A study of vehicle reliability was conducted by journalists from Consumer Reports. Experts conducted a survey among 330 thousand owners of gasoline and diesel cars, as well as owners of battery models produced from 2000 to 2023. Despite fewer moving parts and simple design, electric vehicle owners are much more likely to encounter problems.
If electric cars break down 80 percent more often than cars with internal combustion engines, then things are even worse for cars with a plug-in hybrid system. Breakdowns in such vehicles occur 146 percent more regularly. Classic hybrids also turned out to be less reliable. However, with this technical layout, models are 26 percent more likely to malfunction.
Experts believe that the cause of many problems in modern cars is the use of new, not fully tested technologies. Most often, malfunctions occur in the electric truck segment. For example, owners of the Ford F-150 Lightning often complain about problems with charging the battery. Owners of the Rivian R1T note defects in the climate system.
When choosing battery-powered cars, experts advise choosing time-tested models. For example, in the case of Tesla, it is better to look at the old Model 3 instead of the new Cybertruck. At the same time, in the future, the reliability of electric machines will increase significantly.
In December last year, experts named the cars with which problems most often arise after the warranty expires. Models of premium brands are most susceptible to breakdowns.
Electroshock: new “battery-powered” products
