How we score

The burden score is 0–100. It is not a reliability rating and it is not a recommendation to buy. It answers: how much of this car's expected software is gated, and how expensive is that gate over five years?

1. Feature access

Each canonical feature is weighted. Expected features (navigation, remotes, Wi-Fi, SOS, hands-free driving) count more than entertainment. Access type then multiplies that weight:

• Included × 0
• One-time purchase × 0.15
• Phone workaround × 0.25
• Subscription × 0.7
• Hardware idle without a plan × 1

A subscription with a trial of three months or less adds a small extra penalty — the paywall arrives before many owners finish year one.

2. Five-year connected cost

We take unique plans attached to typical-owner features (navigation, Wi-Fi, remote start, remote lock, hands-free driving, SOS). Streaming only counts when it is bundled into one of those plans. After the trial, we use the annual price if published, otherwise 12 × monthly. A prepaid term that covers five years is compared with the subscription total; we keep the lower number.

That dollar figure is scaled into at most 30 points of the score ($3,000 over five years ≈ 30 points).

3. Labels

• Included — typical features are included or phone-first.
• Trial then paywall — a subscription exists, usually after a complimentary window.
• Recurring connected cost — 5-year typical spend is $1,500+ or the score is 55+.
• Hardware idle without a plan — a typical feature's hardware does not function unless you pay.

Feature weights

Update cadence

Seed listings are dated. Community corrections require a source URL and an editor. Approved changes recompute the score with the same function used at seed time. We do not scrape OEM portals or invent a price when the manufacturer page is silent — those rows are marked reported or omitted.