How we rank dealerships

Our "best of" pages rank dealerships with a composite score computed from verifiable, stored data. The same formula applies to every dealer. Rankings cannot be purchased, and dealers cannot pay to change their position.

What the score measures

Verified license status. An active dealer license, verified against state licensing records, earns a substantial fixed boost when we hold that verification.
Longevity. Years in continuous business, from source records, capped so it cannot dominate the score.
Brand coverage. The breadth of franchised brands a dealership carries, where applicable.
Data completeness. Verified contact, location, and hours information. Complete listings score higher because they are more useful and more checkable.

What the score does not use

Google ratings and reviews. Where a Google rating appears on our pages, it is displayed live from Google, attributed, and shown for reference only. It is never stored by us and never enters the ranking.
Payments, advertising, or partnerships. There are none in the score.
Negative license findings. We only assert positive, verified facts. A dealership with an explicitly negative license record (revoked, suspended, or lapsed) is quietly excluded from ranked lists. A dealership we hold no license record for is not penalized; absence of proof is not treated as a negative.

Eligibility

A ranked list is published only where at least three eligible dealerships exist. Closed dealerships are not eligible. Ties break alphabetically for determinism.

Corrections

If information about a dealership is wrong, tell us and we will review it against the underlying records. Rankings recompute when the underlying data changes.