The Top Scoring Car Awards cover all major vehicle categories for model year 2012. The best car awards are based on Total Car Score’s ranking formula, which offers a comprehensive evaluation of autos in every segment. A vehicle’s Total Car Score is its combination of scores from all the top automotive review and rating sites. These car reviews and ratings are translated into a single Total Car Score that allows visitors to quickly and easily compare cars.

“We are proud to present the first Top Scoring Car Awards from Total Car Score,” said Karl Brauer, founder and CEO of Total Car Score. “What sets our awards apart is that they are based on an independent and transparent scoring system. Each award is the culmination of authoritative opinion from across the automotive industry, and each is determined by raw data without editorializing.”

Ford and Honda Top Automakers on List

Ford earned the most Total Car Score awards with a top-scoring vehicle in five of the 20 categories. Honda followed closely with four. Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen all had three winners each. “These brands all managed to earn a top score in multiple vehicle categories,” remarked Brauer. “That’s an impressive accomplishment given the highly competitive nature of today’s automotive marketplace.”

Top Three Overall Scoring Vehicles

“It’s worth noting that the top three vehicles with the highest Total Car Score, when every 2012 model is taken into account, are the Lexus LS, Hyundai Sonata, and Infiniti M,” said Brauer. “Clearly these models are universally praised by the industry in terms of quality, design and occupant safety.”

Total Car Score’s “Top Scoring Car Awards” name the top-scoring vehicle in 20 major automotive segments. In segments where the difference between the first and second ranked car is less than two points, Total Car Score awarded two winners. The Top Scoring Award winners for model year 2012 are:

Top Scoring 2012 Economy Car:
2012 Honda Fit, Total Car Score: 81.58
2012 Kia Soul, Total Car Score: 81.27

Top Scoring 2012 Compact Sedan/Wagon:
2012 Volkswagen Golf, Total Car Score: 83.29
2012 Ford Focus, Total Car Score: 82.38

Top Scoring 2012 Midsize Sedan/Wagon:
2012 Hyundai Sonata, Total Car Score: 87.77
2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid, Total Car Score: 86.31

Top Scoring 2012 Large Sedan/Wagon:
2012 Buick LaCrosse/LaCrosse eAssist Hybrid, Total Car Score: 85.01
2012 Toyota Avalon, Total Car Score: 83.82

Top Scoring 2012 Sport Coupe/Convertible:
2012 Ford Mustang, Total Car Score: 80.96
2012 Mini Cooper, Total Car Score: 79.02

Top Scoring 2012 Minivan:
2012 Honda Odyssey, Total Car Score: 83.96

Top Scoring 2012 Compact SUV/Crossover:
2012 Honda CR-V, Total Car Score: 83.41
2012 Subaru Forester, Total Car Score: 81.59

Top Scoring 2012 Midsize SUV/Crossover:
2012 Volkswagen Touareg, Total Car Score: 81.91
2012 Kia Sorento, Total Car Score: 81.78

Top Scoring 2012 Large SUV/Crossover:
2012 Chevrolet Traverse, Total Car Score: 84.87
2012 Ford Flex, Total Car Score: 84.44

Top Scoring 2012 Small Truck:
2012 Honda Ridgeline, Total Car Score: 78.64

Top Scoring 2012 Large Truck:
2012 Ford F-Series, Total Car Score: 79.67
2012 Toyota Tundra, Total Car Score: 79.09

Top Scoring 2012 Entry Luxury Sedan/Wagon:
2012 Cadillac CTS, Total Car Score: 86.49

Top Scoring 2012 Luxury Sedan/Wagon:
2012 Infiniti M, Total Car Score: 86.95
2012 Hyundai Genesis, Total Car Score: 85.83

Top Scoring 2012 Ultra Luxury Car:
2012 Lexus LS/LS Hybrid, Total Car Score: 89.08/88.41

Top Scoring 2012 Entry Luxury SUV/Crossover:
2012 Cadillac SRX, Total Car Score: 83.01
2012 Audi Q5, Total Car Score: 82.49

Top Scoring 2012 Luxury SUV/Crossover:
2012 Lexus RX Hybrid, Total Car Score: 85.13
2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Total Car Score: 83.36

Top Scoring 2012 Ultra Luxury SUV/Crossover:
2012 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Total Car Score: 79.69
2012 Cadillac Escalade, Total Car Score: 77.85

Top Scoring 2012 High Performance:
2012 Volkswagen Golf R, Total Car Score: 84.64
2012 Ford Taurus SHO, Total Car Score: 83.22

Top Scoring 2012 Luxury High Performance:
2012 Infiniti IPL G, Total Car Score: 85.21
2012 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, Total Car Score: 83.36

Top Scoring 2012 Exotic High Performance:
2012 Audi R8, Total Car Score: 79.91

Our Methodology To Compare Cars

Total Car Score utilizes the ratings from multiple automotive authorities and converts them into a simple percentage, representing what the car could have scored from each source versus what it did score. The average number from all of these sources represents the vehicle’s Total Car Score. A car must have a rating from at least 5 sources to qualify as a validated Total Car Score. Recently dubbed the Rotten Tomatoes of car review sites by Forbes, Total Car Score aims to make car buying easier by giving shoppers a high-level “industry assessment” of a vehicle in an easy-to-use format.

About Total Car Score

Total Car Score is an automotive research and comparison website that establishes a new industry-wide standard for ranking every car, truck, van and crossover on the market. TotalCarScore.com evaluates and ranks cars according to an aggregate score based on the most trusted automotive authorities available. The site also features original content, reviews and insights from a veteran automotive journalism and data team. For more information, please go to www.totalcarscore.com.