The Hidden Complexity of CarSorted Score Calculation

Every spec, price and rating on CarSorted is sourced from a small set of authoritative places. We do not use journalist articles, review-aggregator estimates or word-of-mouth as primary sources for the data displayed on car detail pages.

Primary data sources

• Manufacturer Australian websites are the source of truth for pricing, dimensions, fuel economy, towing capacity, transmission, drivetrain, equipment lists and warranty terms. We use the official AU configurator, brochure or spec PDF for every car in our database.
• ANCAP (ancap.com.au) for safety star ratings, the protocol year the rating was issued under, individual category scores (adult occupant, child occupant, vulnerable road users, safety assist) and the official PDF crash report URL.
• Green Vehicle Guide (gvg.gov.au) for the official Australian fuel-economy and CO2 emissions data used in our running-cost calculations.
• infrastructure.gov.au for NVES compliance status and current cents-per-kilometre ATO benchmark.
• Glass's Guide and dealer auction data for resale value retention figures (used cautiously and labelled as estimates).

What we explicitly don't use

• No journalist or review-site data. We don't pull pricing or specs from CarSales, Drive, CarExpert, CarsGuide or WhichCar. Those are great editorial sources but they go stale and aren't the manufacturer's official position.
• No AI-generated car images. Every car photo on CarSorted is either a manufacturer press image (with credit) or an editorial photograph from a manufacturer or owner. AI-generated imagery is banned.
• No paid placements. No manufacturer pays for ranking, recommendation or visibility on CarSorted. Our buying-guide rankings are based on the algorithmic scoring described below, not commercial relationships.
• No dealer commissions. CarSorted does not currently take dealer commissions, lead-generation fees or affiliate revenue from car sales. If that changes we'll disclose it prominently.

Update cadence

• New model launches: added within 7 days of Australian announcement, sometimes earlier when configurator pricing is live before launch.
• Price changes: we monitor manufacturer Australian sites monthly and on each major auto-show news cycle. Material price changes update the same day they are confirmed.
• ANCAP ratings: updated within 48 hours of ANCAP publishing a new test result or protocol-year change.
• News articles: include a "Last reviewed" date in the disclaimer footer when specs or pricing in the article have been verified against the source.

Found an error?

If you spot incorrect pricing, an outdated ANCAP rating, a dimensional error or a missing variant, we want to know. Email hello@carsorted.ai with the URL of the page and what you believe is incorrect. We aim to respond within 48 hours and update the underlying data within 7 days where the correction can be verified against a primary source.

Data integrity is our biggest single differentiator versus older review sites that have let their spec databases drift over time. If you find a single price or stat we got wrong, that is a bug we want to fix.

The Six Core Scores

Each vehicle in our database receives six independent scores. These are calculated algorithmically from manufacturer specifications - no human bias, no paid placements.

Safety is heavily weighted toward ANCAP ratings, with bonus points for active safety features.

Efficiency compares fuel/energy consumption against segment averages. EVs automatically score higher.

Value measures what you get for your money compared to segment competitors.

Our overall score uses Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), a weighted scoring system that can be customised based on user priorities:

Default weights: Safety (20%), Value for Money (20%), Fuel Economy (15%), Reliability (15%), Practicality (15%), Technology (10%), Performance (5%)

Value is weighted heavily because CarSorted exists to help buyers find the best car for their money. Performance is weighted lowest because most buyers prioritise running costs over 0-100 times.

Users can adjust weights in comparison mode to match their priorities.

Our reliability score is an estimate calculated from publicly available data sources:

Depreciation percentages are based on historical market trends for similar vehicles:

• Year 1: Typically 15-25% depending on brand and segment
• Year 3: Cumulative 35-50% from new price
• Year 5: Cumulative 50-65% from new price

Estimates only. Actual depreciation varies significantly based on condition, kilometres, market demand, colour, and economic factors.

Our true cost calculation includes:

• Depreciation: Estimated value loss over ownership period
• Fuel/Energy: Based on 15,000 km/year standard assumption
• Insurance: Estimated average for vehicle class
• Servicing: Based on manufacturer scheduled service costs
• Registration: State-based registration fees
• Tyres: Estimated replacement costs

Standard assumption: 15,000 km/year. Adjust in calculator for your actual driving.

Stamp duty is calculated based on state government rates:

Rates as at March 2026. EV incentives and luxury car tax may apply. Verify with your state revenue office.

Running costs are calculated using:

• Petrol: Combined fuel consumption × average price ($1.90/L default)
• Diesel: Combined fuel consumption × average price ($2.10/L default)
• Electric: Energy consumption × average electricity ($0.32/kWh default)
• Hybrid: Weighted average based on typical usage split

Fuel consumption figures from Green Vehicle Guide (ADR 81/02 test cycle).

We compare against the ATO's cents per kilometre rate for work-related car expenses:

This ATO benchmark represents an average cost including fuel, depreciation, registration, insurance, and maintenance. Cars costing less than this to run are highlighted as efficient.

The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) came into effect January 2025. We indicate:

• Compliant: Vehicles meeting current CO2 targets
• Credit earning: Low emission vehicles earning credits
• Credit using: Higher emission vehicles using credits

NVES may affect future pricing of high-emission vehicles. Source: infrastructure.gov.au

When comparing two cars, our shareable cards and comparison pages generate a verdict line. Here is how we determine the winner:

1. Fuel cost difference (priority 1): If annual fuel costs differ by more than $300, the cheaper car wins the verdict. Calculated as: fuel consumption (L/100km or kWh/100km) x 15,000km x fuel price ($1.90/L petrol, $0.30/kWh electricity). Multiplied by 5 for the 5-year figure.
2. Purchase price (priority 2): If fuel costs are similar but price differs by more than $3,000, the cheaper car wins the verdict. Uses manufacturer RRP, not driveaway.
3. Safety rating (priority 3): If one car has a higher ANCAP star rating, it wins the safety verdict.
4. Fallback: If all metrics are close, we show "Very close. See full comparison." No false winner is declared.

Our shareable comparison cards show 6 key specs. The specs shown adapt based on the car types being compared:

• Always shown: Price (RRP), Power (kW), Safety (ANCAP stars)
• Petrol/hybrid cars: Fuel economy (L/100km), boot space, towing (if both tow 1,000kg+) or 0-100 time
• Electric cars: Range (km), efficiency (kWh/100km), 0-100 time
• Utes: Towing capacity replaces boot space, payload shown when relevant

All specs are sourced from manufacturer-published data in our database. Green highlighting indicates the winning value in each category. Winners are determined by the objectively better number (lower fuel = better, higher boot = better, etc).