What Consumer Reports Magazine Costs and Includes

Consumer Reports magazine is a monthly publication you can receive in print, digital form, or both. The magazine contains product ratings, buying guides, and safety recalls across categories like cars, appliances, electronics, and home goods. A print subscription costs around $10 per month when you commit to a year, though the exact price varies depending on whether you choose print only, digital only, or a combination.

The digital version gives you access to the full website and app, where you can search ratings by product type and read detailed test results. The print magazine arrives monthly and covers selected topics in depth — recent issues have focused on mattresses, refrigerators, and vehicle safety. Many subscribers use both formats: the app for quick lookups while shopping and the magazine for longer reading at home.

Your subscription also includes access to Consumer Reports' buying guides, which walk through what to look for in a product category before you compare specific models. These guides explain features, trade-offs, and what price range typically gets you reliable performance versus what you're paying for brand name alone.

Key Takeaways

  • Consumer Reports tests products in its own labs and publishes ratings for thousands of items across cars, appliances, electronics, and household goods.
  • A subscription gives you access to ratings, buying guides, and recall information through the website, app, and monthly print magazine.
  • Print subscriptions cost roughly $10 per month when paid annually, with digital-only and print-plus-digital options available at different price points.
  • You can cancel your subscription at any time, and the organization does not sell your information to advertisers or product manufacturers.

How Consumer Reports Tests Products

Consumer Reports operates independent testing labs where staff members buy products at retail and test them under controlled conditions. They do not accept free samples from manufacturers or take advertising money, which is how they maintain independence from the companies whose products they rate. A car might spend weeks in their facility undergoing crash tests, fuel economy measurements, and reliability checks. An appliance gets run through hundreds of wash cycles or heating cycles to see how long it lasts.

The organization publishes ratings on a scale — typically "Excellent," "Good," "Fair," and "Poor" — along with a numerical score. Each rating reflects how the product performed in their tests compared to others in the same category. They also flag products with safety recalls from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and other agencies.

Not every product gets tested. Consumer Reports prioritizes categories where test results matter most to your decision — cars, major appliances, and electronics — over items where personal preference dominates, like clothing or furniture style. If a product hasn't been tested, the website will say so rather than guessing.

Finding Ratings and Recalls on the Website and App

Once you have a subscription, you log in to ConsumerReports.org or open the mobile app to search for a specific product or browse by category. The search bar lets you type a brand and model — for example, "Honda Civic 2023" or "LG refrigerator" — and you'll see the rating, test results, and any known recalls. You can also filter by price range, features, or reliability to narrow down options within a category.

The recall section pulls from government databases and updates regularly. If you own a car or appliance that's been recalled, you can search by your vehicle identification number (VIN) or model number to see what the recall covers and where to get it fixed. Some recalls are safety-critical; others are minor. Consumer Reports flags the severity so you know which ones need when ready attention.

The app works offline for products you've already viewed, which is useful if you're in a store without cell service. You can also save products to a comparison list, which lets you put three or four models side by side and see how their ratings and prices stack up.

What Consumer Reports Does Not Cover

Consumer Reports focuses on durability, safety, and performance — not style, brand prestige, or whether a product matches your kitchen decor. They also do not rate services like internet providers, insurance companies, or banks in the same way they rate physical products, though they do publish buying guides and articles about those categories based on data and reader surveys.

The organization does not test every product on the market. Niche items, regional brands, or very new products may not have ratings yet. If you're looking for something specific and don't find it, the website will tell you rather than showing you a guess. You can also submit a request for a product to be tested, though there's no may provide it will be prioritized.

Consumer Reports also does not negotiate prices or offer discounts at retailers. The ratings are informational only — you still buy directly from the store or website of your choice at whatever price they're offering.

Comparing Consumer Reports to Other Rating Sources

Other websites publish product ratings — Amazon reviews, Best Buy ratings, and manufacturer websites all show customer feedback. The difference is that Consumer Reports tests products in controlled conditions using the same methods for every item in a category, while customer reviews reflect individual experiences that vary widely. One person's "five stars" might mean something different from another person's.

Some retailers publish their own buying guides or comparisons, but those are often limited to products they sell. Consumer Reports includes all major brands and models, regardless of where you can buy them. They also test for durability and safety in ways a customer review cannot — a crash test or a 500-cycle washing machine test takes equipment and informed most people don't have.

Free resources like government recall databases (NHTSA.gov, CPSC.gov) and manufacturer websites give you some information at no cost. Consumer Reports adds independent testing and ratings that those sources don't provide, which is what you're paying for with a subscription.

How to Start and Cancel a Subscription

You can start a subscription by visiting ConsumerReports.org and selecting the plan you want — print only, digital only, or both. You'll enter your payment method and billing address. Most subscriptions renew automatically each month or year depending on what you choose. You can change your plan or cancel anytime through your account settings without penalty or explanation required.

If you cancel, you lose access to the website and app when ready, though any print magazines already in the mail will still arrive. If you want to pause rather than cancel — for example, if you're moving and don't want mail forwarded — you can contact their customer service to hold your subscription temporarily.

Consumer Reports occasionally offers discounted rates for new subscribers, especially during promotional periods. These are usually advertised on their homepage or through email if you've visited the site before. The standard monthly rate is the baseline, but checking for current offers before you subscribe is worth doing.

What Happens to Your Information

Consumer Reports does not sell your name, email, or browsing history to advertisers or product manufacturers. That's part of how they stay independent — they make money from subscriptions and from selling their ratings data to other publishers, not from selling access to you. You will receive emails about your subscription status, renewal reminders, and occasional newsletters about new ratings or recalls, but you can opt out of marketing emails in your account settings.

If you use the app, Consumer Reports collects information about which products you search for and view, but this data is used to improve the app and website, not sold to third parties. You can review their full privacy policy on their website if you want details about what data they collect and how long they keep it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my Consumer Reports login with family members?

Consumer Reports' terms of service restrict sharing to people in your household. Technically, multiple people can log in from the same address, but sharing your password with someone outside your home violates the subscription agreement. If you want multiple people to have access, contact their customer service — they may offer household plans or have other options.

How often are the ratings updated?

Consumer Reports updates ratings as they test new models and as existing products age. A car rating might stay current for several years if the model hasn't changed much, while a smartphone rating becomes outdated within months as new models launch. The website shows the date each rating was last updated so you know how recent the information is.

What if I disagree with a Consumer Reports rating?

You can contact Consumer Reports with feedback about a rating, though they don't change ratings based on individual complaints. If you believe there's an error in their testing methodology or results, they have a process for reviewing concerns. Most disagreements come down to different priorities — if reliability matters most to you but a product ranks low on features, that's a difference in what you value, not an error in the rating.

Do I need a subscription to see recalls?

You can search government recall databases like NHTSA.gov and CPSC.gov for free. Consumer Reports pulls recalls from these same sources and adds them to their ratings, so a subscription gives you recalls plus ratings and buying guides in one place. If you only need recall information, the government websites are sufficient.

Can I print articles or save them offline?

The app allows you to save articles for offline reading. The website lets you print articles, though the exact options depend on your browser and device. You cannot read or share articles outside your personal use, as that would violate the subscription terms.