Consumer Guide Automotive

What Consumer Guide Automotive does

Consumer Guide Automotive is a privately held automotive content platform that publishes expert vehicle reviews, comparative ratings, and an annual Best Buy Awards program targeting everyday car shoppers in the United States. Founded in 1967 and operated by J Turn Media out of Morton Grove, Illinois, the company maintains a multi-channel editorial presence through its main website (consumerguide.com), the Daily Drive Blog (blog.consumerguide.com), the weekly Car Stuff Podcast, and on-site coverage of major US and international auto shows including CES, Chicago, New York, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The underlying technology is a conventional web-based publishing stack with a blog CMS, podcast production and distribution, and digital licensing infrastructure, supported by a staff of 51–100 employees.

The business operates a dual-sided model in which editorial content is provided free to consumers as the audience and SEO traffic base, while monetization is concentrated on the B2B side. Revenue is generated through licensing of reviews and editorial content to automakers, dealers, and media outlets, the sale of physical Best Buy Award trophies to dealerships for point-of-sale display, and digital and print reprint services. All B2B licensing and permissions flow exclusively through an external partner, JRL Group, Inc. The company has no disclosed external funding, no mobile application, no public APIs, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, indicating a stable, niche media property with a long-standing brand and a narrow but durable commercial channel.

Name

Consumer Guide Automotive

Legal name

Consumer Guide Auto

Website

https://consumerguide.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Consumer Guide Automotive is a US automotive content platform, founded in 1967 and operated by J Turn Media, that publishes vehicle reviews, Best Buy Awards, a daily blog, and a podcast, monetizing through B2B content licensing, trophy sales, and reprint services routed via licensing partner JRL Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Morton Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Content Licensing: Licensing of reviews, quotes, and automotive content to automakers, dealers, and media outlets for use in broadcast, digital, print, point of sale, and auto show campaigns.
2. Best Buy Award Trophies: Sale of duplicate Best Buy Award trophies to dealerships for display at point of sale. Trophies can be customized and displayed across dealership networks.
3. Digital and Print Reprints: Providing physical and digital reprints of reviews and Best Buy blog posts for auto shows, service departments, and direct mail campaigns.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Consumer Guide Automotive is an online automotive review and content platform that publishes expert new and used car reviews, Best Buy Award designations, test drives, and shopping guidance for individual car shoppers. The company also licenses its reviews, brand assets, logos, and Best Buy Award trophies to automakers and dealerships for marketing, point-of-sale, and auto show use, and operates the Car Stuff Podcast and Daily Drive Blog as ongoing editorial channels.

Product overview

Consumer Guide Automotive is an online automotive review platform offering expert vehicle evaluations, car buying guidance, and industry news. The core offering consists of the Consumer Guide website with searchable new and used car reviews organized by manufacturer and vehicle category, supplemented by the annual Best Buy Awards program that identifies top vehicle values, the Car Stuff Podcast delivering weekly automotive content, and The Daily Drive Blog featuring test drives and shopping tips. Additional specialized content includes Electric/Green Vehicle reviews, Minivan/Van reviews, Auto Show coverage, and Shopping Tips articles. A licensing service also allows automotive brands to use Consumer Guide content and award logos in their marketing materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Car Stuff Podcast: The company's automotive podcast covering industry news, vehicle reviews, and automotive topics

Products and services

• Consumer Guide Automotive Website
• Best Buy Awards
• Car Stuff Podcast
• The Daily Drive Blog
• Licensing and Reprints

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Edmunds: Edmunds is a leading US automotive review and shopping platform offering expert reviews, pricing data, and dealer connections. It directly competes with Consumer Guide in new/used car reviews and Best Buy-style recommendations for everyday car shoppers.
• MotorTrend: MotorTrend is a long-established automotive media brand producing reviews, awards (Car of the Year), videos, and a streaming channel. It competes head-to-head with Consumer Guide in editorial reviews and annual vehicle awards.
• Car and Driver: Car and Driver is a Hearst-owned automotive magazine and digital site publishing reviews, comparison tests, and 10Best awards. Its review-first editorial model and annual awards make it a direct analogue to Consumer Guide's content and award program.
• Autoblog: Autoblog publishes daily automotive news, reviews, and buying advice. It competes for the same car-shopper audience and OEM/dealer marketing budgets as Consumer Guide Automotive.
• The Drive: The Drive is a digital automotive media outlet producing reviews, news, and feature stories aimed at car enthusiasts and shoppers. It competes for share-of-voice in automotive review content and OEM attention.
• Road & Track: Road & Track is a Hearst-owned automotive publication producing reviews and features. Its review-first editorial and award-style coverage overlap with Consumer Guide's daily review output and Best Buy Awards.

Broad incumbents

• Kelley Blue Book (Cox Automotive): KBB is a dominant US automotive valuation and review brand owned by Cox Automotive, offering pricing, reviews, and dealer referrals. It overlaps heavily with Consumer Guide's review and award content but operates as part of a much larger commerce ecosystem.
• Cars.com: Cars.com is a major automotive marketplace combining listings with editorial reviews and expert ratings. Its review content competes directly with Consumer Guide's editorial offering while also driving dealer leads.
• Autotrader: Autotrader is a Cox Automotive-owned marketplace with editorial reviews and pricing tools. It overlaps with Consumer Guide on review content but is anchored by a much larger listings and dealer-referral business.

Regional players

• TrueCar: TrueCar is a US-focused automotive pricing and dealer-referral platform that publishes localized new- and used-car pricing alongside editorial content. It overlaps with Consumer Guide in shopper-facing vehicle information but monetizes primarily through dealer referrals rather than content licensing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cgautomotive
• Xx.com/cgautomotive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/consumer-guide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Consumer Guide Automotive