The Electric Vehicle (EV) market has not reached the level of quality assurance of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) based cars. A recent Consumer Reports Quality Study detailed that EV makers have fared poorly in the customer satisfaction index in terms of reliability.
Tesla reportedly stood second-last for the second consecutive time this year, while Ford Motor’s car marque Lincoln was placed last. Other automakers were also subjected to criticism from consumers on account of complex and faulty technology.
The Senior Director of Auto Testing at Consumer Reports, Jake Fisher, said, “A lot of EVs are at the high end of the market and have a lot of new tech, like new ways to open the doors. It’s causing problems”.
The report specified that the Tesla Models X and Y SUVs and the Model S sedan all placed below average, and the Model 3 sedan was placed on an average scale in terms of reliability. Other vehicles such as the Audi E-Tron and the Volkswagen ID.4 EVs also placed quite low in the rankings. The only EV to do well on the index was the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
BMW was ranked seventeenth for overall reliability, and Mercedes Benz came twenty-third. Buick and Mini were the only non-Japanese companies to be included in the top-ten companies for reliability, and the rest of the spots were taken by Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Acura, Nissan, and Infinity.
The report also highlighted that EVs are prone to more of such issues due to the incorporation of modern gadgetry like touchscreen controls for climate, seat controls, and other devices that are susceptible to electrical faults. With these persistent problems, there are still doubts about whether the world is even ready for the normalization of EVs.
