A recent study conducted by the independent US firm Consumer Reports has raised concerns about the reliability of electric vehicles (EVs) compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts. The report, based on data from 330,000 new vehicles, indicates that electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles experience more issues than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.
According to the study, electric vehicles showed a staggering 79% more problems than petrol and diesel vehicles. Plug-in hybrid vehicles fared even worse, facing a concerning 146% more issues than conventional vehicles. The report identified specific challenges with EV drive system motors, EV charging systems, and EV batteries, contributing to the reliability concerns.
Consumer Reports singled out battery-electric pick-up trucks as the worst-performing vehicle type. The study highlighted reliability issues within this segment, indicating potential challenges for manufacturers to address in the growing electric pick-up market.
Interestingly, traditional hybrids, excluding plug-in hybrids, emerged as a bright spot in the report. Hybrid cars, such as the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, were found to be the most reliable new cars, experiencing 26% fewer problems than their non-hybrid counterparts.
Consumer Reports used its data to calculate reliability scores for various automakers. The top five most reliable brands were led by Lexus, followed by Toyota, Mini, Acura (Honda’s US brand), and Honda itself. The rankings were based on a combination of trouble areas, owner satisfaction surveys, and other data points.
Lexus secured the top spot with a reliability score of 79, emphasizing its commitment to producing dependable vehicles. Tesla, as the most prominent electric-car-only brand, earned the 14th position with a score of 48. Rivian, another electric-only brand, was ranked 28th in the study.
Reliability Factor based off study
Lexus 79
Toyota 76
Mini 71
Acura 70
Honda 70
Subaru 69
Mazda 67
Porsche 66
BMW 64
Kia 61
Hyundai 56
Buick 55
Infiniti 53
Tesla 48
Ram 46
Cadillac 45
Nissan 45
Genesis 44
Audi 43
Chevrolet 43
Dodge 42
Ford 40
Lincoln 38
GMC 36
Volvo 28
Jeep 26
Volkswagen 26
Rivian 24
Mercedes-Benz 23
Chrysler 18
