GLOSSARY
Car-Buying Terms,
Decoded.
Decoded.
The automotive world is full of jargon. This glossary explains the terms you will encounter, in plain language.
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Plain EnglishNo confusing jargon
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Common Terms A–L
AI Condition Check
Our automated review of a listing’s photos and description to flag visible issues or missing information.
Crashworthiness
How well a vehicle protects its occupants during a collision.
Depreciation
The loss in a vehicle’s value over time as it ages and accumulates mileage.
Drivetrain
The components that deliver power to the wheels, such as front-, rear-, or all-wheel drive.
IIHS
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an independent organization that crash-tests vehicles.
Listing URL
The web address of a specific vehicle for sale, which you can paste in to get a score.
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Common Terms M–Z
NHTSA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. agency behind federal safety ratings and recalls.
Recall
A manufacturer or regulator notice that a vehicle has a defect needing repair, often at no cost to the owner.
Reliability Index
A measure of how dependable a vehicle tends to be based on historical data.
Title Status
The legal standing of a vehicle, such as clean, salvage, or rebuilt.
VIN
The Vehicle Identification Number, a unique 17-character code that identifies a specific vehicle.
VIP Score
Our 0–100 rating that summarizes a vehicle’s safety, reliability, value, and risk in one number.
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Know a Term We Missed?
We keep expanding this glossary as the platform grows.
Understanding the language of car buying is a big step toward buying with confidence.
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Clear language is part of our mission: turning complex data into information anyone can understand.
Every VIP Score is backed by millions of data points and AI analysis.
🛡Safety RatingsNHTSA crash test data
🔧Reliability IndexHistorical reliability data
⛽Fuel EconomyEPA efficiency estimates
âš Recall RiskOpen recalls & alerts
📊AI Condition CheckVisual & description analysis