Kelley Blue Book’s experts score luxury sedans on a five-point scale, and the spread between the best and the worst is wide. Across its compact, midsize and full-size class pages, a Cadillac CT4 sinks to 3.7 while a Mercedes-Benz S-Class reaches 4.7. Here are thirteen luxury cars, ordered roughly from the lowest rating to the highest.
1. Cadillac CT4: Bottom Of The Compact Class
The Cadillac CT4 sits last among compact luxury sedans on KBB’s list, earning a 3.7 out of 5 rating and a starting price of $36,490.
That sticker is the lowest of anything in this lineup, which makes the score a trade-off rather than a verdict on value alone. A buyer on a tighter budget gets genuine luxury-brand entry here, but the experts place the sedan beneath every rival in its segment, so the discount comes with a visible compromise.
2. Alfa Romeo Giulia: Tied For Last
The Alfa Romeo Giulia shares the cellar of KBB’s compact luxury ranking, posting 3.7 out of 5 with pricing that starts at $47,245.
Matching the CT4’s score while costing roughly $10,000 more is a harsh comparison, and the gap shows how little the badge alone guarantees in this class. The Italian sedan is a driver-focused pick, yet the experts clearly weigh the whole ownership picture rather than steering feel by itself.
3. Volvo S60: Pales Next To Newcomers
The Volvo S60 earns 3.8 out of 5 from KBB, and the reviewers’ comment is that it pales somewhat when compared with newer contenders.
That wording points to age rather than any single flaw. A sedan can stay handsome and well built while its rivals keep moving the benchmark, and the verdict suggests the S60 is losing ground to fresher designs. Shoppers cross-shopping the compact class would want to test it directly against the newest entries.
4. Cadillac CT5: Sharing Last Place
The Cadillac CT5 ties for last in KBB’s midsize luxury group, scoring 3.9 out of 5 with pricing from $49,090.
Cadillac therefore appears at the bottom of two separate class rankings, the compact CT4 and this larger sibling. The pattern says the experts see a consistent gap between the brand’s sedans and the best of the field, even where the starting price lands in the same range as its midsize competitors.
5. Volvo S90: Roomy But Not Enough
The Volvo S90 draws 3.9 out of 5 from KBB even though the experts describe it as roomy and refined, with a starting price of $59,495.
Praise for space and polish did not lift the score past the midsize pack’s lower tier, which shows how a sedan can please in the cabin and still lose points elsewhere. At nearly $60,000, the S90 asks a premium that the ratings do not fully reward, a point worth weighing before signing.
6. Lexus IS: Lives On For Another Year
The Lexus IS gets 4.0 out of 5 rating from KBB as it lives on for another year, starting at $46,795.
The phrasing suggests the compact sedan is a long-running design that keeps earning a place on the list rather than a fresh arrival. It lands above the CT4, Giulia and S60 yet below the class leaders, which makes it a middle-of-the-road choice for a buyer who values the Lexus reputation over novelty.
7. BMW 8 Series: Last Of The Full-Size
The BMW 8 Series ranks at the bottom of KBB’s full-size luxury list with 4.1 out of 5 rating, starting at $96,050.
Last place in this class still means a score above anything the compact and midsize laggards managed, a reminder that the full-size segment is graded against a stiffer set of expectations and higher prices. For the six-figure money involved, though, the 8 Series trails every rival the experts reviewed in this tier.
8. Acura TLX: A Quiet Overachiever
The Acura TLX scores 4.3 out of 5 with KBB, a result priced from $46,595.
That makes it one of the cheapest sedans in this roundup while still clearing a respectable mark, and it beats several pricier midsize rivals, among them the Cadillac CT5 and the Volvo S90. The value story is the strong point here, since a buyer pays far less than the entry price of most midsize competitors in the ranking.
9. Lexus LS: Subtle Grace
The Lexus LS earns 4.3 out of 5 from KBB, which credits the flagship with doing everything with subtle grace and quiet efficiency, from $81,685.
The score ties it with the much cheaper Acura TLX, an uncommon result at this level, and it sits below the S-Class by four tenths of a point. For an owner who prizes calm over spectacle, the description fits the car’s character, though the rating suggests rivals offer a bit more overall.
10. BMW 5 Series: A Midsize Pillar
The BMW 5 Series receives 4.5 out of 5 rating from KBB, which calls it a pillar of the midsize luxury sedan class, starting at $61,950.
That rating is the highest among the midsize cars in the first half of this list and well clear of the Cadillac and Volvo entries. The word pillar matters, because it frames the 5 Series as the benchmark that others are measured against, and the numbers back that reputation up in practical terms.
11. Porsche Panamera: Large And Luxurious
The Porsche Panamera collects 4.5 out of 5 from KBB for the large luxury sedan segment, with pricing from $108,550.
The score equals the 5 Series even though the Porsche costs around $46,600 more, so the extra money buys prestige and performance rather than a better expert grade. At that price the Panamera still outranks the 8 Series in the same full-size class, which keeps it ahead of one German rival.
12. Genesis G80: Excellent And A Strong Value
The Genesis G80 posts 4.6 out of 5 rating from KBB, which calls it an excellent midsize luxury sedan and a strong value, from $58,595.
Few brands outscore the established German names in this roundup, and the G80 does it while undercutting the 5 Series by several thousand dollars. The Korean luxury arm is clearly the value pick of the midsize class, and the combination of rating and price is difficult for older nameplates to match.
13. Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Reigns Supreme
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class tops KBB’s full-size luxury list at 4.7 out of 5 rating, from $118,900, and the experts say it reigns supreme over the large luxury sedan sector.
It is the most expensive car here and also the highest scoring, a rare case where price and expert approval move in the same direction. The 1.0 point spread against the CT4 frames the whole ranking, and the S-Class shows what the top of the luxury market earns from KBB’s reviewers.
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