Instead, the electric SUVs often are equipped with electric door handles, electric-activated climate control vents and other features. "The powertrains aren't the problem," Fisher said. But electric SUVs tend to be higher-priced luxury vehicles at present, and those have all the latest technology that can cause trouble, he said. Credit: Alexandros Vlachos/Pool via AP, FileĮlectric vehicles, with far fewer moving parts, should be more reliable than gas-powered vehicles, Fisher said.
Compact and plug-in gas-electric hybrids were the most reliable category. Consumer Reports says electric SUVs generally are among the least reliable vehicles on the road, but it's not because of the batteries or electric motors that power them. General Motors' Buick brand finished fifth, and BMW's Mini was 10th.įord's Lincoln luxury brand finished last of 28 brands with Tesla, Jeep, Genesis and Volkswagen rounding out the bottom five.Ī Volkswagen ID.4 electric car is seen being charged at the airport of the Aegean Sea island of Astypalea, Greece, for the official launch of a project to introduce and test electric vehicles and sustainable energy systems on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Overall, Japanese brands led by Lexus, Mazda, Toyota and Infiniti took eight of the top 10 spots in the reliability survey. In contrast, compact and plug-in gas-electric hybrids led by the Toyota Prius and Prius Prime and the Honda Insight were the most reliable category, said Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing for Consumer Reports. Tesla's Models X and Y, the Audi E-Tron and Volkswagen ID.4 were among the vehicles singled out as having problems in areas other than the electric powertrain.
Instead, it's because of glitch-prone electronics including climate controls and power equipment, the annual auto reliability survey of subscribers by Consumer Reports found.Įlectric SUVs were the least reliable category in the annual survey of subscribers to the magazine and website who collectively own more than 300,000 vehicles.