Quick Answer: Consumer Reports doesn’t run lab acoustic tests on hearing aids the way it does for TVs or appliances — it surveys real owners instead. Its most recent update, based on a survey of 13,163 CR members, rated 20 hearing aid brands (17 prescription, 3 OTC: Eargo, Jabra Enhance, MDHearing) and 17 retailers. The VA and Costco Wholesale rated highest by far among places to buy, and 86% of members said they were very or completely satisfied with the retailer they used. Philips, Jabra, and Rexton — the brands Costco sells — were also among the highest-rated brands in the same survey.
If you’ve searched for “hearing aid Consumer Reports” hoping for a lab-tested best-of list like CR’s TV or refrigerator ratings, the actual source material looks different: hearing aids are rated almost entirely on member-reported satisfaction, not a standardized bench test. That’s not a limitation of the survey — it reflects a real fact about hearing aids, which perform differently for every ear and fitting. Here’s exactly what CR found, and how to use it alongside a hands-on product comparison.
Consumer Reports hearing aid survey, by the numbers
- 13,163 CR members were surveyed about their real-world experience owning and shopping for hearing aids — the basis for the ratings, not a lab bench test.
- 20 brands rated — 17 prescription brands and 3 OTC brands (Eargo, Jabra Enhance, MDHearing).
- 17 retailers rated, including Amazon, Costco, Sam’s Club, the VA, HearingLife, and direct-to-brand sites like Eargo.com and MD Hearing.
- 86% of members who bought hearing aids said they were very satisfied or completely satisfied with the retailer they used.
- VA and Costco Wholesale rated highest by far among the 17 retailers surveyed.
What Consumer Reports actually rated
| Category | What CR rated | Top performers |
|---|---|---|
| Retailers (17 total) | Member satisfaction buying from each source | VA, Costco Wholesale — highest by far |
| Prescription brands (17 total) | Member satisfaction owning the brand's devices | Philips, Jabra, Rexton scored among the highest |
| OTC brands (3 total) | Member satisfaction with self-fitting devices | Eargo, Jabra Enhance, MDHearing — the only 3 rated so far |
Notice what’s missing from the OTC row: Lexie, Audien, Sony, ELEHEAR, and most of the brands reviewed elsewhere on this site aren’t in CR’s survey yet. That’s a gap in the survey’s coverage, not a strike against those brands — the OTC category only became FDA-legal in October 2022, so CR’s member base for it is still smaller than for prescription devices that have been sold for decades.
Why CR surveys owners instead of lab-testing acoustics
Consumer Reports built its reputation on standardized lab tests — bench-measuring a TV’s brightness or a washing machine’s spin efficiency produces the same number regardless of who’s using it. Hearing aids don’t work that way. The exact same physical device can sound completely different to two people, because how well it performs depends on how accurately it’s programmed to that person’s specific hearing loss (see our hearing aid fitting guide for why fitting quality matters more than the hardware itself). A lab test measuring one fixed program wouldn’t capture that variability, so CR’s member survey approach — asking thousands of real owners how their device actually performed for them, in their fitting, over real use — produces more useful data for this specific product category than a bench test would.
That’s also why independent lab-verified sound grades, like the HearAdvisor SoundGrade system referenced across some of our OTC brand reviews, are a different but complementary data point: those measure a device’s raw acoustic output under controlled conditions, while CR’s survey measures how satisfied real owners were after fitting and daily use. Neither one alone tells the whole story.
Jabra Enhance Select — CR-rated OTC brand, sold at Costco
- Jabra Enhance is one of only 3 OTC brands Consumer Reports has rated, and Jabra is also one of the top-scoring brands sold through Costco's hearing centers.
- Comes with a 100-day trial — the longest in the OTC category — so you can judge your own real-world satisfaction the same way CR's surveyed members did.
If you’re comparing CR-rated brands against current OTC options, try Amazon Prime free for 30 days to get devices and accessories to your door in two days while you decide.
How to actually use these ratings when you shop
- Treat retailer satisfaction as a signal about service, not sound quality. Costco and the VA rating highest likely reflects strong post-sale support, pricing transparency, and included follow-up care — not that their specific hearing aid models outperform others acoustically.
- A brand’s CR score is an average across many members and models, not a guarantee for the specific device or price tier you’re considering. Cross-check with our best hearing aid brands roundup, which compares current specific models rather than brand-wide averages.
- If the OTC brand you’re considering isn’t in CR’s 3-brand list, that’s expected. Most OTC brands simply haven’t accumulated enough surveyed CR members yet — check independent lab grades and trial-period terms instead.
- Use CR’s retailer data to negotiate expectations, not price. Knowing VA and Costco buyers report high satisfaction is useful context if you’re choosing between a clinic and a big-box hearing center, less useful if you’re buying OTC online where the retailer is simply Amazon or the brand’s own site.
The bottom line
Consumer Reports’ hearing aid ratings are a real, sizable member survey (13,163 respondents) — but they measure satisfaction with brands and retailers, not a lab-tested sound-quality ranking. The VA and Costco Wholesale rated highest among 17 retailers, and Philips, Jabra, and Rexton scored well among 20 rated brands, with only Eargo, Jabra Enhance, and MDHearing representing the OTC category so far. Use CR’s data as one input on service and reliability, then compare current specific models — including brands CR hasn’t surveyed yet — in our best hearing aids and best OTC hearing aids guides before you buy.
Related guides
For more, see our Costco hearing aids review, Lucid hearing aids review (the manufacturer behind Sam’s Club’s in-store Hearing Centers), veterans hearing aid benefits, best hearing aid brands, and otc vs prescription hearing aids.