How the AVOIR ownership score is built, and what it does and doesn't measure.
The AVOIR Score is a single 0–100 number that summarizes a vehicle's overall ownership value. It blends up to 7 independent scoring engines — reliability, longevity, maintenance cost, depreciation, performance, efficiency, and safety — using proprietary methodology weights. A higher score means a better ownership proposition: lower running costs, better long-term reliability, and stronger resale retention.
Each score falls into a named band: 90-100 Exceptional (Strong Buy), 80-89 Excellent (Buy), 70-79 Good (Consider), 60-69 Average (High Risk), 0-59 Poor (Avoid).
"High Risk" is the AVOIR recommendation for vehicles scoring between 60 and 69. It means the vehicle has above-average ownership costs or reliability concerns relative to its segment — not necessarily that the vehicle is unsafe to drive, but that ownership economics are unfavorable compared to higher-scoring alternatives. The score color shifts from amber toward red as the number drops below 60, where the recommendation becomes "Avoid."
"Avoid" is the recommendation for vehicles scoring below 60. These vehicles tend to have a combination of high maintenance costs, poor long-term reliability, heavy depreciation, or documented safety concerns. AVOIR suggests exploring alternatives with higher scores before committing to purchase or continued ownership.
"Strong Buy" is reserved for vehicles scoring 90 or above — the top tier. These vehicles score well across all measured dimensions: strong reliability track records, low maintenance costs, favorable depreciation curves, and good overall efficiency and performance for their class.
Each of the 7 scoring engines has its own 0–100 score displayed as a colored bar. The color follows the same scale: red/orange for low scores, amber/yellow for mid-range, and green for high scores. These per-engine bars let you see exactly which dimensions are dragging the overall score down or pulling it up.
AVOIR blends up to 7 engine scores using fixed methodology weights, then normalizes based on which engines have data for that vehicle. Engines without data simply don't participate — the remaining weights rescale to sum to 100%. A "Coverage" percentage is shown so you always know how complete a given score is. Safety also acts as a floor modifier: vehicles with poor crash ratings face a hard cap on their overall score regardless of other engine results.
Reliability 25% — NHTSA recall history, complaint volume, and issue severity. Longevity 20% — Projected lifespan based on brand durability and powertrain data. Maintenance 20% — Estimated ongoing repair and service costs over time. Depreciation 15% — Value retention curve compared to segment peers. Performance 10% — Powertrain output, responsiveness, and capability for the class. Efficiency 10% — EPA fuel economy, annual fuel cost, and emissions footprint. Safety 10% — IIHS and NHTSA crash test ratings and active safety awards.
Coverage (shown as a percentage) reflects how much of the full 7-engine methodology is represented in a vehicle's score. A vehicle with all 7 engines scored has 100% coverage and a "High" confidence rating. A vehicle with only 2–3 engines has lower coverage and "Medium" or "Low" confidence. Coverage lets you quickly judge whether the score is a comprehensive verdict or a partial estimate.
AVOIR draws from multiple sources including the EPA fuel economy database (efficiency), NHTSA recall and complaint databases (reliability and safety), IIHS crash test ratings (safety), and proprietary listing price snapshots (depreciation). Additional engine data comes from our internal scoring models. Source data is blended and normalized — individual sources are never disclosed in a way that allows reverse-engineering the raw data.
Where possible, yes. NHTSA complaint volume reflects real owner-reported issues. Our depreciation engine uses periodic snapshots of actual listing prices from the market. We continue to expand the data sources powering each engine as part of our ongoing methodology improvements.
Search for any vehicle on the main dashboard, open its AVOIR Report, and click "Add to Garage." You can save multiple vehicles — useful for comparing vehicles you own or are considering. Once saved, each card in My Garage displays the AVOIR Score and a profile completeness meter.
The small progress bar on each garage card shows how complete your vehicle profile is. Points are awarded for adding a VIN, mileage, color, purchase date, purchase price, service records, and photos. A complete profile helps you get more accurate answers from Ask AVOIR and unlocks richer analysis features.
"Ask AVOIR" is a contextual AI assistant on each garage vehicle. It knows your vehicle's make, model, year, trim, mileage, AVOIR scores, and service history. Ask it questions like "When should I expect my next major maintenance cost?" or "Is this depreciation rate normal for my segment?" Conversations are saved to help us improve the experience over time.
On each garage card, click "Remove" and then confirm with "Yes" in the inline prompt. Removing a vehicle only removes it from your saved list — the vehicle's AVOIR Score data remains available if you search for it again.
Core AVOIR Scores and the dashboard are free. Premium features — deeper analysis, unlimited garage slots, and advanced research tools — are available with a subscription. See the Pricing page for details.
Efficiency data is refreshed from the EPA database annually. Reliability data (NHTSA recalls and complaints) is updated on a rolling basis as new campaigns are issued. Depreciation snapshots are captured periodically from active market listings. Safety ratings reflect the latest published IIHS and NHTSA results. Scores are recomputed when underlying data changes.
AVOIR currently covers model years in the EPA fuel economy database, which spans back to 1984 for most makes. Coverage for reliability and depreciation engines is strongest for the last 15 model years. Older vehicles may show lower coverage percentages if certain data sources don't extend that far back.
Email us at hello@askavoir.com. We typically respond within one business day.
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