The Lemon IndexAbout
Who makes the Lemon Index.
The Lemon Index is made by Elijah Westbrook. It turns public U.S. government car data into one plain number per car: how many owner complaints it drew for every car sold, against the average car.
Who runs it
Elijah Westbrook researches, builds and writes the site and the Lemon Index YouTube channel. It is published by Westbrook Software LLC. We are not paid by, or affiliated with, any automaker or dealer. The site is free, paid for by ads and reader donations.
Where the data comes from
- Owner complaints and recalls: NHTSA, the U.S. government's road safety agency (its public complaint and recall files).
- Crash-test stars: NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings.
- Fuel economy: the EPA (fueleconomy.gov).
- Sales: published U.S. sales figures (estimates for Tesla, which doesn't publish sales by model).
- Buyer and owner videos: some lists and the video sections count what YouTube buyer's guides and owners say, and each one says so.
Complaints are owners' own reports, not proof of a defect. The score measures early complaints per car sold; it is not a repair-cost or safety rating.
How the score works
Complaints filed within 3 years of each model year, divided by U.S. sales, compared with the average car of the same model years. 100 is average; 50 means half the complaints; 200 means twice as many. The full method, its limits and its corrections: how the index works.
Use the data
Everything is free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0): download the data, free images. Writing about cars? See the press page.
Contact
Questions, corrections or a car you want covered: hello@elijahwestbrook.com or the contact page. We usually answer within 2 business days.