DETROIT– According to the latest research from Consumer Reports, the reliability of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids has improved dramatically, closing the large gap with gas-powered cars.
But vehicles with combustion engines and gas-electric hybrids are still much more reliable, the study shows.
Consumer Reports subscribers, who took surveys through much of 2024, reported that electric vehicles had an average of 42% more problems than gasoline-powered cars. But that was a drop of 79% more in the 2023 survey. The study published Thursday measured the reliability of vehicles primarily from the 2022, 2023 and 2024 model years.
Plug-ins, which travel a short distance on battery power before a hybrid powertrain kicks in, had 70% more problems than gasoline-powered vehicles, but that was less than half the difference found in last year’s study.
The reason for the improvement? EV and plug-in technology are maturing, says Jake Fisher, head of Consumer Reports’ automotive testing center.
“As the automakers gain more experience with the new technologies and new platforms, they will improve,” Fisher said.
He said he expects plug-in and electric vehicles to continue to improve, further closing the gap with gasoline vehicles. But one thing may be standing in the way: Automakers often test new automation and other features on electric vehicles, and the new stuff is prone to failure.
“Until we get to the point where an electric car is just a car that does practical things with its own powertrain, I’m not sure they’ll ever fully catch up to gasoline vehicles,” Fisher said.
The new technology may offer more than the next wave of EV buyers might want as EVs move from early adopters to more practical mainstream buyers, Fisher said. “There are people who just want a car that is easy to maintain,” he said. “I don’t use gasoline. I don’t need this automation feature and electric door knobs or whatever they come out with.”
Consumer Reports has noted that concerns about the quality of electric vehicles and plug-ins contribute to issues that can make buyers hesitant before switching from gasoline engines, including concerns about higher upfront costs, too few charging stations and long charging times.
Gas-electric hybrids, which switch from combustion engines to electric propulsion to travel more miles, were about as reliable as cars with combustion engines. Although the technology is quite technical, it has been refined for a quarter century, mainly by pioneer Toyota, Fisher said. “CR’s testing has shown that they are often quieter, faster and more enjoyable to drive than their petrol-only counterparts,” he said.
Through September of this year, the last month for which all automakers reported results, electric vehicle sales were up 7.2%, plug-in sales were up 11.6%, but hybrids led the way with an increase of 32.6%, according to Motorintelligence.com.
Consumer Reports said a 2024 survey of subscribers representing about 300,000 car owners found Subaru was the most reliable brand for the first time, followed by perennial top-rankers Lexus and Toyota. The top five was completed by Honda and its luxury brand Acura. It was the first time since 2020 that neither Toyota nor its luxury brand Lexus took the top spot, Fisher said.
The highest-ranking brand from a US-based automaker was General Motors’ Buick at number 11.
The five lowest of the 22 brands ranked were electric start-up Rivian, followed by GM’s luxury brand Cadillac, GMC, Jeep and Volkswagen, according to Consumer Reports.
The magazine and website did not collect enough data this year to rank Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Lucid, Maserati, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Porsche and Ram.
Tesla, the leader in electric vehicle sales, ranked 17th, down three spots from last year’s survey.
Subaru earned the top spot in the study by following the same formula Toyota uses to earn high reliability scores: It doesn’t make major changes when updating or unveiling new vehicles, Fisher said. Instead of opting for new engines or transmissions, Subaru adopts parts from the previous generation.
“They don’t fix what isn’t broken,” he said. “They continue to refine their products, and because the products perform quite well, they don’t need to make major changes.”
Rivian, Fisher said, is a new company with new electric models that have more problems. Because the company is a startup, it cannot yet use proven powertrains from previous generations. “It’s expected that you’re going to have problems if you don’t have anything to carry over” from previous model years, he said.
The survey found that the gas-powered Toyota RAV4 small SUV was the most reliable vehicle, followed by the Toyota Corolla compact car. The RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid came in third, followed by the RAV4 gas-electric hybrid, Fisher said.
Consumer Reports’ survey of its subscriber base does not represent all U.S. vehicle buyers or the population who purchased specific vehicle types. The study was to be released at a meeting of the Detroit-based Automotive Press Association.