A “dark horse car” (dark horse + car) is similar to a popular model car, but is less well-known and often 20% cheaper. “Buyers Find Deals With ‘Dark Horse Cars’ by Elisabeth Leamy appeared on ABC News on August 24, 2009. “Save 20 Percent by Betting on a ‘Dark Horse Car’” by Elisabeth Leamy appeared on ABC News on October 6, 2004. Leamy credited the term to edmunds.com, an auto website.
 
A “dark horse” is a little-thought-of horse that often unexpectedly wins a horse race. The term is frequently used in politics.
   
   
edmunds.com
2008 Hyundai Veracruz: Welcome to the Fray
January 18, 2008
Our third musketeer has arrived. Joining our Buick Enclave and Mazda CX-9 is another large crossover SUV, the 2008 Hyundai Veracruz. All three are pretty evenly equipped and priced, although we opted for certain features over others in each case. As you might have also noticed, they’re all the same light blue color. OK, so the CX-9 is more purply blue, the Veracruz is the most blue blue and the Enclave can transform depending on lighting and the driver’s mood. But still, you can tell we like the color—we’re repainting the company bathrooms to match.
 
The Veracruz is the dark horse in our unofficial, informal year-long comparison test of these three crossovers.
   
ABC News
Buyers Find Deals With ‘Dark Horse Cars’
Aug. 24, 2009
By ELISABETH LEAMY
ABC NEWS Consumer Correspondent
The Cash for Clunkers program officially ends this evening, so would you like to learn another way to save a pile of money on a brand new car? A method that you can use anytime, without Uncle Sam’s help? Yes? OK, let’s get started.
 
I’m talking about buying a “dark horse car,” a term coined by auto Web site Edmunds.com. These are vehicles that are similar to the most popular models but less well-known.
     
Google Books
Save Big: Cut Your Top 5 Costs and Save Thousands
By Elisabeth Leamy
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
2010
Pg. 126:
Auto website Edmunds.com suggests shopping for what it calls dark horse cars. These are vehicles that are similar to the most popular models but are less well known. For example, Edmunds says the Nissan Altima is similar in features and quality to the Toyota Camry, but less expensive because it doesn’t have the famous name. Edmunds says dark horses can be as much as 20 percent cheaper.
 
edmunds.com
Top 10 Best Dark-Horse Cars of 2010
Published: 06/10/2010 - by Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor
There are certain vehicles that dominate the sales charts and have no shortage of mainstream recognition. You know the ones — models like the Honda Civic, Ford Explorer and Toyota Camry. If you’re shopping for a vehicle, top sellers such as these are likely the first choices that come to mind as you populate your short list.
 
In many cases, these mainstream favorites are popular for very good reasons, but there are other choices that are just as worthy of your buying dollars, if not more so. These are the dark horses — the cars that somehow fly just below the radar when it comes to consumer awareness, but nevertheless have a lot to offer shoppers on the hunt for quality and value.
     
ABC News
Save 20 Percent by Betting on a ‘Dark Horse Car’
Oct 6, 2014, 3:24 AM ET
By ELISABETH LEAMY
Consumer Correspondent via GOOD MORNING AMERICA
“Dark horse” is an old horse racing term that describes an unlikely winner. And you know what happens when you bet on an unknown horse and it wins the race? YOU win big money!
 
That’s also the idea behind “dark horse cars,” a term coined by auto website edmunds.com. The Edmunds editors define them as cars that are roughly equivalent to the most popular makes and models but less well known—so, less expensive. How much less? You could save big money—up to 20 percent by purchasing a dark horse car instead of its in-demand twin, according to Edmunds.