A Lamborghini Urus Scores 8 out of 10 for Climate and 2 out of 10 for Air Quality
The window sticker gives a car two environmental scores. On one particular type of vehicle they disagree so violently that both can't be describing the same machine.
Washington Fell 12 Places in the Insurance Rankings While Its Bill Went Up
State insurance rankings get republished every year and treated as news. They can move a dozen places without anybody's bill changing in the direction you'd assume.
Every State's Insurance Whipsawed Through the Pandemic. Hawaii Didn't Notice.
Insurance premiums fell when nobody drove, then jumped when repair costs exploded. One state sat the entire cycle out, and its reasons are worth understanding.
Eighteen Brands Sell the Same Engine and Gearbox. It's the Default Car Now.
From economy hatchbacks to luxury saloons, an improbable number of cars turn out to have the same thing under the bonnet and the same gearbox behind it.
The Gap Between the Cheapest and Priciest Car to Fuel Was 2x for Forty Years. Now It's 5x.
Average fuel costs have fallen, which sounds like progress for everyone. Splitting the market into its cheapest and most expensive tenths shows the improvement went to one side only.
The EPA Calls the Acura Integra a Large Car and the Cadillac ATS-V a Compact
Every fuel economy comparison you read is grouped by vehicle class. The classes are defined by a rule that produces results nobody would guess from looking at the cars.
72% of New Cars Cost More to Run Than the "Average Vehicle" They're Compared To
Every window sticker compares the car to an average vehicle and shows what you save. For most cars that number is negative, which raises a question about what the average is.
Choosing Your Engine Used to Be Part of Buying a Car. That Ended in 2025.
Trim levels multiplied, colours multiplied, driver assistance packages multiplied. The one choice that actually changed how a car drives quietly disappeared in about five years.
Fifty States Saw Insurance Rise. Michigan Is the One Where It Fell.
The state with a reputation for the most expensive car insurance in America is the only one that actually cut the bill. What changed there says a lot about which half of a policy is expensive.
Diesel Peaked in America in 1984. Dieselgate Killed Something That Was Already Dead.
The story everyone tells is that Volkswagen's emissions scandal destroyed diesel in America. The share numbers say the collapse happened thirty years earlier and the scandal arrived at a funeral.
97% of Engines Now Use the Technology That Causes Carbon Buildup. Nobody Warns Used Buyers.
One engine technology took over the entire market in a single five-year window, faster than turbocharging or hybrids. It also introduced a maintenance problem that only shows up on the used market.
Gearboxes Stopped Helping After Seven Speeds. A Ten-Speed Is Worse Than a Six.
Every generation of automatic adds gears, and every press release calls it efficiency. Holding engine size constant, the curve turns over at seven and heads back down.