IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book announced the finalists for the Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards, which honors the top new model-year vehicle choices in the U.S. market.

Of the more than 300 new-car models available for 2016, KBB’s editors narrowed the field to 49 finalists comprised of 18 vehicle makes and 12 vehicle categories. The finalists will undergo head-to-head comparison testing and evaluation by KBB’s editors, who will announce the winners in each category and an overall winner in November.

“The Best Buy Awards program is the culmination of a wide variety of data and expert vehicle evaluation efforts throughout the company,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for KBB.com.  “While at the conclusion of the testing and evaluation period only 12 prestigious models will be deemed 2016 winners, it is a very high honor for a vehicle to be chosen as a finalist for these prominent awards.”

The finalists are chosen based on a set of criteria that identify overall vehicle quality and value using proprietary metrics and the evaluations by the KBB.com staff. These metrics analyze vehicle-related data including vehicle pricing, transaction prices, 5-year cost-to-own data, consumer reviews and ratings and vehicle sales information.

Broken down by category, the 2016 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award finalists are: