Ratings

As you’ve probably noticed, we focus on cars that are fun to drive. There are plenty of automotive appliances out there – providing all the transportation tasks a person could need without any passion whatsoever. Our goal is to showcase those cars that can do all the errands and tasks while still reminding the driver that cars are fun and driving can leave you grinning and breathless.

In all of our reviews we show a rating to offer some conclusion or headline to our comments. We know we can't please everyone and have no intention of doing so. But at the same time, we've learned that critiques of a car tend to hit far harder than the positives we say. When we say 10 great things, but 2 negative things, the audience sometimes goes away thinking "They completely hated that car" - which might not be true at all.

So here we offer a further explanation, or key, to our on-screen ratings:

<a href="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/1Tire.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1494" alt="1Tire" src="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/1Tire.jpg" width="140" height="34" /></a> - Do not buy this car. No one should own this car. Truth is, there are plenty of boring cars out there, but very few that are so truly awful that we would actively tell people to avoid them. But, a mini-van would go here, and most FWD sedans you can find as a rental car.

<a href="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2Tire.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-1495" alt="2Tire" src="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2Tire.jpg" width="140" height="34" /></a> - Fine. Average. An acceptable car, but not exciting us. A Camry or Accord goes here. There’s no question they are decent and usable vehicles for the long term. But we aren't going to recommend anyone go out and buy one expecting to have fun.

<a href="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3Tire.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-1497" alt="3Tire" src="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3Tire.jpg" width="140" height="34" /></a> - A good car. If someone goes out to buy this car, we would encourage them. Fun, rewarding, and a worthwhile enthusiast purchase.

<a href="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3-5Tire.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-1496" alt="3-5Tire" src="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3-5Tire.jpg" width="140" height="34" /></a> (Because we've used it a lot) - Recommended. If you've even thought about it, you should get one... a great car. This doesn’t mean the reviewer would spend his own money on this car, but there’s no denying its charms.

<a href="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/4Tire.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-1498" alt="4Tire" src="http://everydaydriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/4Tire.jpg" width="140" height="34" /></a> – This is car we would definitely want to have in our garage. These are rare gems we would drive any chance we got. In general, we don't give 4 stars to a car we would not own. Paul has made two exceptions - the GTR and Lotus Elise. Todd has made 2 exceptions: The MazdaSpeed 3 and the Camaro SS. Those are cars they think are awesome and deserve the highest rating possible... but wouldn't actually buy if it came down to it.

<em>1/2 Wheels blur the lines between any two categories (see 3.5 wheels)</em>

Finally, keep in mind we are rating each car based on how well it performs in its portion of the marketplace. As a result, you can have the Ferrari California and Dodge Charger both receiving 3.5 stars. Of course, that doesn’t mean they are the same kind of car or equally fun to drive.

We hope this explanation helps make our ratings even clearer. And looking back, the guys sometimes wish they could go back and adjust their ratings. But, what’s done (and posted to the internet) is done. It’s not a perfect system, but we consider it an important part of our reviews.

<strong>As always, thanks for watching and we welcome your thoughts below!</strong>