The Car Connection: Inside Our Car Rating Process
Car research isn’t as easy as it should be. It can be complex, frustrating and time-consuming. We’re
here to help. The Car Connection provides car ratings, reviews and shopping tools that simplify the car
buying process—from any device.
Our Approach
Our reviews are the product of decades of experience from some of the most experienced automotive
writers working today. Our experts drive nearly 200 new vehicles each year, including advance drives
of new vehicles not yet available to the general public. We test drive vehicles that have been substantially
updated with new styling, new safety gear and new engines and transmissions. Our team assigns numeric ratings
for a set of categories most important to car shoppers to create an overall TCC Rating which compares to all
other vehicles we review—so you know if a minivan’s fuel economy compares well with that of a pickup truck,
for example.
Most mass-market brands and some luxury brands are included in our rating system, though ultra-luxury vehicles are omitted due to low sales volume, extreme pricing and a lack of safety data. The Car Connection accepts free travel and meals from automotive manufacturers to bring you this comprehensive, expert look at the new-car market.
Most mass-market brands and some luxury brands are included in our rating system, though ultra-luxury vehicles are omitted due to low sales volume, extreme pricing and a lack of safety data. The Car Connection accepts free travel and meals from automotive manufacturers to bring you this comprehensive, expert look at the new-car market.
What is the TCC Rating System?
We rate cars based on Style, Performance, Comfort and Quality, Safety, Features, and Green. Each category starts at a baseline score of 5, and goes up or down from there. Since the system weighs all categories equally, fuel economy (and electrification) presents itself strongly in the TCC Rating. Ratings are updated at least four times a year, as new data becomes available.
- Styling: Points can be earned or lost based on above- or below-average interior and exterior style; excellent or poor interior or exterior style; and exceptional (or very poor) style.
- Performance: Points can be earned or lost based on powertrain performance; ride and handling performance. Exceptionally quick (0-60 mph in less than 5 seconds) or exceptionally slow (0-60 mph in more than 10 seconds) can earn or lose an additional point. An additional point can be awarded (or lost) for exceptional circumstances, i.e. off-road prowess, or supercar credentials.
- Comfort and Quality: Points can be earned or lost based on comfort in the front seats, back seats, or third-row seats (where applicable); good or bad interior storage and cargo capacity; and good fit and finish.
- Safety: Cars with official crash data gain points for a five-star overall rating by the NHTSA, or Top Safety Pick/Top Safety Pick+ status by the IIHS. An additional point is awarded for cars that come standard with full-speed automatic emergency braking. We award points for excellent outward vision and for abundant safety features and options such as parking assistance, surround-view camera systems, or driver-assistance features. Cars with official crash data lose points for a four-star overall rating by NHTSA, any “Marginal” IIHS or three-star NHTSA ratings, for poor outward vision, and when they lack forward-collision warnings and automatic emergency braking. Cars without crash data aren’t given a rating at all. Cars with only partial ratings may be scored, generally when it improves their score.
- Features: Cars with excellent base equipment earn a point above average. Extra points can be added for exceptional available features, good value, good infotainment systems with screens larger than 7.0 inches, and good warranty or service programs. Cars may lose points for substandard or expensive features; bad feature packages; poor relative value; or bad warranty or service availability.
- Green (Fuel Economy): Cars are assigned a rating based on their EPA-estimated highway and combined mileage ratings. Plug-in hybrids start at 7. Electric-only cars with efficiency ratings of better than 3.0 miles/kwh earn a 10. All other vehicles are sorted on a sliding scale based on EPA fuel economy.
So...what’s a good car? What’s the best car to buy?
We’ll tell you! For most models, we’ll identify our picks for powertrain and popular
combinations we think are important to buy. Our ratings may not appear as "perfect 10s" as they
will on other sites, but our carefully constructed system gives cars room to improve, puts safety
and fuel economy on par with performance and styling, and gives you a set of numeric ratings that
you can use to directly compare vehicles even outside segments. Pick a pickup truck and a
family sedan—our rating system remains the same.
And make sure to catch up with our overall picks each year as we choose our Best Car To Buy award winners.
And make sure to catch up with our overall picks each year as we choose our Best Car To Buy award winners.
Contact Us
We’d love to hear your feedback, tips and ideas. You can reach us by email. Follow us on social media and subscribe to our daily email newsletter.
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