Editorial policy

CarComparison exists to help UK drivers choose and run a car using evidence rather than opinion. This page explains where our figures come from, how we check them, and how the site is paid for.

Where our figures come from

Every number on the site comes from an official or primary source, and each page says which. Reliability comes from the 30,771,766 MOT tests DVSA published for cars aged 3 to 20 in 2024, adjusted for each car's age and mileage so old, high-mileage cars aren't unfairly marked down. Fuel economy and CO2 come from the Vehicle Certification Agency. Prices, sizes and performance come from manufacturers' UK price lists and specifications, safety ratings from Euro NCAP, fuel prices from the government's Fuel Finder service, and every tax rate from GOV.UK, HMRC or the Budget documents. The full list, with how often each is updated and its licence, is on our data sources page.

Where we don't have a reliable figure, we leave it blank rather than estimate it. We don't use figures from forums, dealer adverts or unofficial databases.

How we check

• Tax calculators are tested against HMRC's and GOV.UK's published tables, and every tax page shows the date its rates were last checked.
• When the rules change, for example at a Budget, we update the calculators from the official documents and say what changed.
• Reliability scores are rebuilt from scratch each time DVSA publishes a new year of MOT data, using the same published method every year.
• We use software, including AI tools, to process large datasets and help draft text. A person checks what we publish against the sources.

Corrections

If something looks wrong, please tell us, with the page address. We check every report against the source. If we got it wrong, we fix it promptly, and for anything that changes a conclusion we say on the page what we corrected.

Independence and how we make money

CarComparison is free to use. To pay for it, the site may show advertising, and some links to paid services (such as a full vehicle history check) are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy. These links are labelled.

Money never changes our figures or rankings. Manufacturers, dealers and advertisers can't pay to appear, to be ranked higher, or to see or change anything before it's published, and we don't accept free cars or trips.

Who's responsible

CarComparison is run by a small independent team in the UK, responsible for everything the site publishes. You can read more about us or contact us.

We are not affiliated with the DVLA, DVSA, HMRC or any other government body, or with any car manufacturer.