Are Evs More Reliable Than Gasoline And Hybrid Cars? (PDF)
When we think about EVs, we tend to doubt their reliability more than gasoline cars, due to their recent time in the auto market. Therefore, among all the different models, the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model 3 are the most trouble-free electric cars. That should come as no surprise, but now we have data to prove it.
Consumer Reports recently released the reliability data derived from their vast archive of owner surveys. The data showed that electric cars are less reliable as a whole, which includes both battery-electric and hybrid vehicles. The Kia EV6 came in first place with a total score of 84 out of 100 points. But CR was not ready to recommend it because it’s too new on the market and reliability issues may take some time. Additionally, we would be remiss not to point out that the Hyundai Ioniq 5–the platform twin of the EV6–ranks fourth among electric cars with a much lower 41 points scored, just barely higher than half the total score of the former.
With 58 points, the Tesla Model 3 places mid-pack in reliability ratings, while the Nissan Leaf scores 53 points. Combustion cars such as the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Lexus GX, Mazda Miata, and Lincoln Corsair score higher than 80.
We’ve heard arguments that electric cars should be more reliable than gas-powered cars because they have fewer moving parts. “EVs reported problems associated with battery packs, charging, electric drive motors, and unique heating and cooling systems that are required on vehicles that lack a conventional engine.”, said CR. It would be interesting to know the percentage of hardware failures versus software bugs but we still don’t have that information.
As automakers learn more about electric vehicles, reliability numbers will improve. It seems that experience matters when it comes to building a car. Gasoline cars have been around for more than a century, while Nissan and Tesla have been selling EVs for over a decade each.
