To develop our in-depth toilet ratings, Consumer Reports’ engineers put the fixtures through a battery of tests involving waste removal, bowl cleaning, and drain-line clogs. We also measure how loud a toilet’s flushes are using a decibel meter. Based on performance in these tests, we give each toilet an Overall Score. To test solid-waste removal,…
Main theme: In this podcast episode, we give our driving impressions of the redesigned 2025 GMC Terrain, which follows the new Chevrolet Equinox that went on sale in 2024. This compact SUV gets several significant upgrades, including a significant suite of advanced safety and driver assistance systems as standard equipment, including highway-speed automatic emergency braking,…
Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, one of the first technologists hired as part of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is no longer working for the federal government, according to multiple sources. “Edward Coristine resigned yesterday,” a White House official tells WIRED. Coristine received full-time employment status at the GSA late last month, as…
In 2017, Hulu made television history by becoming the first streaming network to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, thanks to the phenomenon that was The Handmaid’s Tale (which returned in April for its sixth and final season). While Netflix has largely cornered the streaming market on original movies—and even managed to persuade A-listers like Guillermo del…
“213a is major progress for child passenger safety in the U.S.,” Thomas says, noting that similar side-impact protections already exist in European car seats because of car seat regulations in the European Union. Under the new regulations, manufacturers are required to test car seats for children up to 40 pounds for side-impact protection using an…
Still, knowing how much cargo your minivan or SUV can carry is a challenge. While automakers are happy to highlight the overall luggage capacity of their offerings, not all of that cargo room is usable space. Having a lot of space doesn’t do much good if the cargo opening is narrow, short, or oddly shaped. …
Life is hard, but you know what isn’t? Tempur-Pedic mattresses. This brand’s been around for a long while, which isn’t shocking given the high-quality materials that perform for those that need advanced pressure relief and support. If you’re someone who deals with regular aches and pains, this is a good place to start looking for…
He’s also not the only researcher working to expose plants to higher radiation levels than previously studied. Porterfield, who is one of the scientists working on NASA’s LEAF mission—a lunar plant-growth experiment that will go to the moon with Artemis III in 2027—says we know “almost nothing” about the impact of radiation exposure beyond low…
Paul Hope Paul Hope is a Home & DIY Editor at Consumer Reports and a trained chef. He covers ranges, cooktops, and wall ovens, as well as grills, drills, outdoor power tools, decking, and wood stains. Before joining CR in 2016, he tested kitchen products at Good Housekeeping and covered tools and remodeling for This…
If you’re shopping for a dishwasher priced between $500 and $1,000, you should expect the following from any model: Quieter performance: If you hang out in or sleep near your kitchen, it can be worth upgrading to a dishwasher that runs quietly. Plenty of models that cost between $500 and $1,000 earn our top or…