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Used car insights





What we actually find when we inspect used cars — the faults, the cover-ups, and what really lasts. Drawn from real pre-purchase inspections, not brochures or forum lore.

Cars inspected5,154
Issues discovered28,270
Body damage found30,985
Pictures taken217,102
Last updateAug 1, 2026
What we found
4%
Structural damage
60/100
Average condition
75%
Had prior bodywork
23%
Codes cleared pre-sale


Every car we inspect receives a thorough examination and an overall score from 0 to 100. A perfect score of 100 indicates a vehicle in like-new condition with no technical or cosmetic issues. Points are deducted for each issue in proportion to the complexity and cost of the repair. This scoring system, paired with real data on what commonly goes wrong, gives you a clear and honest overview of the used car market and what to watch for when buying your next vehicle.

Most common faults

Oil leaks · Engine
55%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
38%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
34%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
32%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
22%
Lights not working · Equipment
14%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
14%
Fluid leaks · Steering (hydraulic power)
13%
Oil leaks · Automatic transmission
13%
Leaking or worn shock absorbers · Suspension
12%

Share of inspected cars where each item was flagged.

How they score

Excellent 16% Good 37% Mediocre 36% Poor 11%

Filter by the age, price or mileage of the car you're considering — the faults and scores update as you drag. One filter at a time.

All ages · 5,147 cars All prices All mileages
Odds of finding a good car
$
Those are the average odds at your budget. Some makes beat them by a mile — and keep running longer. We ranked every make, with the model year and mileage to look for.
Show the best makes →

Popular budgets: $5k · $10k · $15k · $20k · $30k · $40k

How long will it last?

How far each brand typically holds up — the mileage where the average one's inspection score dips below decent (55/100), by body type, from every vehicle we've inspected (rolled-back odometers excluded). The bars share one scale, so you can see how much longer trucks and SUVs tend to run than cars.

A striped bar means we don't have enough of that body type for the brand yet, so we show its overall figure — it sharpens into a body-type number as we inspect more.

Reliability trends

Is each brand getting more reliable over the years, or less? We compare its newer models against its older ones — always at the same age, 5–10 years old, so the comparison is fair. Some are clearly improving; others are coasting on a reputation they earned long ago. The three biggest movers:


Honda ▼ Newer Hondas aren't holding up as well 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 65% in good shape (age-adjusted; 53 cars, raw 62%) 65 2015–17: 51% in good shape (age-adjusted; 94 cars, raw 49%) 51 2018+: 40% in good shape (age-adjusted; 48 cars, raw 48%) 40 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
Audi ▲ Newer Audis are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 61% in good shape (age-adjusted; 19 cars, raw 63%) 61 2015–17: 54% in good shape (age-adjusted; 24 cars, raw 50%) 54 2018+: 79% in good shape (age-adjusted; 20 cars, raw 85%) 79 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
Nissan ↘↗ Dipped in the mid-2010s — the newest generation recovered 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 65% in good shape (age-adjusted; 29 cars, raw 59%) 65 2015–17: 45% in good shape (age-adjusted; 45 cars, raw 44%) 45 2018+: 56% in good shape (age-adjusted; 50 cars, raw 64%) 56 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+

See every brand's trajectory →  ·  Or put two brands head to head →

Record holders

Every dataset has its legends. Real cars people asked us to inspect — photographed, scored, and never forgotten.

Plymouth Special Delux
1947
the oldest
Plymouth Special Delux
with only ~11k miles on the clock
2023 Aston Martin DBS 770
$349,996
the priciest
2023 Aston Martin DBS 770
scored 95/100 — money well spent
1993 Lexus LS400
455,000 mi
the highest mileage
1993 Lexus LS400
asking $900 — and still rolling
2015 KIA Optima
$500
the cheapest
2015 KIA Optima
scored 32/100 — you get what you pay for
2003 Toyota Solara
0/100
the lowest score ever
2003 Toyota Solara
asking $3,000 — held together by hope
Buying a used car? Get it inspected before you pay — the average car we check hides 5 issues.
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Every brand we've inspected: Acura · Audi · BMW · Buick · Cadillac · Chevrolet · Chrysler · Dodge · Ford · Genesis · GMC · Honda · Hyundai · Infiniti · Jaguar · Jeep · Kia · Lexus · Lincoln · Mazda · Mercedes · Nissan · Porsche · RAM · Subaru · Tesla · Toyota · Volkswagen · Volvo — each profile lists the models we've checked.

Based on 5,147 inspections · 55 models · updated Aug 1, 2026