What Car and Driver does

Car and Driver is an American automotive media brand founded in 1955 and published since 1956, serving auto enthusiasts and in-market car buyers in the United States. The company operates as part of Hearst Autos within Hearst Digital Media, with operations centered in New York. Its core offering is expert automotive editorial content built around a proprietary instrumented vehicle testing program that evaluates hundreds of vehicles annually, measuring approximately 200 data points per vehicle across performance, comfort, fuel economy, value, and driving enjoyment. Content is distributed across a print magazine, a website (caranddriver.com), email newsletters, podcasts, video, and active social channels on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube.

The product portfolio includes the magazine subscription, the website featuring reviews, rankings, and buying guides, an expert-tested gear vertical for automotive accessories, and a vehicle marketplace that connects consumers with dealers nationwide through a Car Buying Service. Editorial products are organized into structured rankings across SUVs, sedans, sports cars, electric vehicles, hybrids, trucks, vans, and luxury segments, supplemented by annual Editors' Choice and 10Best awards programs.

Car and Driver monetizes through three primary revenue streams: recurring magazine subscriptions sold via store.caranddriver.com, digital advertising across its owned channels (display, sponsored content, affiliate), and marketplace/dealer referral commerce through the Car and Driver Marketplace featuring over 3 million vehicles. The company does not have external venture funding and is privately held within the Hearst corporate structure, operating in North America with a primarily U.S. audience.

Name

Car and Driver

Legal name

Hearst Autos, Inc.

Website

https://caranddriver.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Car and Driver is a 70-year-old American automotive media brand serving in-market car buyers and enthusiasts through expert-tested vehicle reviews, rankings, a magazine, and a dealer-connected marketplace, operating as part of Hearst Autos.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Car and Driver offers magazine subscriptions through its store.caranddriver.com platform, providing print and digital access to automotive editorial content, reviews, and testing data.
2. Digital Advertising: The website generates advertising revenue through display ads, sponsored content, and affiliate links on product recommendations.
3. Marketplace and Commerce: Car and Driver operates a vehicle marketplace connecting buyers with dealers, featuring over 3 million new and used cars nationwide, generating revenue through dealer partnerships and referral arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Car and Driver is an automotive media publication that produces expert vehicle reviews and instrumented testing of hundreds of vehicles per year, measuring approximately 200 data points per vehicle. Its content is distributed through a print and digital magazine, the caranddriver.com website, podcasts, videos, an email newsletter, and a vehicle Marketplace connecting consumers with dealers for new and used car shopping.

Product overview

Car and Driver is a comprehensive automotive media platform comprising a print and digital magazine (published since 1956), an extensive website offering reviews, rankings, news, and buying advice, and a car shopping marketplace. The platform is built around expert-tested vehicle evaluations covering approximately 200 data points per vehicle, with content organized into rankings across SUVs, sedans, sports cars, EVs, hybrids, trucks, and vans. Additional offerings include expert-tested gear recommendations, podcasts, videos, and a newsletter. The Marketplace feature enables users to research, locate, and purchase vehicles from dealerships across the country.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Car and Driver Magazine Print and digital automotive magazine featuring expert car reviews, instrumented testing data, rankings, and automotive industry coverage, published since 1956 and distributed via subscription.
• Car and Driver Website Online platform providing new car reviews, buying advice, vehicle rankings, news, and automotive content, featuring expert-tested data and real-world driving evaluations for consumers researching vehicle purchases.
• Car Shopping Marketplace Vehicle shopping marketplace connecting buyers with dealerships for new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles, offering research tools, pricing data, and access to dealer inventory with over 3 million cars available nationwide.
• Expert Reviews Comprehensive instrumented testing and subjective evaluations of vehicles, examining performance, roominess, comfort, features, fuel economy, and value across approximately 200 data points per vehicle.
• Car Rankings Vehicle rankings across multiple categories including SUVs, sedans, sports cars, electric vehicles, hybrids, pickup trucks, vans, and luxury segments, based on instrumented testing and expert evaluation.
• Shopping Advice Car buying guidance including how to buy or lease, financing tips, dealership negotiations, new vs. used comparisons, insurance information, and maintenance advice.
• Expert-Tested Gear Tested automotive accessories, tools, car care products, electronics, and gear recommendations including dash cams, EV chargers, floor mats, jump starters, and radar detectors.
• Podcasts Audio content featuring automotive discussions, interviews, and industry news coverage distributed through podcast platforms.
• Videos Video content including car reviews, testing footage, comparisons, and automotive features distributed across web and social platforms.
• Newsletter Email newsletter delivering automotive news, expert insights, and content updates from Car and Driver's editorial team to subscribers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Edmunds: Edmunds is a direct peer in automotive research and shopping, providing expert reviews, pricing data, and a dealer marketplace. It overlaps with Car and Driver's marketplace and shopping-advice offerings and targets the same in-market car buyer with comparable editorial and commerce content.
• MotorTrend: MotorTrend is a direct peer — a long-running automotive media brand offering new car reviews, comparison tests, rankings, and a vehicle shopping marketplace. It competes head-to-head with Car and Driver in editorial coverage, buying guides, and dealer referral revenue, with the same target audience of enthusiasts and in-market car buyers.
• Jalopnik: Jalopnik is a direct peer in enthusiast automotive editorial, covering reviews, news, and opinion-driven features. It competes with Car and Driver's editorial brand for the enthusiast reader, especially in digital and social formats where Jalopnik's voice and tone differentiate it.
• Cars.com: Cars.com is a direct peer operating an automotive marketplace with editorial content, dealer listings, and shopping research tools. It competes with Car and Driver's marketplace on dealer referral economics and consumer research content, and overlaps significantly in the in-market car buyer funnel.
• Autoblog: Autoblog is a direct peer in online automotive editorial, covering reviews, news, buying advice, and green-car coverage. It targets the same enthusiast and in-market shopper and competes for SEO traffic and audience attention in the same review and rankings categories.
• Kelley Blue Book (KBB): KBB is a direct peer in automotive valuations, reviews, and shopping, owned by Cox Automotive. It competes with Car and Driver across editorial reviews, pricing and value content, and dealer lead generation, with particularly strong overlap in used car valuation and shopping tools.
• CarGurus: CarGurus is a direct peer operating an automotive marketplace with pricing transparency, dealer ratings, and research content. It overlaps with Car and Driver's marketplace positioning and competes for dealer referral spend and consumer research sessions.
• Road & Track: Road & Track is a direct peer and Hearst Autos sister publication, covering performance and enthusiast vehicles with reviews, comparison tests, and long-form features. It is the most comparable editorial competitor and effectively a portfolio sibling within the same parent company.

Emerging players

• The Drive: The Drive is an automotive media brand covering reviews, news, and gear, with strong digital and social distribution. It competes with Car and Driver for enthusiast reader attention and a share of automotive affiliate and advertising spend in the U.S. market.
• Top Gear: Top Gear is an international automotive media brand that overlaps with Car and Driver's enthusiast review and video content. It is a meaningful comparator on editorial format and brand positioning, though it is primarily a U.K.-led property and competes only partially in the U.S. market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CARandDRIVER
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/caranddriver
• Facebookfacebook.com/caranddriver
• Instagraminstagram.com/caranddriver
• TikToktiktok.com/@caranddriver?lang=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/car-and-driver

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Car and Driver