40 times as much in the real world.

Consumers Union also believes Volkswagen should commit to making sure owners don’t suffer financially due to any potential post-recall decrease in fuel economy and performance or due to loss of vehicle value. In addition, the company must commit to cooperating fully with all independent investigations, verifications, and tests, and ultimately bring all its vehicles into compliance with emissions standards. VW should also offset the damage it inflicts by providing money for projects in the communities most affected by the illegal pollution emitted by its vehicles. Visit the Consumers Union site to learn how you can help hold VW accountable.

To check your vehicle’s eligibility for VW’s compensation package, check your vehicle identification number at the company's official Volkswagen Diesel Information website.

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.