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Consumer Reports’ rankings report that Nissan and Tesla’s EVs top the reliability rankings for electric vehicles. This is despite the fact that data shows EVs have more problems than hybrids or gas-powered cars. Tesla’s Model 3 is the second most reliable new EV, outranked only by the Kia EV6. Consumer Reports noted that Kia’s EV6 was new for the 2022 model year, so it’s too early to tell if it can match the Model 3’s reliability long term.
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Why EVs struggle with reliability
The auto industry is in the midst of a massive rollout of new EVs to switch the transportation sector over to an all-electric future. Because a lot of this technology required for EVs is relatively new, it can take time for testing and recalls to iron out kinks. Reliability also can suffer when carmakers integrate new EV technology with older gas-powered vehicle technology, so you can see problems when companies try to combine tech that is newly integrated as well.
Related: Tesla launches Tesla Electric program to boost clean energy
For example, many hybrids have to integrate electric motors at the wheels with gas-powered engine backup systems, and create technology that switches the systems back and forth. With EVs, some of this legacy tech is still used for transmissions, powertrain technology and how vehicles get power to the wheels. So even when an EV looks all new and is all-electric, sometimes there are problems using old technology and new technology that has never been paired together before.
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One of the reasons Tesla succeeded where other EV makers failed was the dedication to pushing through recalls and technical glitches when the Model 3 first came out. Now that Tesla has several models and another decade of experience under its belt, it makes sense that this automaker would rise in the reliability rankings. When Tesla first started, the company built its original Roadster 2-seater EV sports car on a Lotus body, and didn’t create its own below-the-floor battery pack until the next generation EVs.
With time and experience, Tesla has pushed through many challenges that more experienced automakers overcame years prior, and it’s paying off. But battery fires, self-driving glitches and more still plague all EV makers, particularly Tesla, so Consumer Reports’ data can help give an objective view of which EVs are really the most reliable. Just because Tesla ends up in the news more often than other EV makers, it can look like the company’s EVs have the most problems. That simply isn’t true. More people are buying them early on, more issues are popping up due to Elon Musk’s determination to push through the problems presented by self-driving technology and batteries, but Tesla has done surprisingly well.
Why Nissan tops EV reliability rankings
So why did Nissan make these top rankings? Remember that the Nissan LEAF was also an early EV offering when other automakers turned up their noses at EVs. This automaker also showed an early interest in electric cars, and has had a long lead time to test out the glitches for its electric vehicle lineup. The Nissan LEAF was ranked third by Consumer Reports behind the EV6 from Kia and the Tesla Model 3. CR recommends all three vehicles, but said, “they still lag many conventional cars” in reliability.
The new 2023 LEAF has a new battery pack with slightly lower range but more efficiency, and the second-generation LEAF from 2018 has been a perennial bestselling used car among EVs. Despite the reliability glitches, that does indicate that the LEAF has staying power.
How to buy a reliable EV
Kia’s EV6 was recommended because of overall superior reliability in the short term. Kia has done very well with improving quality across the company’s vehicle lineup in recent years, so this is not surprising, but we expect the top contenders for EV reliability will continue to knock each other off their perches for a few years until we settle into a longterm pattern of superior quality from several automakers who have invested the most in EV development.
Tesla has uneven rankings among other models, and even over time, from Consumer Reports reliability surveys. The Model 3 had poor ratings in 2018 but improved to a top pick in 2020. Tesla’s other models besides the Model 3 performed below average on reliability.
One problem rarely addressed in these rankings is that cars tested and designed in California tend to have sub-par testing on rough roads. Suspensions of EVs sit very low to the ground for aerodynamic efficiency, so cars that seemed fine popping off the factory line from a California (or Texas) EV maker can run into real-world reliability problems when the rubber literally hits the road. This type of reliability problem would tend to hit different models unevenly due to their variable suspension heights and other features that vary between models.
If you want to find a reliable EV, you should keep three things in mind:
- Keep an eye on reliability reports like this one from Consumer Reports.
- Watch second-hand EV sales to see which EVs last through multiple owners.
- Test any EVs on various road surfaces, in variable weather, and in extreme temperatures.
Just as early first-gen hybrids like the Toyota Prius or ethanol flex-fuel vehicles initially had a hard time starting in super low temperatures due to early-stage technology that couldn’t hold up to extreme conditions, EVs are now going through their first proving stage. As technology is refined, expect to see EVs improve on reliability in general.
If you can’t handle an unreliable EV for the time being, hybrids are ranked the most reliable vehicles, and Consumer Reports recommends the current Ford Maverick and Toyota Corolla.
Lead image via Pexels
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