Normalising every listing against the average price of its EPA class and model year, then grouping by the vehicle's NHTSA overall rating.
| Overall rating | Relative price | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 5 stars | 1.018 | 38,057 |
| 4 stars | 0.806 | 13,182 |
| 3 stars | 0.881 | 327 |
| 2 stars | 0.638 | 74 |
The naive answer is 26%
Five-star cars sit at 1.018 of their class average, four-star cars at 0.806. That's a 26.3% gap, and it would be an overstatement to read it as the price of the star.
Five-star ratings cluster on newer designs and on brands that were already expensive. Some of that 26% is the rating; most of it might be everything the rating happens to travel with.
So we held the brand still
Comparing five-star and four-star cars of the same make, same EPA class and same model year — 50 such groups covering 9,843 listings — the premium falls to 1.146. Fourteen point six percent.
Roughly half the headline number was brand mix.
A second method agrees
The other way to isolate it is to watch one model cross the boundary: same nameplate, consecutive model years, four stars then five.
There are 22 such transitions in the data with enough listings to price. Across them the relative price rises 15.8% — the age effect already removed by the normalisation.
Two independent approaches landing on 14.6% and 15.8% is about as close to a clean answer as observational data gets. The fifth star is worth roughly a seventh of the car's value.
Which is strange, because almost everyone has one
We looked at this from the other direction previously: 75.7% of model years since 2015 score five stars overall, against 44.4% before 2015. Four model years score two stars in the entire dataset — and 15 score three.
So the market is paying a 15% premium for a distinction that most of the fleet already holds — and it's paying it on a figure that averages three separate tests, of which 39.1% of five-star listings score only four in the one that matters most.
Why the premium survives anyway
Because it's the only safety number most buyers ever see. It's on the window sticker, the manufacturer's site and half the listings. Detailed component scores require looking them up; the star is simply there.
A number that is visible, simple and official will get priced even when it has stopped discriminating between vehicles.
What to do about it
If you're buying, four stars is the value play. The same brand, class and year for around 13% less, on a car that most likely scored five for side impact and four for frontal: that profile alone covers 315 model years, the same components carried by a large share of the five-star fleet.
If you're selling a five-star car, put it in the listing. The market demonstrably pays for it.
Don't pay the premium twice. A five-star car with an unrepaired safety campaign isn't delivering the rating you paid for.
Check the specific vehicle. Ratings are assigned per model year and body style, and a listing can quote the wrong one. A VIN check confirms what the car actually is and what's outstanding on it.
Frequently asked questions
How much more do five-star safety cars cost used?
About 15%. Comparing five-star and four-star vehicles of the same make, EPA class and model year across 9,843 listings gives a 14.6% premium, and tracking single models across a four-to-five star upgrade gives 15.8%.
Why does the raw comparison show a bigger gap?
Because it isn't comparing like with like. Uncontrolled, five-star cars sit at 1.018 of their class average against 0.806 for four-star ones — a 26.3% gap. Roughly half of that is brand mix, since five-star ratings cluster on newer designs and pricier marques.
Is a four-star car a good buy?
Often yes. It costs around 13% less than an equivalent five-star car from the same brand and year, and the most common four-star profile — five for side impact, four for frontal, covering 315 model years — is shared by a large share of five-star cars.
Are five-star ratings still meaningful?
Less than the premium suggests. 75.7% of model years since 2015 score five stars overall, up from 44.4% before 2015, so the rating tells you a car is normal rather than exceptional.
Denis Kataev is a serial solopreneur and the founder of ForCar. With 15+ years in software engineering and 10 years in SEO, he builds data-driven products end to end — backed by a sharp eye for design. At ForCar he mines proprietary vehicle datasets, turning raw numbers into buying advice you can actually trust.
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