Electric vehicles less reliable than gas powered cars: Consumer Reports

A new survey from Consumer Reports has troubling news concerning electric vehicles (EVs) as owners say they are less reliable than gas powered cars.

While EVs are growing in popularity, owners of electric vehicles experience 79 per cent more problems with their EVs compared to gas-powered cars.

EV trouble spots include issues with charging, electric motors, and battery problems.

“Our members are reporting the same issues with most EVs as they are with vehicles that have been designed brand new from the ground up, whether they're gas or electric and EVs are about the newest technology out there,” Keith Barry, with Consumer Reports, said. “And it’s taking a while, even for established carmakers to work through those growing pains.”

Every year Consumer Reports surveys hundreds of thousands of its members asking them simple but important questions, like: what problems have they had with their vehicles in the past year?

Barry said that they take everything from engine and transmission issues to leaks, paint and trim problems into consideration. They then crunch those numbers and calculate their predicted reliability, which includes “almost every car on the market,” new and used.

According to the survey, owners of hybrid vehicles – vehicles that use two or more types of power, such as gas and diesel or electricity -- reported having 26 per cent fewer problems on average than gas-only cars.

Researchers found that the most reliable vehicle types were sedans, hatchbacks and wagons.

Lexus and Toyota took the top spots for brand reliability, followed by Mini, Acura, Honda, and Subaru.

Auto brands ranked lowest in terms of reliability were Rivian, Mercedes-Benzes and Chrysler. EV trucks were at the bottom of the list, surpassing traditionally gas-powered pick-up trucks which have taken the title of least reliable in the study for years.