Study: electric vehicles less reliable than gasoline-powered ones
In its latest annual ranking of the makes and models with the best anticipated reliability, Consumer Reports comes to a conclusion that is sure to provoke a reaction: 100% electric vehicles are far less reliable than hybrids and internal combustion engine vehicles.
By surveying owners and collecting data on more than 330,000 vehicles from the 2020s to 2023 (and a few 2024 models), the renowned American site was able to compile a list of the various problems encountered in the first few years following acquisition, in some twenty categories: engine, transmission, battery, charging, chassis, paint and finish, electronic systems, etc.
On average, 79% more problems are reported with electric vehicles than with conventional gasoline-powered vehicles.
"Most electric vehicles today are made by traditional manufacturers who are just beginning to understand electric technology, or by companies such as Rivian who don't have much experience in vehicle manufacturing. So it's not surprising that they're struggling and need time to correct defects," notes Jake Fisher, Senior Director of Vehicle Testing at Consumer Reports.
The latter points out that many of the main problems encountered by electric vehicle users are related to the powertrain (despite the smaller number of moving parts), the battery and recharging (at the vehicle level, not the terminals).
Tesla, the king of electric vehicle sales, is in the middle of the pack when it comes to reliability, according to this Consumer Reports ranking. Its Model Y crossover is now recommended by the organization for the first time, with owners reporting fewer problems with suspension, electronics and assembly quality than in the past.
However, Tesla's other vehicles, with the exception of the Model 3, continue to suffer from numerous assembly and finishing shortcomings, dragging the brand down, according to Consumer Reports.
It should also be noted that the Hyundai IONIQ 5 lost its Consumer Reports recommendation for 2024 due to charging and battery problems.
The ranking also shows that plug-in hybrids are even less reliable than all-electric vehicles, with an average of 146% more problems than combustion-only vehicles. Non-rechargeable hybrids dominate in terms of reliability, with 26% fewer problems than conventional vehicles.
Bien sûr, il y a toujours des exceptions. Par exemple, le Toyota RAV4 Prime figure dans le top 10 des modèles les plus fiables en général (rappelons que l’étude a été réalisée aux États-Unis où le « Cablegate » a connu moins d’ampleur qu’au Canada). Le Ford F-150 PowerBoost, un hybride, a pour sa part souffert d’un lot de problèmes, notamment avec la transmission.
