DETROIT– Electric vehicles have proven to be far less reliable on average than gas-powered cars, trucks and SUVs, according to the latest Consumer Reports research, which found that EVs from the 2021 through 2023 model years experienced nearly 80% more problems than vehicles powered by combustion engines.
According to Consumer Reports, electric car owners most often reported problems with battery and charging systems, as well as flaws in the way the vehicles’ body panels and interior parts fit together. The magazine and website noted that EV manufacturers are still learning to build energy systems from scratch, and suggested that doing so should improve the overall reliability of electric vehicles.
Still, Consumer Reports noted that lingering reliability concerns will likely contribute to the issues causing many buyers to hesitate when considering a switch to the new technology, along with concerns about higher costs, too few charging stations and long charging times.
“This story is really a story of growing pains,” said Jake Fisher, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports. “It’s a story about working out the bugs and kinks of new technology.”
The study also concluded that plug-in hybrids, which can run on battery power before a gas-electric powertrain kicks in, pose more problems than fully electric vehicles. Plug-ins, Fisher points out, contain two separate and complex energy systems in which failures can occur. He also noted that brands that have proven to be generally less reliable over time, such as Jeep and Volvo, have begun mass-producing plug-in hybrids.
But proven integrated gas-electric hybrid systems are more reliable than gasoline vehicles, largely because they have been in use for about a quarter century and the bugs have largely been worked out, Fisher said.
Consumer Reports drew its survey data from subscribers who owned electric vehicles from the 2021 through 2023 model years and compared it to other vehicle types. When calculating a vehicle’s average problem rate, the organization has given extra weight to serious problems, such as battery or engine failures.
Overall, EVs from the 2021 and 2022 model years had more than twice as many problems as internal combustion engine vehicles. In the 2023 model year, rates were more closely aligned: Those electric vehicles had only 21% more problems than gasoline vehicles, Fisher said.
The smaller gap in problems between electric and internal combustion vehicles in the 2023 model year, Fisher said, suggested that EV reliability is improving overall. Still, he noted that newer vehicles tend to have fewer problems, which increase as they age.
Among the EV owners whose vehicles have experienced problems is Michael Coram of Lockport, New York, near Buffalo. Aiming to reduce his commuting costs, Coram purchased a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt electric SUV in July, attracted by its sporty driving. Coram, 44, a heating and air conditioning technician, said he encountered one annoying problem: On a cold day in mid-November, his Bolt wouldn’t shift into drive mode.
Finally, after Coram turned the car on and off ten to twelve times, the problem resolved itself, and he hasn’t had it since. Other owners on a Bolt social media forum told Coram he may have switched to driving before the SUV’s computer finished booting up.
“It’s a bit too much for the computer to process,” he said.
Now Coram waits until all the dashboard lights go out before pressing the drive button. He said his dealer told him that mechanics will check the Bolt if a loaner car is available for him.
In 2021, General Motors recalled its popular electric Bolt from model years 2017 through 2022 to replace the batteries due to manufacturing defects that could cause a fire. Fisher said Bolt owners had to limit how much they charged the batteries and park them outside until replacement batteries became available. Repairs were still being made this year, Fisher said, leading some Bolt owners to report problems in the Consumer Reports survey.
Additionally, owners of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 EV reported battery and charging issues related to a charging control computer, which in some cases brought the vehicles to a standstill.
Rivian, a startup maker of electric pickups and SUVs, had problems properly aligning body panels and broken interior parts, Fisher said.
Tesla, the EV sales leader, which now has years of experience building vehicles, showed an improvement in reliability, Fisher said. This was largely because a large portion of Tesla’s sales were of the relatively small and cheaper Model Y SUV and Model 3 cars. These are easier to build and lack the new technology that Telsa offers in its more expensive vehicles, the Models S and X.
Tesla ranked 14th out of 30 car brands in the 2023 survey, up from 19th in 2022.
Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, was the most reliable in the survey, followed by Toyota, Mini, Acura and Honda. The five lowest brands were Jeep, Volkswagen, Rivian, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler.
The most reliable segment of the market was compact cars, followed by sports cars, small pickups, medium and large cars, luxury medium and large cars. Electric cars, electric SUVs, full-size pickups, midsize pickups and electric pickups had the worst reliability.
Consumer Reports says the subscriber survey, which represents 330,000 vehicles, was conducted last spring and summer. Owners of vehicles from model years 2000 through 2023, with some 2024 models, were asked about the problems they had experienced over the past 12 months.