Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1936 that works side by side with consumers to create a safe, fair, and transparent marketplace. To achieve our mission, we test thousands of products and services in our labs each year and survey hundreds of thousands of consumers about their experiences with products and services. We pay for all the products we rate. We don’t accept paid advertising. In addition to our rigorous research, investigative journalism, and consumer advocacy, we work with other organizations, including media, consumer groups, research and testing consortiums, and philanthropic partners. We also license our content and data, as well as work with business partners to offer shopping and other consumer services, and may receive fees from these programs. We maintain a strict separation between our commercial…

SINCE OUR FOUNDING, CR has sought to improve the level of safety in our cars, including working to make features like seat belts and backup cameras standard. We’ve built on this legacy by pushing the marketplace toward automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, because pedestrian deaths have shot up in recent years, topping 7,500 in 2022. In fact, since 2020, CR has required all cars we’ve chosen as our Top Picks to have this technology. (You can find our list of the safest cars right now in our cover story, on page 46.) We are also fighting for more advanced AEB systems that can detect pedestrians at night. Last year, more than 24,000 consumers joined us in calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set strong federal AEB standards.…

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 40-year-old legal doctrine known as the “Chevron deference,” in a ruling that many consumer advocates fear will make it harder for federal agencies to protect the public. The doctrine was established by a 1984 decision in a case between the namesake energy giant and the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council. It said courts must defer to federal agencies over the interpretation of laws if Congress was ambiguous about the exact issue in question and if the agency interpretations are reasonable. At that time, the court explained that federal agencies are better equipped than judges are with the expertise needed to make highly technical policy decisions. The federal government routinely relies on agency experts to make decisions about how best to implement laws…

Our August 2024 cover story, “The Danger in Your Dust,” reported on the harmful particles that can lurk in your home’s air and offered dust-control strategies. Readers offered their thoughts and questions. To add yours, head to CR.org/dangerousdust. IN THE AUGUST ARTICLE “The Danger in Your Dust,” I did not see “cleaning your ducts” as an option to reduce dust. [Can doing that help?] —Beverly Graham, Ottawa, IL EDITOR’S NOTE According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems.” Research also has not shown that dust is higher inside homes with dirty air ducts, because much of that dirt stays in the ducts, according to the agency. The EPA advises that some people in extreme situations (such as when there’s a mold problem) might…

WiFi Extenders WE TESTED: 13 models WE TEST FOR: How easy it is to set up, the internet speed it offers up to 55 feet away from the router, and more. ABOUT THE SCORES: Median: 72 Range: 29-92 BEST OVERALL Netgear AX1800 (EAX15) $100 92 OVERALL SCORE EASY TO SET UP TP-LINK AX3000 (RE705X) $130 89 OVERALL SCORE GOOD VALUE TP-LINK AX1500 (RE505X) $60 87 OVERALL SCORE French-Door Refrigerators WE TESTED: 95 models WE TEST FOR: Uniformity of temperature inside the fridge, how energy-efficient and quiet it is, how spacious the interior is, and more. ABOUT THE SCORES: Median: 69 Range: 47-78 LARGE CAPACITY & WIFI-CAPABLE LG LRFS28XBS $1,800 78 OVERALL SCORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT GE GNE25JYKFS $1,900 74 OVERALL SCORE NARROW FOR SMALL SPACES Haier QJS15HYRFS $1,600 68 OVERALL SCORE Solar-Powered String Lights WE TESTED: 7 models WE TEST FOR: How easy the lights are to mount and control, how long the lights stay on after being charged during daylight hours, and more. ABOUT THE SCORES: Median: 72 Range: 59-78 TOP PICK &…

What’s the best way to clean bird droppings off my car? WHEN YOU SEE those dreaded white smears on your car, time is of the essence. “Wipe bird excrement off of your vehicle as soon as you can because it can damage the paint the longer it stays there,” says John Ibbotson, chief mechanic at CR’s Auto Test Center. That’s because bird droppings—which are actually poop and pee in one messy package—are highly acidic. They can eat into the outer layer of your car’s paint job and eventually lead to peeling, bubbling, dull spots, or all three, he says. If the smears are still wet, you should be able to wipe them off with a microfiber cloth moistened with water, Ibbotson says. (We advise keeping a few of these cloths tucked away…