Methodology
On Bestest, every vehicle is in or out. There's no middle ground. We evaluate every model on reliability, resale value, safety, and expert reception — and only the top combined performers earn a spot. The models at the bottom go on our avoid list, where they stay. Most other vehicles simply don't appear on the site.
To make the cut, a vehicle has to:
Fewer than half of the models in most segments make our cut. Many segments are tighter than that.
We don't rely on what one source said today. We blend years of independent industry data with two decades of hands-on experience from our founder, Jason Allan, formerly head of vehicle reviews and ratings at Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader.
The sources we trust:
We combine all of that into a single Bestest score, then make two decisions for each model: do we feature it on Bestest, and do we explicitly exclude it. The middle group — vehicles that aren't featured but also aren't on our avoid list — simply don't appear on the site.
We don't carry performance cars, coupes, convertibles, or dedicated off-roaders. Those shoppers care more about driving feel and personality than long-term reliability and resale. We focus on the everyday picks: the cars and SUVs most shoppers actually need to count on.
We also avoid specific trims, model years, and entire models. A few examples:
The cheapest Toyota RAV4 trim disproportionately comes from rental and corporate fleets and is missing key equipment. We don't list RAV4 LEs.
Even great models have years to skip. The 2022 Hyundai Tucson is a good example. That was the first year of a full redesign, and it showed. While the hybrid engine is fine, the all-gas engine developed a pattern of fuel injector failures that could cause sudden loss of power, serious enough that Hyundai eventually instructed dealers to replace all four injectors as a set. Federal complaint data for the 2022 runs several times higher than the model's other years. So we don't list the gas-only 2022 Tucsons, even though we recommend the model overall.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee. Jeep finished near the bottom of Consumer Reports' Brand Report Card three years running. The 2022 Grand Cherokee alone has 20+ NHTSA recalls. We won't put a friend in one.
Our avoid list is dozens of entries long and grows as we find problem cases.
The full list. Every model Bestest lists in Orange County, and every one it leaves out, is published as a machine-readable file at shopbestest.com/curation.json. It updates daily and carries each model's status, its scoped rules by year, trim, powertrain and engine, and the reason wherever one is written. Anyone can read it, including an AI shopping assistant.
Bestest sorts the used models it scores into three groups, and every model page says which one the car is in, in its first line. The ones Bestest lists. Their pages answer "Should you buy a used {model}?" with Yes, and the cars for sale sit right under the answer. The ones that are fine, not among the best. Decent cars that trail the top of their segment on resale, in the reviews, or both. Their pages answer Probably not, say what's honestly good about the car, where it trails, and how to shop for one anyway. The two we wouldn't let a friend buy. Their pages answer No, and say why. The line between the groups is Jason Allan's call, made once per model and written down on its page.
Two examples: Should you buy a used Chevrolet Equinox? Probably not. and Should you buy a used Ford Escape? No.
Each page for a model Bestest doesn't list opens with a chart: five pairs of bars, one pair each for Car and Driver, Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, five-year resale (CarEdge and iSeeCars, blended) and reliability (repair bills). Bar length is the model's position among the models Bestest scores in its segment: a full-width bar is first, the shortest last. The green bar in each pair is the average position of the models Bestest lists in that segment; the other bar is the model the page is about, colored green when it sits at that average or above, amber when it sits below, red when it sits well below. A reviewer's score is averaged across the 2023 and 2024 model years (newer model years only when neither is rated), and a model is ranked only where that source rates it, so the field can differ from one pair to the next. The sentence under the chart gives every rank in words. Bars never show scores; pass or fail is the only rating Bestest gives.
Bestest measures reliability by repair bills: what insurers expect to pay to fix a used car bought with about 30,000 miles. The numbers come from the rates insurers file with the California Department of Insurance for mechanical-breakdown coverage, the policies that pay for covered repairs after the factory warranty ends. An insurer has to support each rate with its own claims history, so a model that costs more to cover is one that has cost more to fix. Bestest averages four insurers' figures and compares each model with the others in its segment. The measure blends how often things break with how much they cost to fix. It doesn't count electronics and infotainment glitches that never become a claim, routine maintenance, or wear items like brakes and tires.
Hyundai, Kia, Genesis and Mitsubishi sell a 10-year powertrain warranty that doesn't transfer to a second owner, and the insurers price used cars from those brands as a group. Bestest scores them at twice the lowest repair bills in their segment, a figure that partly reflects that non-transferable warranty. Where no insurer prices a model, its reliability in the score falls back on Consumer Reports' owner surveys, and its page shows no reliability rank.
