- EV reliability compared to ICE improved over last year, according to a new survey from Consumer Reports.
- The most reliable EV this year was the BMW i4 and other EVs lost their recommendation due to reliability issues.
- Hybrids and pure combustion cars were about as reliable and considerably better than plug-ins.
Good news for anyone considering going electric: the latest Consumer Reports reliability survey shows that EVs made in the last three model years are improving compared to older models. CR compared data about vehicles with all levels of electrification and found that hybrids are more reliable than pure combustion cars, which are better than electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
This CR survey gathered data from around 300,000 2022 through 2024 model-year vehicles and says it got more responses than ever from hybrid and plug-in hybrid owners, showing these models’ growing popularity.
PHEVs still fared badly against combustion cars with 70% more problems than cars with no form of electrification. It’s still a massive improvement over last year when PHEVs had 146% more problems than ICE, but they are still more problematic.
EVs also improved to 42% more problems than ICE from 79% a year ago. CR still says non-plug-in hybrids are about as reliable as pure combustion cars, but it no longer gives a percentage.
Last year it rated hybrid reliability as being 26% better than ICE. This year it just says “many hybrids stand out as the most reliable vehicles you can buy, and our survey data shows that hybrids, as a category, are as reliable as non-hybrid gas cars.” CR also notes that not all hybrids are reliable, pointing to the Ford F-150 hybrid and Volkswagen ID.4 as being among the least reliable in the survey.
But while EV reliability went up, it’s still dragged down by several cars built by inexperienced startup companies. CR’s data points to the fact that the Lucid Air may be the least reliable sedan, but it’s insufficient for a clear picture. It does have enough data for Rivian, though, and it came in last for general brand reliability.
The most reliable EV was the BMW i4, but most EVs (including the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y) showed average reliability while the Model S and Model X rated below average. The Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Blazer EV are also having issues, with CR noting that “many owners also complained about the EV battery, electrical accessories, climate system, and in-car electronics.”
Some cars, like the BMW iX, Audi Q8 E-Tron and Kia EV6, even lost their CR recommendations due to reliability concerns. Production of the Audi will stop sooner than initially planned, and you probably won’t be able to buy one new after the middle of next year.
Even though CR says plug-in hybrids are generally more problematic, it does recommend the Volvo XC60 PHEV and the Toyota RAV4 Prime. The latter is, in fact, the most reliable vehicle in this year’s survey. The Mazda CX-90 PHEV may still need a few bugs ironed out, as it was rated the least reliable three-row SUV.
Steven Elek, who runs the auto data program at CR, explains that for EVs, it’s not just drivetrain, battery and charging problems that are lowering the score. He says “EVs are often a test bed for new technology, so there are more electrical accessory and in-car electronics issues as well.” This seems like an unstoppable trend that is slowly turning automakers into tech companies whose interest seems to be shifting toward producing the best "smartphone on wheels."
