The review ratings are awarded by the tester of the vehicle in conjunction with our full editorial team and therefore do not necessarily coincide with any other external rating system or agency. For example, four stars for safety does NOT correspond to a four-star EuroNCAP or ANCAP rating. Wherever possible we provide results from Australia's crash assessment program (ANCAP).
The Carsales Network ratings are a moving feast, and categorise the various aspects of a car's performance against the other vehicles in the market segment in which the car competes. What defined a car as a four-star car two years ago, won't necessarily guarantee that rating today.
Referring to the below ratings range, in any category 2.5 stars is considered average, 3.0 above average, 3.5 well above average and 4.0 and beyond, by definition, best of breed. It corresponds that a 2.0 star rating is considered below average.
5.0/5.0 Exceptional
4.0/5.0 Excellent
3.0/5.0 Above average
2.5/5.0 Class average
2.0/5.0 Below class average
1.0/5.0 Sub-standard
0.0/5.0 Unsuitable
It is highly unlikely any car will receive five stars for any category with the exception of X Factor -- that's a measure of personal appeal a car has for our testers...
The one area where our star rating does have a parallel with external star systems is in our awarding of an overall rating. Rather than apply a numerical average and round up or down according to mathematical conventions (ie: 3.7 is rounded down to 3.5, while 3.8 is rounded up to 4.0), we choose to round down. The logic of this is we believe a 4.0 star car must be significantly better than a 3.5 star car.
Some of the things we consider when determining a Carsales Network rating
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis
• Engine: Efficiency and outputs; NVH; responsiveness
• Drivetrain: Transmission operation; gearing; NVH
• Chassis: Suspension performance, brakes, steering
Price, packaging and practicality
• Price: value for money in context - ie in segment/vs rivals
• Equipment: level and quality; fit and finish
• Packaging: space efficiency; ergonomics; vision
• Practicality
Safety
• Active: chassis/body rigidity; brakes; electronics (ABS/ESP/traction control)
• Passive: crash structure airbags; seatbelts, head restraints, child seats, NCAP or manufacturers' rating including pedestrian and child
See ANCAP
Behind the wheel
• Performance, acceleration, driveability and in-gear performance
• Driveline refinement; Ease of use
• Fuel consumption
• Comfort: ride quality, NVH
• Handling
X-factor
• Emotional appeal
• Design
• Point of difference
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