Editorial Policy

1. Who writes VinSpecs

Pages are written and reviewed by the named contributors listed on our authors page, or by the VinSpecs editorial team. Each guide carries a byline, and every profile states the author's background. Data-driven pages (VIN decodes, recall lists, complaint rankings) are produced by the data pipeline and reviewed against the same standards before publish.

2. Sources come first, always

• Every factual claim traces to a named primary source: NHTSA vPIC, the NHTSA Recalls API, NHTSA NCAP, the NHTSA complaints database, EPA FuelEconomy.gov, the SAE J2012 standard, or a state DMV's own published fee schedule.
• Where we use openly licensed third-party datasets, the dataset, its license and its coverage window are named on the page and on Data Sources.
• Every data block shows when it was last checked. If a block has no check date, it is not finished.
• We publish estimates only when they are labeled as estimates and the estimation method is stated. We never present an estimate as a fact.

3. What we do not do

• We do not invent numbers. No statistic, cost, rating or quote appears on VinSpecs without a traceable source. Where data is missing, we say it is missing.
• We do not let money decide content. No manufacturer, insurer, dealer or shop can pay to change a ranking, a rating or a recommendation. See Advertising & sponsorship.
• We do not publish unverified AI text. Tools may assist with drafting and formatting; every claim is verified against the source before publish, and the responsible human reviewer is named on the page.
• We do not copy other sites. Comparisons with paid services are drawn from each service's own published information, and say so.

4. Review and freshness

• Content is dated with a real publication date and updated with a real modification date. We never fake freshness.
• Recall, complaint and pricing data are refreshed on a schedule; when a source updates a figure, the affected page is refreshed and the check date moves.
• Guides are re-reviewed at least every 12 months, or sooner when the underlying facts change.

5. Corrections

If you find an error, email [email protected] with the page URL and the source that contradicts it. Verified errors are corrected within 5 business days and the page notes the correction. Verified errors on data blocks are fixed at the source layer so every page drawing on that block is corrected at once.

6. Independence statement

VinSpecs is not affiliated with NHTSA, the EPA, any vehicle manufacturer, any insurance carrier, NICB or IIHS. Data from government sources is public-domain information re-published with attribution; VinSpecs is the presentation layer, not the source. Read exactly what we use and what we exclude on Data Sources.