LOS ANGELES -

A single brand won five of 20 categories as Total Car Score announced its first-ever Top Scoring Car Awards on Wednesday.

The inaugural Top Scoring Car Awards cover all major vehicle segments for model year 2012, with best car awards based on Total Car Score’s comprehensive ranking formula.

Ford was the brand earning the most Total Car Score awards, with top-scoring vehicles in five of the 20 segments.

The Ford Mustang was top ranked in Sport Coupe/Convertible, and the F-Series scored highest in the Large Truck slot.

Ford’s Focus took second place rankings in the Compact Sedan/Wagon segment; the Flex for Large SUV/Crossover; and the Taurus SHO in the High Performance category.

Honda saw four first-place rankings in the awards: the Honda Fit in the Economy Car segment; the Odyssey in the Minivan slot; the CR-V for Compact SUV/Crossover; and Ridgeline for Small Truck.

Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen all had three winners each.

“We are proud to present the first Top Scoring Car Awards from Total Car Score,” said Karl Brauer, founder and chief executive officer of Total Car Score. “What sets our awards apart is that they are based on an independent and transparent scoring system. Each award is the culmination of authoritative opinion from across the automotive industry, and each is determined by raw data without editorializing.”

Total Car Score utilizes the ratings from multiple automotive authorities and converts them into a simple percentage, the company said, representing what the car could have scored from each source versus what it did score. The average number from all of these sources represents the vehicle’s Total Car Score.

A car must have a rating from at least five sources to qualify as a validated Total Car Score.

“It’s worth noting that the top three vehicles with the highest Total Car Score, when every 2012 model is taken into account, are the Lexus LS, Hyundai Sonata, and Infiniti M,” said Brauer. “Clearly these models are universally praised by the industry in terms of quality, design and occupant safety.”

In naming its best cars in segments where the difference between the first and second ranked car is less than two points, Total Car Score awarded two winners.

The full list of Top Scoring Award winners for model year 2012 are:

—Economy Car: Honda Fit, Total Car Score 81.58; Kia Soul, Score 81.27

—Compact Sedan/Wagon: Volkswagen Golf, Score 83.29; Ford Focus, Score 82.38

—Midsize Sedan/Wagon: Hyundai Sonata, Score 87.77; Toyota Camry Hybrid, Score 86.31

—Large Sedan/Wagon: Buick LaCrosse/LaCrosse eAssist Hybrid, Score 85.01; Toyota Avalon, Score 83.82

—Sport Coupe/Convertible: Ford Mustang, Score 80.96; Mini Cooper, Score 79.02

—Minivan: Honda Odyssey, Score 83.96

—Compact SUV/Crossover: Honda CR-V, Score 83.41; Subaru Forester, Score 81.59

—Midsize SUV/Crossover: Volkswagen Touareg, Score 81.91; Kia Sorento, Score 81.78

—Large SUV/Crossover: Chevrolet Traverse, Score 84.87; Ford Flex, Score 84.44

—Small Truck: Honda Ridgeline, Score 78.64

—Large Truck: Ford F-Series, Score 79.67; Toyota Tundra, Score 79.09

—Entry Luxury Sedan/Wagon: Cadillac CTS, Score 86.49

—Luxury Sedan/Wagon: Infiniti M, Score 86.95; Hyundai Genesis, Score 85.83

—Ultra Luxury Car: Lexus LS/LS Hybrid, Score 89.08/88.41

—Entry Luxury SUV/Crossover: Cadillac SRX, Score 83.01; Audi Q5, Score 82.49

—Luxury SUV/Crossover: Lexus RX Hybrid, Score 85.13; Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Score 83.36

—Ultra Luxury SUV/Crossover: Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Score 79.69; Cadillac Escalade, Score 77.85

—High Performance: Volkswagen Golf R, Score 84.64; Ford Taurus SHO, Score 83.22

—Luxury High Performance: Infiniti IPL G, Score 85.21; Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, Score 83.36

—Exotic High Performance: Audi R8, Score 79.91