Used car ratings are everywhere, but no one has looked at dependability the way we do: year by year, across a vehicle’s entire life, using what owners report. The CarDependability Index (CDi) is built from the complaint and recall records drivers file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), not survey panels or first-impression quality scores.
Every covered model year earns two plain measures: an Early CDi for how it holds up in its first three years, and a Long-Term CDi for how it fares over the long haul. The Long-Term CDi is ranked only against other vehicles from the same model year, and we report recalls separately rather than folding them into the grade. Recalls involve only safety issues, which, while important, don’t always affect reliability.
You may notice that we don’t have ratings for the most recent model years, typically the two or three newest years. This is by design, as owner feedback takes time to accumulate and problems don’t often surface until the vehicle has some miles on it. We’ll leave the educated guesses to others and work strictly with verifiable data.
We’ll be the first to say CDi scoring should be part of an overall process for evaluating a used vehicle. You’ll want to get a vehicle history report and, if possible, take the car for a thorough test drive. A pre-purchase inspection from a qualified mechanic is also a smart move. These steps help put the odds in your favor.
Our work comes from a team of automotive journalists, data nerds, and consumer advocates who want to help buyers better navigate the used car market. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Have an idea, or looking for data on a vehicle we haven’t covered yet? Let us know!