The Lemon IndexPress
For reporters.
Free car reliability data from NHTSA owner complaints per car sold. Cite it, chart it, use our images: just credit the Lemon Index and link to lemonindex.com.
Press contact
Elijah Westbrook, The Lemon Index: hello@elijahwestbrook.com (or the contact page). We usually answer within 2 business days, and we'll send the exact numbers behind any chart.
The key numbers, and what each one counts
Brands: Lexus has the lowest brand score and Tesla the highest (every brand). The complaint totals differ because each counts a different set of complaints; cite the one that matches your story.
How to cite
Credit line: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
, with a link. For a score, name the model, its model years and the date, e.g. a Lemon Index of 99 for the 2010 to 2022 Honda CR-V (100 = average car)
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The headline numbers, with a ready-made citation: car complaint statistics.
Method and its limits: how the index works. The study behind the rankings: The Most Reliable Cars, According to 1.6 Million Owner Complaints.
Downloads
- Data downloads: scores and complaints by model year, transmission complaints (CSV, CC BY 4.0).
- Free images: our car and engine illustrations (CC BY 4.0).
- Logo: 512 px PNG · social card: og.png.
- Every car ranked and statistics pages to link to.
- Embeddable charts: any model's complaints by model year, one line of code, credit built in.
What the score is, and isn't
Owner complaints to NHTSA filed within 3 years of each model year, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). Complaints are owners' reports, not confirmed defects, and most owners never file one, so read scores as a comparison between cars, not a failure rate. It is not a repair-cost or a safety rating.