How We Review

Every score on this site comes from the same process: a real week with the car, specs checked against primary sources, and a rubric that doesn’t bend for anyone. This page is that process, in full.

The score

What does the number out of 10 mean?

A MoneyShift score is a verdict on the whole ownership proposition, not a spec-sheet ranking. A slower car with a better story at its price can outscore a faster one. The bands:

9.0+The benchmarkBuy it. Best in class or defines its class. Reserved for a handful of cars a year.
8.0–8.9ExcellentA confident recommendation with minor tradeoffs. Most cars we’d spend our own money on live in this range.
7.0–7.9Good, with caveatsRight for the right buyer. The review tells you exactly who that buyer is, and who it isn’t.
6.0–6.9Think twiceReal weaknesses at this price. Usually a better answer exists in the same segment.
Below 6Skip itThe expensive mistake this brand is named after. We’ll tell you what to buy instead.
30%

Capability

How well it does its core job: pace for a sports car, towing and terrain for a truck, space and safety for a family hauler.

30%

Daily livability

Ride, noise, seats, tech that helps instead of fights you, and the dad test: car seats, cargo, the Costco run.

25%

Value

The whole money picture: price against rivals, fuel costs, projected resale, and what the equipment would cost elsewhere.

10%

Character

The part a spec sheet can’t capture. Does it make you look back when you park it. Some cars earn their flaws.

5%

Feel

Steering, pedals, the seat, the sound: how the car talks back to you. A car is more than a vessel from A to B, and this 5% is why.

The process

What happens during a review week?

Manufacturers loan MoneyShift press vehicles for roughly seven days at a time. The car lives the life an owner would give it, on real Massachusetts roads in real New England weather.

The car arrives, the sticker gets read

Trim, options, and as-tested price are logged from the window sticker on day one. Reviews always name the exact configuration tested, because a loaded press car is not the base car.

A week of real use

Commuting, highway miles, errands, kids, and whatever the vehicle claims to do: trailheads for the overlanders, back roads for the sports cars, the third row for the family haulers. Typical review mileage runs 300 to 500 miles.

The numbers get measured, not copied

Fuel economy is calculated from actual fill-ups over the loan, and reviews report our tested figure next to the EPA rating. Claimed specs are verified against manufacturer press materials before anything publishes.

The video and the article ship together

Every review exists in two forms: a short-form video for the feed and the full written review here, scored on the rubric above. Same car, same week, same verdict.

The Garage gets its entry

The vehicle joins The Garage with its score, and every future article about that car links back to one place. Cars covered in news but not yet driven appear as Spotted, without a score, until they earn one.

Independence

The rules that don’t bend

Press loans don’t buy verdicts

Manufacturers provide vehicles; they get no preview of scores, no input on conclusions, and no veto. A loan guarantees a fair week, never a favorable one. Low scores have gone, and will keep going, to press cars.

Sponsored content is always labeled

Paid partnerships are disclosed clearly in the video and on the page, every time. Sponsors never buy review scores, and a brand can’t sponsor a review of its own product.

Affiliate links never shape conclusions

Some links earn MoneyShift a commission at no cost to you. Recommendations are written first; links are added after, and only for products the review already endorsed.

Facts come from primary sources

Specifications, pricing, and claims are verified against manufacturer press materials, EPA data, and official announcements, not other outlets’ reporting. If a figure can’t be verified, the review says so.

When we get one wrong

Errors are corrected in the article with a dated note explaining what changed, and material errors are corrected in video where the audience saw them. Spot one? Email moneyshiftpodcast@gmail.com and it gets fixed. Accuracy is the product; corrections are how it stays that way.