Youtube Car Reviews Channels

15Pony · Dec 4, 2017

Question is, how would someone get cars to review if they want to dive into that scene and don't have a following? I've watched many reviews from many different channels and it seems that almost everybody had a different route to get to where they are. One channel appears to be a couple teenage boys doing reviews. Another had a family member in the business.

I was thinking of doing something like this. But surely the automotive media departments aren't going to give a press car to someone without any sort of proven following. And probably many dealers wouldn't either. So I was thinking I could just rent a car for a day or two. The problem with that is most rental companies don't have all kinds of cars such as the new Honda Accord or the Cadillac with the Super Cruise option. Plenty of Camrys and Sentras though. So I might not be able to get a car that would be in demand for viewers. Also, when you rent a car you can't sign out a specific model only a class of models and they may not have an '18.

If I went to a dealer I could give them some free advertising but I wouldn't want to make all my reviews of their brand.

So I'm wondering if there's something I am missing or some other way to go about it.

Hack · Dec 5, 2017

You could start by reviewing cars belonging to your friends and family. If you are funny and insightful enough you should be able to get a following even though you aren't reviewing the newest stuff. Of course, patience and hard work will be required.

15Pony · Dec 5, 2017

Well, I do have a '17 Hyundai. I looked up video reviews of my model and they have hundreds of thousands of views and that's not even from the "big" (mainstream I guess you'd call them) reviewers.

mike@vossen · Jan 2, 2018

Find your niche!

I don't really do reviews too much but just try to share my findings with people..

https://www.youtube.com/mikeforsythe

Nomadic · Jan 2, 2018

Only review Hyundai Accents, 2006 or older. You'll have 500K subsribers in no time!

Patio208 · Jan 7, 2018

On a similar topic. I was watching YouTube videos about the new Ford GT supercar. My 10 year old daughter recognized the buyer as a "Youtube star" who basically plays Minecraft for a living. So I did some research and found he is 25 years old and earns millions of dollars from his YouTube channels. I think I just found my next career.

Clink · Jan 8, 2018

I tagged [MENTION=6651]Bullitt[/MENTION]

https://www.youtube.com/user/subaruwrxfan

Bullitt · Jan 8, 2018

There's some good advice here already, but being in this "business" I can say you're right that everyone has a different path to getting there. For me, I was lucky to have friends that owned car dealerships that offered me their entire lot of used cars to pick and choose what I wanted to review. My very first few car reviews though were a service loaner, a rental car, a few Zipcars and a few cars owned by friends. These allowed me to figure out my style and format to get comfortable with reviewing before moving on to the dealership stuff.

For those that don't have convenient connections, renting cars works but you most likely will lose money on each review for a while until you get a large enough following. Dealerships usually don't like joyriders, which is all it really is until you have a large enough following to justify it as free advertising for the dealership. Most people can't overcome these hurdles and eventually run out of cars to review before the channel gains any momentum.

If you can find a reliable source of interesting cars, all that's left to do is come up with a unique format that stands out from the rest, which is important. This is why Doug Demuro, for example, is blowing up right now. People love his personality, format and the cars he reviews, and so even though he films with nothing more than his old iPhone, a tripod and a $20 lavelier mic, he videos are getting more views than any other automotive channel, even the big budget ones.

One last thing I'll add though is that there's been a "goldrush" in the past few years where every enthusiast with a gopro seems to want to start reviewing cars, because who wouldn't want to be a Top Gear host? But the reality is there's not a ton of money in it. The average earnings have a wide range depending on dozens of factors but a ballpark is between $1,000-$4,000 for each million views. You have the rare overnight sensations like Doug, but most people aren't going to get rich off of it by simply doing car reviews. The current fad on YouTube right now is vlogging, so many "automotive" channels you see with huge views are doing less actual reviews and more just showing off a cool car and then filming yourself hanging out with friends or running errands. Everyone has their niche and I have respect for all of them, but my channel's goal has always been to actually be informational and helpful to enthusiasts and car buyers alike, in addition to being entertaining.

Hope some of this helps and best of luck if you decide to pursue it!

Ebm · Jan 9, 2018

.

