DecodedCarsAbout DecodedCars
DecodedCars is an independent website that brings together public U.S. government vehicle data so you can compare cars model year by model year in one place. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA, the EPA, the U.S. Department of Transportation or any manufacturer.
Where the data comes from
- Recalls and owner complaints — NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation bulk data files, downloaded daily.
- Crash-test ratings — NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings).
- Trims, horsepower and safety equipment — NHTSA vPIC, as reported by manufacturers.
- Engines, MPG, EV range, charging time, CO₂ and fuel cost — EPA fuel economy data.
- Dimensions and curb weight — Canadian Vehicle Specifications, Transport Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).
- Model overviews and photos — Wikipedia article summaries (CC BY-SA 4.0) and freely licensed Wikimedia Commons photos, credited under each photo.
- Trending and most-researched rankings — English Wikipedia article pageview counts (Wikimedia, CC0).
Complaint breakdowns, class-average comparisons, pros and cons, year-by-year comparisons and rankings are calculated by DecodedCars. We never publish owners' complaint narratives or any personal details from complaint records.
How each page is made
Every night an automated process downloads the official files, matches NHTSA and EPA records by make, model and year, works out the comparisons and rebuilds the whole site. Summaries, pros and cons and used-car checklists are written from those figures with fixed rules that are the same for every model, explained on our Methodology page. That way no model gets special treatment, and any correction is applied to every page at once.
What we don't do
We don't sell cars, take money from manufacturers or dealers, or publish paid reviews. We don't show prices, because there is no official, open source for them. And we never reproduce the narratives owners send to NHTSA — we only count complaints by system and year.
Accuracy
Pages are rebuilt automatically every day, so very recent changes may take a day to appear. Recalls apply to specific vehicles: always confirm your car's status with its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer. See Terms & disclaimer.
Who it's for
DecodedCars is built for people choosing a new or used car: shortlisting by size, efficiency and safety, checking a particular model year before a test drive, or comparing two rivals side by side. The tools — car finder, VIN decoder, fuel cost and loan calculators, and garage fit — run in your browser and never ask for personal details.
Advertising
DecodedCars is free and supported by display advertising, which is labeled as such.