Consumer Reports is out with its annual owner satisfaction survey, showing Rivian to be far and away the most-loved car brand according to owners. The rating comes soon after a couple of Consumer Reports’ reviewers strangely listed the R1S as one of their “least favorite cars we tested in 2023.”
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Consumer Reports has released its latest rankings comparing the active driving assistance systems (ADAS) of EV automakers like Ford, GM, Rivian, and of course Tesla. The independent, non-profit consumer organization tested 12 different ADA systems broken down into five distinct categories in which it determined that Ford’s BlueCruise technology is the current industry leader, usurping General Motors’ Super Cruise. Tesla’s Autopilot, on the other hand, has tumbled off the podium into mediocrity.
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Consumer Reports has launched a new Green Choice program for cars. It will use a green leaf icon to identify the new cars, SUVs, and minivans with the best fuel efficiency and lowest contributions to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and smog formation.
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Tesla rose eight spots in Consumer Reports‘ new car brand rankings, the largest rise of any brand, to become the top US brand at 11th place out of 33. This is largely due to improved reliability with the Model 3 and Model S.
The Tesla Model 3 also gained Consumer Reports‘ “Top Pick” designation as the best electric car, according to the publication.
In response to Consumer Reports’ first review of the Model 3, and our article about issues they had in their braking tests, Tesla CEO Elon Musk swiftly promised that if an issue is found with Model 3 braking, it would be fixed at no cost to owners, even if a physical upgrade is required.
Just a few hours later, Musk gave us another update: Tesla seems to have isolated Model 3 braking issues to calibration of the anti-lock braking system. Thankfully, this is solvable through a firmware update, and Musk promised one in the coming days.
Consumer Reports’ recently released 2016 Owner Satisfaction survey was, as usual, a big win for Tesla. The electric automaker came in as the top brand once again, as they have every year they have been included in the survey.
The Model S also earned the top spot in the car-by-car ratings, with 94% satisfaction. This is down from the 99% and 98% the car earned in its early years, which is understandable as the car reaches a wider audience beyond the most faithful early adopters. The Model X wasn’t too far behind, with 88% satisfaction. See a partial table below the jump.
Earlier this week, Consumer Reports came out with their annual car reliability survey, which included an update on Model S reliability in which they re-recommended the car due to improved reliability, and also a warning on reliability of initial Model X vehicles due to many issues, particularly with the falcon wing doors.
But as we reported two days ago, since Model S reliability is improving, we should probably expect a similar story to play out with the Model X. Today, Tesla gave confirmation that this is indeed the case, with a sentence in their shareholder letter:
“Reliability of our vehicles continues to improve and our warranty accrual rates on new and used vehicles declined from Q2 to Q3. The amount of issues that we have addressed with ModelX have fallen by 92% in the last 12 months, a reflection of the improvements we have made in Model X due to our ability and commitment to react quickly to issues.”
Consumer Reports really likes the Model S. Last year, it somehow managed to place both first and second in their “best cars of 2015” list, and the P85D broke their rating system by scoring 103 out of 100 points – beating the previous 85kWh model which had previously been described as the “best car ever” when it scored 99 out of 100 on the same scale. That’s right, not the best EV ever, but the best car ever. It has also topped their list with the highest owner satisfaction ratings ever seen in multiple surveys of their subscribers, as well as the highest satisfaction for repairs and service.
So last year, when Consumer Reports rescinded their recommendation, it was big news. But today, Consumer Reports has reversed that decision based on new reliability ratings, and now that the Model S is back in “average” reliability range, it means that Consumer Reports can once again recommend that consumers buy it.
Consumer Reports has been testing Tesla’s latest ‘Autopilot’ update (v7.1) since its unveiling last month and especially the new feature called ‘Summon’, which allows Tesla owners to remotely move their vehicle without anyone in it.
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If you thought that the love story between Consumer Reports and Tesla was over, you were wrong. The magazine published a top 10 list of the cars it tested in 2015 and the Tesla Model S somehow managed to get the first and second positions.
Consumer Reports lists the “Tesla Model S” as the second best car tested and the “Tesla Model S P85D” as the first. It is the only vehicle with two different versions on the list – both Mercedes and Audi have two cars on the list, but they are different models (E250-S550 and A8-A6).
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Consumer Reports published its detailed review of the Tesla Model S P85D this morning and the product review magazine says that their ratings system had to be modified because the P85D scored 103 out of 100. After changing the system, Tesla’s all-wheel drive performance vehicle achieved a perfect score of 100.
Consumer Reports tested previous versions of the Model S in the past few years and they always had great things to say about the vehicle, even calling it the best car they ever tested, and this time is no exception.
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Consumer Reports likes the Model S. It named the Model S Tops in Customer Satisfaction, gave it a near perfect score and a top 5 Brand Perception. Today it named the Best Overall in its top 10 cars list saying:
BEST OVERALL: Tesla Model S ($89,650) This electric luxury vehicle offers blistering acceleration, razor-sharp handling, a compliant ride, and a versatile cabin with room for a small third-row seat. This technological tour de force, while pricey, is brimming with innovation and offers a 225-mile driving range and 5-hour charges with Tesla’s special connector.
In a nod to a decade ago, CR named the top “Green Car” the Toyota Prius saying:
Toyota Prius ($26,750) There’s no shortage of hybrids on the showroom floor; however none can match the combination of affordability, practicality, and fuel efficiency that the Prius delivers—which is why it leads in this category for the 11th year in a row. Its 44 mpg overall is still the best Consumer Reports has measured in any five-passenger, non-plug-in vehicle. And its roomy interior and hatchback versatility make it practical.
The following is Consumer Reports’ full breakdown:
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