Why we built OpenCarlytics

The used car market is full of pitfalls. When you search for a 2018 Volkswagen Golf, you find dozens of listings and very little real information about how that car actually holds up over time.

Journalist reviews are almost always done on brand-new cars, under ideal conditions, for a few days. They don't describe what happens after 80,000 km, what problems emerge, or how much it costs to maintain. Forums exist but are scattered: you have to sift through dozens of threads in different languages to find anything useful.

Selling platforms show only the positive side. Dealers have an obvious commercial interest. The buyer is alone, with little time and many uncertainties.

OpenCarlytics' AI doesn't just search Google. It systematically queries TopGear, ADAC, km77, Carwow, Euro NCAP, NHTSA, Reddit, owner forums, AutoBild, Quattroruote, and AlVolante — in all languages — then translates and organizes everything by category.

You don't get a generic list of 'pros and cons'. Every point is labelled: Reliability, Safety, Comfort, Fuel Economy, Sportiness, Practicality. You can understand at a glance where that car excels and where it has its historic weak spots.

We don't just look for journalist test drives. We specifically seek out videos from real owners reviewing their car after 1-2 years of ownership: these videos contain the most valuable information.

An owner talking about their Golf after 100,000 km will tell you how much they spent on servicing, whether they had DSG gearbox issues, whether real-world fuel consumption matches the official figures, and how long the electrics last. You won't find this in any magazine.

The AI extracts the key concepts from these videos, translates them, and places them in the right categories — so you don't have to watch hours of content in German or English to understand what real owners actually think.

Someone who has owned a car is the most reliable source. That's why we built a structured voting system: not a generic star rating, but a score from 1 to 10 for each specific category.

Community scores are not just decorative. They are shown alongside the AI scores and influence the final rating with a weight proportional to the number of voters. The more people have voted, the more the community score impacts the final result.

No commissions, no commercial deals with dealers, no subscription model. OpenCarlytics is completely free for readers and voters alike.

Our goal is to build the most honest and complete database in the world about used cars. This requires as many people as possible to contribute their experiences — and that can't happen behind a paywall.

We monetize with non-intrusive advertising, selected to be relevant and non-disruptive. Knowledge about used cars should be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford a subscription.