Sources and licenses
Every page on this site is built from open data. This page lists each source, what we use it for and its license. Naming a source does not mean that agency or project endorses this site.
| Data | Source | Used for | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner complaints | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL), monthly import | Model, year and brand pages, rankings | U.S. government work, public domain (17 U.S.C. 105); data.gov lists it as public. We publish counts only, never complaint text, locations or VINs |
| Recalls | NHTSA recalls flat files (FLAT_RCL) | Model, year and brand pages | Public domain (17 U.S.C. 105) |
| Defect investigations | NHTSA investigations flat file (FLAT_INV) | Model-year pages | Public domain (17 U.S.C. 105) |
| Crash test stars | NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, Safety Ratings API | Model and model-year pages (as a fact only) | Public domain (17 U.S.C. 105) |
| Fuel economy | U.S. EPA and DOE, fueleconomy.gov vehicles data file | MPG pages, calculators | EPA Standard Open Data License: public domain. We use only the figures from the data file, not the text, guides or photos of fueleconomy.gov |
| Gas prices | U.S. Energy Information Administration, weekly U.S. regular retail gasoline price | MPG pages, calculators | Public domain; EIA asks that the source be cited |
| U.S. sales by model | Automaker sales reports and published compilations of them (Wikipedia sales tables, GoodCarBadCar), collected by hand with a source for every figure | Scores per 100,000 sold, rankings | Sales figures are facts; we copy numbers, never text |
| Fonts | Unbounded, Instrument Sans and Azeret Mono, served from our own server | All pages | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| Site code | Astro (static site generator) | Building the pages | MIT |
Notes
- Works of the U.S. federal government are not protected by copyright (17 U.S.C. 105). Data from states and other bodies may have other rules; each row above names the license we read.
- We do not use agency logos, seals or insignia, or automaker logos, photos or brand colors. Vehicle names identify the vehicles the data describes.
- NHTSA does not verify owner complaints, and a complaint does not prove a defect.
- Figures are unofficial copies for general information. Always check the official source.