Methodology
Carfocal is built around transparent, citeable vehicle facts. We aggregate primary datasets and then publish derived metrics that help shoppers compare vehicles quickly.
Primary Sources
- NHTSA crash test ratings, recalls, and owner complaints.
- EPA fuel economy ratings (US-market).
Each guide page includes a Sources section and updated timestamp so readers can verify the underlying filings.
CarFocal Reliability Score
The CarFocal Reliability Score is a 1.0–10.0 metric derived from NHTSA recall and complaint counts, adjusted against segment averages. Higher scores indicate fewer reported issues relative to similar vehicles.
High-level formula
- Start at 10.0.
- Apply a scaled penalty when complaints exceed segment average.
- Apply a smaller penalty when recalls exceed segment average.
- Adjust based on NHTSA overall safety rating when available.
Important: Complaint counts reflect reporting volume, not a guaranteed failure rate. They should be read as a starting point to investigate common issues and verify recall completion.
Updates and Freshness
Recalls and complaints can change over time. We refresh data and annotate pages with the last refresh date so readers and AI tools can weight recency appropriately.
Global Rankings
Carfocal also publishes build-time research pages that aggregate manufacturer performance across eligible vehicles, both for all years combined and as yearly snapshots.
- Overall Score Index: average buyer-guide overall score by manufacturer.
- Reliability Index: average vehicle reliability scores by manufacturer.
- Ownership Risk Index: a 50/50 blend of inverted reliability score and maintenance burden.
Each index also publishes yearly static reports at URLs like /manufacturers/rankings/reliability/2020. All index pages publish an in-page changelog and are generated at build time so the public routes remain as static as the deployment pipeline allows.