Consumer Reports' surveys and the federal complaint record still appear in written reasons where they back up the call, always with attribution. We don't republish those ratings as rankings.
The models Bestest scores in each segment, and which of them count as peers for the chart, are set once per segment by Jason Allan in Bestest's scoring table and change only when a model enters or leaves the segment.
Under the written reason, every page for a model Bestest doesn't list names the models Bestest does list in that segment, all of them, in order of their lowest current listing price in Orange County, each with one line on where it ranks against the model on the page and a link to its cars for sale. Nothing is hand-picked and no commercial arrangement affects the list, because none exists.
What a Bestest screen is. A Bestest screen is a rules-based check at the model, year, trim, powertrain, mileage and dealer level using published safety, reliability and market data. It is not a mechanical inspection, history report or warranty of a specific vehicle's condition.
Listings refresh daily from approved dealer feeds. Methodology revisions are documented here with date and rationale.
Last methodology update: October 22, 2026. Reliability is now measured by repair bills, from insurers' California rate filings, everywhere on Bestest: in the score, on the charts and in the copy. Consumer Reports' owner surveys fill in only where the insurers don't price a model.
Jason Allan is the founder and editor of Bestest. Before founding the site, Jason served as head of vehicle reviews and ratings at Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader, where he spent more than 20 years driving and researching cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans. If you've ever trusted an expert-based KBB review, rating, or award, there's a good chance you've trusted his guidance.
Bestest is the next chapter of that work. Instead of telling shoppers which cars to avoid alongside listings for those same cars, Bestest only lists the ones we'd actually recommend.
When you see a vehicle on Bestest, three things are true:
We're not for everyone. If you're shopping under $15,000, looking for a sports car, or chasing the latest tech first, you'll need to look elsewhere. But if you want to buy a great everyday used vehicle without burning weekends researching, Bestest is the best way there is.
We're launching in Orange County, California — close enough to vet every dealer ourselves and maintain our curation standard on both the vehicles and the dealers selling them. We'll expand to additional markets as the model proves out.
Why does Bestest list so few used vehicles compared to other sites?
We only list models that earn a strong combined score on reliability, resale value, safety, and expert reception — typically fewer than half the models in any given segment. Big-volume listing sites promote the same vehicles they tell shoppers to avoid. We don't.
How is a Bestest recommendation different from a single award like Top Safety Pick or KBB 5-Year Resale Value?
Single awards measure single dimensions. Bestest evaluates reliability, resale value, expert reception, and safety together. A vehicle can win a Top Safety Pick but score middling on resale, or vice versa. Bestest only features vehicles with a strong combined score across all four.
How does Bestest measure reliability?
By repair bills: what insurers expect to pay to fix a used car bought with about 30,000 miles, from the rates they file with the California Department of Insurance. Insurers have real claims data and the most money at stake. More on how it works.
Why doesn't Bestest carry performance cars or convertibles?
Performance cars, coupes, convertibles, and dedicated off-roaders are evaluated on different criteria — driving feel, personality, weekend usability — than long-term reliability and resale. We focus on the everyday picks: the cars and SUVs most shoppers actually depend on.
Why only Orange County?
We hand-vet every dealer we work with. Restricting to one market lets us maintain our curation standard on both vehicles and dealers. We'll expand once the model proves out elsewhere.
Why is every Bestest listing from a factory-authorized dealer?
Factory-authorized dealers answer to the automaker. Franchise stores face manufacturer audits, regular inspections, and brand-level oversight, and a few brands, like Tesla, sell through stores they run themselves. There are also respected independent used-car dealers — we may add specific ones on a case-by-case basis as we expand and verify them.
What kinds of vehicles end up on the avoid list?
Specific trims (the cheapest RAV4 LE because of fleet sourcing), specific year-and-powertrain combos (the gas-only 2022 Tucson for fuel injector failures), and entire models (the Jeep Grand Cherokee for chronic brand-level quality issues).
Are Bestest's picks ranked?
No. Within each market segment, our picks are equal-tier — we don't tell you which one is best. We may organize them into editorial tiers (Gold Standards, Personality Plus, Bang for the Buck) to highlight each pick's distinct strengths, but we never assign numbered rankings between recommendations.
— Jason Allan
Founder, Bestest
