Electric Vehicles Have a Reliability Problem

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Electric Vehicles Have a Reliability Problem

Electric vehicles have a reliability problem, scoring far below conventional and hybrid vehicles, according to the latest Consumer Reports survey.

Governments and companies are aggressively pushing for the electrification of the automotive industry, with most automakers setting dates for when they want their entire lineup to be EV-only. Despite the push, however, it appears the industry still has a long way to go before EVs match the reliability offered by conventional vehicles, and especially hybrids.

According to CR, EVs experience 79% more problems than conventional vehicles, with plug-in hybrids experiencing a whopping 146% more problems. Much of this can be chalked up to the growing pains associated with launching a new automotive segment.

“Most electric cars today are being manufactured by either legacy automakers that are new to EV technology, or by companies like Rivian that are new to making cars,” says Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at CR. “It’s not surprising that they’re having growing pains and need some time to work out the bugs.”

Interestingly, traditional hybrids are the exception, reporting 26% fewer issues than conventional vehicles. Just as growing pains are responsible for EV reliability issues, the overall maturity of the hybrid market is credited with their reliability.

“It might not seem that long ago, but Toyota launched the Prius hybrid about 25 years ago,” Esays Steven Elek, who leads the auto data analytics program at CR. “Automakers have been making hybrids long enough that they’ve gotten really good at it. Plus, many hybrids are also made by manufacturers that tend to produce reliable vehicles overall, such as Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia.”

CR’s full report can be found here and should provide valuable insight for anyone in the market for a new vehicle.

Electric Vehicles Have a Reliability Problem
Staff

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