Data you can trace.

RideTruth helps you research US vehicles and keep track of the cars you own. It is an independent, advertising-supported project.

Where the numbers come from

Recall campaigns and owner complaints come from NHTSA public datasets. Fuel economy and annual fuel-cost estimates come from EPA fuel economy data. Vehicle photos carry their source and license on the vehicle page. Missing photos use a body-style illustration.

What a comparison means

We join manufacturer, model and model-year records. Fuel-cost ranges reflect available configurations, not an invented average. Gasoline MPG and electric MPGe describe different things and must not be treated as interchangeable. A missing value is left unavailable, never replaced by zero.

EPA annual fuel-cost figures use EPA assumptions. They are not your total ownership cost or a live price quote. The fuel calculator lets you enter your own mileage, efficiency and fuel price. Your garage expenses are your own records, not market repair-cost estimates.

Complaints are not failure rates

NHTSA complaints are reports submitted by vehicle owners. They are not all independently confirmed. Raw counts do not account for sales volume, miles driven or vehicle age. A higher count alone does not prove that a car is less reliable or less safe.

Recalls need a VIN check

Campaign counts are deduplicated by NHTSA campaign number. A model-year campaign may not affect your exact vehicle. This catalog cannot tell whether a repair has been completed. Use NHTSA’s official VIN recall lookup or contact the manufacturer or dealer for your vehicle.

Updates and corrections

The catalog is a snapshot, not a real-time alert service. Source dates and individual campaign dates help put records in context. Sitemap modification dates change when the recorded page data changes, not merely when the site is rebuilt. Garage checks compare the current catalog with your saved campaign list.

Found a mismatch? Use our contact page and include the vehicle page and source record. We do not accept paid changes to the underlying numbers, rankings or complaint counts.

Free to use

RideTruth’s intended revenue comes from labeled advertising. Manufacturers do not sponsor the data. Advertising approval, placement and availability can vary. Research, the fuel calculator and the browser garage do not require a subscription.