Tesla ranked near bottom for reliability

A new survey conducted by Consumer Reports found that electric vehicles, and particularly SUVs, were among the least reliable cars, pushing companies such as Tesla to the bottom of the list.

The report, which was released on Thursday, ranked Tesla 27th out of 28 for reliability, above only Ford’s Lincoln luxury brand. Lexus was rated the most reliable automaker.

Consumer Reports rated 11 fully electric models from eight brands, including five fully electric SUVs.

“There’s no reason fully electric cars can’t be as reliable or even more reliable than traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines,” Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports director of vehicle testing said, adding: “It’s how they implement the technology.”

According to Fisher, “People who buy Teslas are very satisfied with them, but they do have their fair share of problems.” He told CNBC the company had the tendency to “add so much tech that’s not necessary.”

Among the concerns Consumer Reports had for the Tesla Model S, X, and Y lines, were issues with heat pumps, air-conditioning, and misaligned panels. The company’s Model X SUV was ranked least reliable, scoring just five out of 100 possible points. Its best-selling Model Y SUV was judged to have problems with poorly fitting body panels, leaks, and issues with its climate control. Only the Model 3 sedan, which it awarded an ‘average’ for reliability, was recommended by Consumer Reports.

The annual ranking uses data from more than 300,000 vehicles to provide reliability scores for major brands and individual vehicles.

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