WALTHAM, Mass. -

DealerRater kicked off its 2012 Dealer of the Year Award Program on Thursday with the campaign climaxing during next month’s National Automobile Dealers Association Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas.

Officials recapped that DealerRater’s program highlights a select number of dealerships throughout the United States and Canada. These stores will be awarded for outstanding customer satisfaction as expressed through customers’ online reviews posted on DealerRater’s website.

DealerRater’s Dealer of the Year Awards are given to dealerships that have the highest PowerScore in their brand category. Officials explained each dealership’s PowerScore is determined using a Bayesian algorithm that considers the dealership’s average DealerRater user rating and the total number of reviews written about the dealership during the 2011 calendar year.

Officials added the dealership must also have at least 25 new reviews written on DealerRater’s website during the previous calendar year and an average rating greater than 4.0, with 5.0 as the highest possible score.

Furthermore, DealerRater pointed out that one dealership will be chosen as the overall Dealer of the Year for 2012. This dealership will be recognized for having a PowerScore that outranks all other brand-specific Dealer of the Year winners.

“For the first time since initiating the Dealer of the Year Award Program in 2007, we will recognize top dealers in their brand category at the individual state level,” stated Chip Grueter, president at DealerRater.

“With more than 41,000 dealerships now in the running, it will be a tight competition among many outstanding dealers throughout North America,” Grueter continued.

The Dealer of the Year award winners will be announced at NADA’s annual gathering that runs Feb. 3–6. DealerRater plans to have an exhibit during the conference at booth No. 2993.