Electric SUVs as a category were rated the most unreliable vehicles, Consumer Reports director of vehicle testing, Jack Fisher, said on Thursday.
Not even Tesla's Model Y SUV—the U.S. EV-maker's best-selling vehicle—escaped the poor ratings by Consumer Reports.
Only one electric SUV—Ford's Mustang Mach-E, earned an "above-average reliability" rating.
"Electric SUVs as a vehicle category is the absolute bottom in terms of reliability," Fisher said, who took aim at Tesla's 'self-driving' feature as well.
"Full self driving is not full self-driving at all. It's a convenience feature."
Overall, Consumer Reports ranked electric SUVs and Teslas among the least reliable models sold in the United States. Tesla ranked a disappointing 27 out of 28 rated auto brands, with only Lincoln coming in lower.
Earlier, in February, Consumer Reports rated Tesla's Model 3 as the Top Pick in the electric car category of CR's Best Cars of the Year report.
But that isn't saying much. And these rankings are despite the fewer moving parts associated with electric vehicles over ICE ones. It also comes despite EVs having substantially higher price tags on average. In fact, that may be part of the problem.
The highest-ranking Tesla model in the latest report was indeed its Model 3, but it was ranked as merely average, with the rest of Tesla's lineup ranking as below average.
The problem with the SUVs when it comes to reliability isn't the batteries or the electric motors, according to Consumer Reports. It's glitchy electronics—including climate controls and power equipment. Because these SUVs tend to be considered more of a luxury vehicle due to their lofty price tags, they often come with all the bells and whistles—bells and whistles that apparently can run amok.
Further disappointment for those concerned with their carbon footprint is that owners reported more problems with 8, 9, and 10-speed transmissions—transmissions that are designed for fuel-efficiency.
The Consumer Report was based on overall reliability for the 2019, 2020, 2021 model years.
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By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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