How we calculate the ChinaCars Score and rankings

Methodology v1.0 · effective from [publication date] · data last verified: [DD.MM.YYYY]

The ChinaCars Score is a 0–100 rating that summarises, at a glance, how a Chinese car sold in Romania stands on price, range, performance, safety and warranty, practicality and charging. This page explains exactly how it is calculated, where the data comes from, what we do not measure, and how the platform makes money — so you can check every number yourself.

1. Principles

1. The score is absolute, not relative. Every value (e.g. 456 km of range) is scored against a fixed, published scale. Adding a new model to the catalogue does not change anyone else's score. A model's score changes only when its data or the methodology version changes.
2. We only compare what is comparable. We publish three separate rankings — battery-electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and combustion (petrol and conventional hybrids). A petrol SUV is not "worse" for lacking fast charging.
3. Missing data is neither rewarded nor punished. A model enters a ranking only if it has real data on every axis that applies to it. Otherwise it appears in the catalogue as "Unranked — insufficient data", with no score.
4. Every value has a source and a date. On each model page you can see, for each specification, where it comes from and when it was verified.
5. Weights are public and adjustable. The default weights are our editorial choice, explained below. Sliders on the ranking page let you recompute the ranking with your own priorities.
6. Nobody can buy a position. See section 9.

2. Which version of a model we score

We score the entry version — the one whose price appears as "from" on the model page. Every value in the score (power, range, battery, acceleration, charging) comes from that same version. We never combine the entry price with the top version's power.

Where a higher version changes the character of the car (e.g. MG4 XPOWER), we treat it as a separate model or mention it explicitly in the text, but we do not blend it into the score.

3. The axes and what feeds them

Each axis is the arithmetic mean of its available component scores (0–100).

What is not in the score, and why: real-world measured consumption (ADAC, Green NCAP) — shown under "Facts", but not available for enough models; software quality and updates; resale value; long-term reliability; service network (dealer counts are shown, not scored). These are real limits of the score, not accidental omissions.

4. Scoring scales (v1.0)

Each value is converted linearly to 0–100 between two anchors. Below the "0" anchor the score is 0; above the "100" anchor it is 100. Anchors were fixed in September 2026 from the actual distribution of Chinese models sold in Romania (roughly the 5th and 95th percentiles) and stay unchanged until the next methodology version.

Discrete scales:

• Seats: 7+ → 100 · 5–6 → 70 · 4 → 50 · 2–3 → 30
• Euro NCAP: 5★ → 100 · 4★ → 75 · 3★ → 50 · 2★ → 25 · 0–1★ → 0. A model not tested by Euro NCAP gets no score on this component (the axis is computed from warranty alone) and is visibly flagged "Not tested by Euro NCAP". We assume neither that it is safe nor that it is not.
• "Unlimited km" warranty is shown as such; kilometres do not enter the score.
• Conditional warranty (e.g. "5 + 5 years" tied to in-network servicing): we score the unconditional part and display the full formula.

5. Weights and overall score

When an axis does not apply (charging for PHEV; range and charging for combustion), the remaining weights are scaled proportionally to sum to 100 %. Overall score = weighted sum of the axes, computed to one decimal and displayed rounded to an integer.

Why these weights. Value carries the most weight because price is every buyer's first filter. Range follows because it is the main anxiety with an electrified car. Performance, safety and practicality are equal — we do not think we can decide for you whether 0–100 matters more than the boot. Charging has the smallest weight because it depends heavily on the infrastructure you have access to, not only on the car.

How much do the weights matter? We tested the BEV ranking with five weight sets (default, equal, "family", "city/budget", "motorway"). The top three positions are identical in four of five; the largest move (5 places) appears when value gets 40 %. The ranking is robust at the podium and sensitive in the middle — exactly where your priorities should decide. The sliders on the ranking page let you do that.

6. When a model enters a ranking

A model is ranked if it meets all of the following:

1. it has a "from" price published by the Romanian importer;
2. it has at least one real value on every axis that applies to it;
3. at least 70 % of its applicable fields are filled.

Otherwise it is unranked. It still appears in the catalogue, in comparisons and in search, but without a score or position, flagged "Insufficient data" with the list of missing fields. Every model page shows data completeness (e.g. "11/12 fields").

Models with no public price (importer offers "request a quote" only) cannot be ranked — value is a quarter of the score.

Commercial vehicles (vans, pick-ups) are shown in the catalogue but do not enter the passenger-car rankings; their prices are usually quoted without VAT and Euro NCAP tests them under a different protocol.

7. Where the data comes from

Accepted sources, strongest first:

1. Price list and technical sheet of the official Romanian importer — for price, warranty, versions.
2. Manufacturer's European technical sheet — for technical specifications (WLTP, power, dimensions, charging).
3. Euro NCAP (euroncap.com) — exclusively for safety stars. We do not use C-NCAP, ANCAP or other programmes.
4. Manufacturer's warranty manual — when the importer does not publish terms.
5. Reputable motoring press — only to confirm a value from 1–4, or when an official value is not published online; flagged as such.

Rules:

• Price is the list price including VAT, excluding time-limited promotions, subsidies (Rabla) and stock discounts. If the importer publishes only a promotion, we flag it "promotion" and do not score it as list price.
• Range is combined WLTP from type approval. We do not use NEDC, CLTC or unsupported "up to" figures.
• Every field shows, on the model page: value, source (type and link), verification date.
• Prices are re-verified monthly; specifications at every line-up change and at least quarterly.
• When two official sources disagree, we show both and score the more conservative value.

8. Versions, history and corrections

• The methodology carries a version number (this is v1.0). Any change to a formula, scale or weight becomes a new version, with a public changelog and a before/after table for all models.
• On the first day of every month we save a dated snapshot of the rankings. "#3 in October 2026" stays verifiable after the data changes.
• Data corrections are listed in the public log, with date and reason.
• Found an error? Every model page has a "Report an error" button. We check and reply; the fix appears in the log.

9. Independence and conflicts of interest

• The platform is built by Websem, a Romanian digital-marketing agency. Websem has no contract with any car manufacturer or importer and has received no payments, test cars or other benefits from them. [To be confirmed/adjusted by Dan before publishing.]
• The platform may earn from quote and test-drive requests that visitors submit through the form and that we forward to authorised dealers in the chosen county, and from services for dealers described on the "For dealers" page.
• No dealer or importer can buy a ranking position, score, label or placement. There is no sponsored content in rankings or on model pages. If we ever accept advertising, it will be explicitly labelled and kept apart from rankings.
• Quote requests do not influence a model's score, order or visibility.
• Editorial labels such as "Recommended" have been removed. Themed collections ("Cheapest EVs", "Long range") state their exact filter and sort criteria in the header.
• The scoring code and dataset are public [GitHub / CSV link], so anyone can reproduce the ranking.

10. Limits you should know about

• The score measures the spec sheet, not the driving experience. We have not driven every model.
• WLTP range is the type-approval figure; real consumption, especially in winter, can be 30–45 % higher. Where independent tests exist (ADAC, Green NCAP), we show them under "Facts".
• The "from" price is the entry version's; standard equipment varies widely between brands and is not scored.
• A model "not tested by Euro NCAP" is not necessarily unsafe — but we have no way of knowing.
• The scales in section 4 are an editorial choice. We derived them from the market distribution, but someone else could choose differently; that is why we publish and version them.

Questions about the methodology: info@chinacars.global