Rate Your Car is a 60-second, no-writing-required rating across 6 fixed categories (reliability, comfort, value, performance, tech, styling) scored 1-5 stars each, distinct from a full written review. Ratings require a logged Garage vehicle but not a Verified Owner badge, and a model's displayed average needs a minimum of 10 ratings before it's shown publicly to avoid a single rating skewing the number.
At a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Categories rated | Reliability, comfort, value, performance, tech, styling |
| Scale | 1-5 stars per category |
| Written text | Optional, not required |
| Minimum to display average | 10 ratings per model/trim |
| Requires Garage entry | Yes; Verified Owner badge not required |
How it's different from writing a full review
A full review on True Motion Auto is a written piece that goes through moderation before publishing. Rate Your Car skips the writing entirely — you pick a star score in six fixed categories and submit, no queue, no wait, live immediately as a data point in the model's average. You can optionally add a short comment, but it's not required and isn't moderated the way a full review is, since there's no narrative claim to check.
The six rating categories
| Category | What it captures |
|---|---|
| Reliability | How often anything has gone wrong |
| Comfort | Seats, ride quality, cabin space |
| Value | Whether it felt worth the price paid |
| Performance | Acceleration, handling, driving feel |
| Tech | Infotainment, driver-assist features |
| Styling | Exterior and interior looks |
How the model average is calculated and shown
Each category average is a simple mean of all submitted ratings for that year/make/model/trim. The overall star score shown on a listing is the mean of the six category averages. Averages only display publicly once a model/trim has at least 10 ratings — below that, the page shows "Not enough ratings yet" rather than a potentially misleading number from one or two people.
Step by step: rating your car
- Make sure the vehicle is logged in My Garage.
- Go to the vehicle's listing or your Garage entry and select "Rate this car."
- Score each of the 6 categories 1-5 stars.
- Optionally add a one-line comment.
- Submit — it posts immediately, no moderation delay.
You can update your own rating at any time (say, after a repair changes your reliability view), and only your latest submission counts toward the average — ratings aren't additive across resubmissions.
Why some ratings get excluded from the average
- Duplicate ratings from the same account for the same vehicle — only the latest counts.
- Ratings from accounts flagged for coordinated/bulk-rating behavior on a single listing.
- Ratings on a vehicle not actually logged in the rater's Garage.
Reading ratings vs. reviews together
Star ratings are best read alongside written reviews rather than instead of them — a model can score high on "reliability" broadly while a specific written review flags a known issue with one particular model year, which the aggregate rating won't capture.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to write anything to rate my car?
Do I need a Verified Owner badge to rate a car?
Why doesn't a model show a star rating yet?
Can I change my rating later?
How is the overall star score calculated?
Sources & further reading
Figures, prices and policy details were current at the last-updated date above. Automotive pricing, incentives and regulations change frequently — verify time-sensitive details with the linked primary sources. Read our editorial policy and fact-checking standards.
