According to data collected by Consumer Reports, electric cars are not as reliable as traditional gasoline-powered cars, despite the common belief that they are less likely to have issues.
Consumer Reports is a well-known American consumer advocacy organization that conducts reliability assessments on various cars every year. Recently, the organization released a reliability comparison report on electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and traditional fuel vehicles. The main findings of the report are as follows: Electric vehicles have lower reliability than traditional vehicles: The report shows that electric vehicles have 79% more reliability issues than traditional vehicles, while plug-in hybrid vehicles have 146% more reliability issues. This means that electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are more prone to malfunctions and require more repairs or part replacements. The report attributes this mainly to the fact that electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are relatively new and manufacturers are still addressing technical issues. Non-plug-in hybrid vehicles have higher reliability than traditional vehicles: The report shows that non-plug-in hybrid vehicles have 26% fewer reliability issues than traditional vehicles. This is mainly because the technology of hybrid vehicles is more mature and is mainly provided by some of the more reliable manufacturers. There is a significant difference in the reliability of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles from different brands: The report shows that the reliability performance of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles from different brands varies. Tesla’s electric vehicles have a medium reliability ranking, with a stable electric power system but fragile body, paint, and air conditioning systems. Ford’s electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles have a lower reliability ranking, with reliability issues in their flagship products such as F-150, Bronco, and Lightning. Toyota’s plug-in hybrid vehicles have a higher reliability ranking, with the RAV4 Prime being one of the most reliable models in the entire survey. Overall, Asian manufacturers dominate the reliability rankings.