Bullitt said:
There's some good advice here already, but being in this "business" I can say you're right that everyone has a different path to getting there. For me, I was lucky to have friends that owned car dealerships that offered me their entire lot of used cars to pick and choose what I wanted to review. My very first few car reviews though were a service loaner, a rental car, a few Zipcars and a few cars owned by friends. These allowed me to figure out my style and format to get comfortable with reviewing before moving on to the dealership stuff.

For those that don't have convenient connections, renting cars works but you most likely will lose money on each review for a while until you get a large enough following. Dealerships usually don't like joyriders, which is all it really is until you have a large enough following to justify it as free advertising for the dealership. Most people can't overcome these hurdles and eventually run out of cars to review before the channel gains any momentum.

If you can find a reliable source of interesting cars, all that's left to do is come up with a unique format that stands out from the rest, which is important. This is why Doug Demuro, for example, is blowing up right now. People love his personality, format and the cars he reviews, and so even though he films with nothing more than his old iPhone, a tripod and a $20 lavelier mic, he videos are getting more views than any other automotive channel, even the big budget ones.

One last thing I'll add though is that there's been a "goldrush" in the past few years where every enthusiast with a gopro seems to want to start reviewing cars, because who wouldn't want to be a Top Gear host? But the reality is there's not a ton of money in it. The average earnings have a wide range depending on dozens of factors but a ballpark is between $1,000-$4,000 for each million views. You have the rare overnight sensations like Doug, but most people aren't going to get rich off of it by simply doing car reviews. The current fad on YouTube right now is vlogging, so many "automotive" channels you see with huge views are doing less actual reviews and more just showing off a cool car and then filming yourself hanging out with friends or running errands. Everyone has their niche and I have respect for all of them, but my channel's goal has always been to actually be informational and helpful to enthusiasts and car buyers alike, in addition to being entertaining.

Hope some of this helps and best of luck if you decide to pursue it!

Completely agree. There is a website that predicts potential earnings for each YouTube account based on video views and a few other factors. The big time guys make millions of dollars, but they also work more than your 40 hour a week job. They work way more.

Popular vloggers to check out are "The Stradman" and "Vehicle Virgins"

I love watching Doug Demuro's reviews because he is knowledgeable with a side of humor. That's a good recipe right there.
Another popular car reviewer YouTuber is Matt. His channel is "The Smoking Tire" and he usually drives people's cars with them in the car and gives his impressions. He has done some crazy modified cars and stock cars. I think one car he reviewed was a Hyundai Elantra with nos.

wildcatgoal · Jan 9, 2018

Ford Mustang YouTube Star Starter Pack:

5 things I hate about my Ford Mustang
5 things I like about my Ford Mustang
My Ford Mustang broke... again!!
My Ford Mustang is going to kill me... again!!
Drag racing my Ford Mustang ON THE STREETZ

Seatown Stang · Jan 22, 2018

Ill add that you WILL lose money when you start out. Dont be afraid of spending money (if you are truly passionate about it and not just making $ from it). Your interest will show through. Plus with Youtubes new Monitization rules, you wont make a dime until you have both 1000 subs AND 4000hrs of views in a 12mo period.

I mostly to install vids on my S550. I always hope Im helpping and giving back because I know I use youtube a TON for installing parts myself.

Spoiler Alert: People are going to be assholes and know-it-alls. Its in their nature when they arent worried about meeting someone face to face. Dont let that stuff get to you. If anything be happy they watched your video and had some sort of reaction that caused them to leave a comment, good or bad.

Feel free to check me out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZzix0gfvT0tJF-xBWOEOeA

Seatown Stang · Jan 24, 2018

blueovalfan said:
I am pretty new to building my YouTube channel and like everything else if you are passionate and patient the fruits of your labor will come into fruition. Post what's trending in the automotive seen and stick to what you like.
Here is my channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk4YI-hRlSu2X1wDd2V0_bg
Any other YouTubers please send your links. Let's grow one another's channels.

Subed!

Youtube Car Reviews Channels

15Pony

Well-Known Member

Hack

Well-Known Member

15Pony

Well-Known Member

mike@vossen

Well-Known Member

Nomadic

King of Europe

Patio208

GT350 Member

Clink

Well-Known Member

Bullitt

Well-Known Member

Ebm

Well-Known Member

wildcatgoal

@sirboom_photography

Seatown Stang

HereWeGo

Seatown Stang

HereWeGo