COSTA MESA, Calif. — NADAguides.com released its Best Car Buys for 2010 earlier this week, recognizing models across eight vehicle categories that meet the specific criteria that shoppers consider to be the most important.

In their annual in-depth study, the site's Market/Data Analysts sought to find the vehicle attributes on which consumers place the most emphasis when shopping for a new car.

Specifically, the MDAs discovered that fuel efficiency, warranty coverage, safety and depreciation are what matters most to shoppers. Upon learning of the most important factors, NADAguides.com determined which vehicles qualified for the Best Car Buy designation by cross-referencing this information with the most up-to-date 2010 make and model data.

Vehicles that earned high scores in these specific benchmarks were named Best Car Buys.

"With thousands of new cars and ever-changing purchase intent in today's marketplace, we are continually looking for ways to make the car buying experience easier for the consumer," explained Michael Caudill, spokesperson, NADAguides.com.

"Our Best Car Buys list not only highlights the top criteria buyers look for in a new or used car, but gives them a complete NADAguides.com list of cars that meet such criteria," Caudill added.

"Consumer purchasing processes are also impacted by the economy and many consumers are broadening their vehicle search," he continued. "We were very careful in how we identified the needs of consumers and worked to offer a varied selection of popular categories."

Officials noted that all cars on the list were demonstrated to have shown the industry's best (combined) fuel efficiency, top warranty, strongest safety ratings and lowest depreciation rates.

The following is the list of Best Buys:

Top Coupes

1. 2010 Toyota Yaris 3dr LB Man SE

2. 2010 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2dr Coupe S

3. 2010 Ford Focus 2dr Cpe SES

4. 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt 2dr Cpe Base

5. 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2dr 2.0T Man Premium

Top Crossovers

1. 2010 Chevrolet Equinox 4dr FWD LS

2. 2010 Lexus RX450h 4dr FWD Hybrid

3. 2010 Mazda CX-7 FWD 4d i SV

4. 2010 Nissan Rogue FWD 4dr SL

5. 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan FWD 4dr Man S

Top Luxury Cars

1. 2010 Audi A4 4dr Sdn CVT 2.0T FrontTrak Prem Plus

2. 2010 Acura TSX 4dr Sdn I4 Auto

3. 2010 Cadillac SRX FWD 4dr Performance Collection

4. 2010 BMW 3 Series 4dr SDN 328i RWD

5. 2010 Hyundai Genesis 4dr Sdn 3.8L V6

Top Pickup Trucks 2WD & 4WD

1. 2010 Toyota Tacoma 2WD Reg I4 MT (GS)

2. 2010 Nissan Frontier 2WD King Cab I4 Manual XE

3. 2010 Ford Ranger 2WD 2dr SuperCab 126" XLT

4. 2010 Honda Ridgeline 4WD Crew Cab RTL

5. 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid 4WD Crew Cab 143.5" 2HY

Top Sedans

1. 2010 Hyundai Elantra 4dr Sdn Auto GLS PZEV

2. 2010 Kia Forte 4dr Sdn I4 Man LX

3. 2010 Honda Fit 5dr HB Man Sport

4. 2010 Mazda3 4dr Sdn Man i Touring

5. 2010 Nissan Sentra 4dr Sdn CVT 2.0S

Top Sports Cars

1. 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2dr Cpe 1LT

2. 2010 Ford Mustang 2dr Cpe

3. 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2dr 2.0T Man Premium

4. 2010 Audi S4 4dr Sdn S Tronic Prestige

5. 2010 Dodge Challenger 2dr Cpe SE

Top SUVs

1. 2010 GMC Terrain 4dr SLE-1

2. 2010 Mazda Tribute FWD I4 Manual Sport

3. 2010 Honda CR-V 2WD 5dr LX

4. 2010 Toyota RAV4 FWD 4dr 4-cyl 4-Spd AT (SE)

5. 2010 Ford Escape FWD 4dr XLT

Top Vans

1. 2010 Volkswagen Routan 4dr Wgn SEL Premium

2. 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan 4dr Wgn SE

3. 2010 Toyota Sienna 5dr 7-Pass XLE FWD (GS)

4. 2010 Honda Odyssey 4dr Wgn LX

5. 2010 Chrysler Town & Country 4dr Wgn LX

Top Wagons

1. 2010 Audi A4 4dr Wgn Auto 2.0T Quattro Premium

2. 2010 Ford Flex 4dr SE FWD

3. 2010 Subaru Impreza Wagon 5dr Man Outback Sport

4. 2010 Chevrolet HHR FWD 4dr LT w/1LT

5. 2010 Honda Fit 5dr HB Auto

Top Hybrids

1. 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid 4dr Sdn L4 CVT w/Leather

2. 2010 Toyota Prius 5dr HB II (GS)

3. 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid 4dr Sdn

4. 2010 Honda Insight 5dr CVT EX PZEV

5. 2010 Lexus HS 250h 4dr Sdn