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EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

finance.yahoo.com

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Re: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

#71

In Which magazine, EVs were about as reliable as normal cars, however if you removed tesla from the ratings, then EV reliability jumped significantly to way above standard petrol/diesel. https://www.which.co.uk/ has the details, but you need to be a member to find out. Basically the fit, finish and reliability of the accessories were trash.

I've seen the argument that "traditional auto makers" don't "get" how many people think - they concentrate on panel gaps or wind noise or door closing bump noise. Tesla isn't great there, but the Tesla software is good, and what some people call "kids" treat the car more like a smart phone. They don't care if your panel gaps are great - if your infotainment software is very laggy or crashes, it's a low quality car.

Panel gaps don’t even matter from a pragmatic standpoint.

Re: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

#72
post #56
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Teslas the majority? I always assume Tesla was a more luxury brand of EVs. Is there any ranking of amount of EVs by brand sold to date? AFAIR Nissan Leaf was selling quite well some time in Europe. And in 2022 I see BYD sold more vehicles than Tesla, but I can't find data for all the EVs sold in the past.

> I always assume Tesla was a more luxury brand of EVs. Eh, Model S was high-end but wouldn't call it luxury. Lots of regular people with a decent income bought it. Interior wasn't up to "luxury" standards. My kindergarten teacher has a Model 3, so that's not really luxury at all.

> My kindergarten teacher has a Model 3, so that's not really luxury at all.

Dual incomes make this a weak metric. The Model 3 also retails for the same price as the BMW 5 series and Mercedes-Benz E class.

Re: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

#74
Obviously anecdata but I've had an EV (Jaguar I-Pace) for a year and a bit now and it is by far the best and most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.

I've driven over 8000 miles in it and have not had a single issue. Contrast it to my new diesel Mercedes, which I think I had to service 4 times over the first year I owned it. It just makes sense that they'd be far more reliable - there are far fewer moving parts that can break.

If you don't need the >300 mile range regularly then an EV is by far the best choice. They're also cheaper over the lifetime of the vehicle.

Re: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

#75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Tesla infotainment system pre-2018/MCU2 is pretty laggy. The software also writes too much to the eMMC and bricks the MCU after a few years in the original design. And without Android Auto / Apple Carplay, you can't bypass it by plugging in your phone either, which is still a problem now.

https://www.tesla.com/support/8gb-emmc-recall-frequently-ask...

They wanted to charge me $200 to complete this recall.

Re: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

#76
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Paint is not a cosmetic issue, failing paint can cause mechanical failure due to corrosion. Improvements in automotive coatings is the number one reason that cars aren’t “worn out” at 5 years and 50,000 miles like they did in the 70s.

That's true, but a lot of paint issues are not so severe. Many are things like the white bumper not matching the rest of the car. That one is common across brands. Tesla's get a lot of scrutiny for dust nibs and uneven application. I'd bet its the minority that would have a functional impact.

There are common mild issues in other categories as well.

“Braking system issues” sound bad, but a common complaint is brake noise.

“Transmission issues” could be hard shifts.

“Engine problems” could be a squeaky belt or tensioner.

Re: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

#78
My issue with CR for a long time is that I don’t trust their weighting. I’m much more worried about major drivetrain issues than flaky accessories in general, and it’s always seemed like they don’t distinguish between these categories the way I would. Their detailed breakdown is more useful but doesn’t impact these kinds of broad lists.

Re: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

#79
post #44
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My cousin recently had a flat tire in her EV. Roadside Assistance did not have a spare, required an expensive tow & her day was a total loss. Dragging a toddler along made a stressful experience worse, as well. I did not previously realize most(?) EVs have no spare tire included.

The lack of spare tires is correlated with the increase in tire size, IMO. My first car was a 1987 Mazda with 14" tires. It was a two seat sports car, with a tiny spare mounted vertically. They could do that since it was 14". Modern sports cars are 18-20" and the spare tire is a big cargo compromise.

And that was the new fancy wheel size. From 1979 to 1985 that car came with 13” wheels.

Re: EVs are the least reliable vehicle type: Consumer Reports

#80
post #18

If you exclude Teslas and plug in hybrids then most EVs are incredibly reliable. Yes, power electronics wear out and break on occasion but that’s nothing in comparison to the complexity of an internal combustion vehicle. And car manufacturers only have a few years experience mass producing EVs. Once they gain experience there will be no competition from fossil fuel cars. The future is not internal combustion.

>that’s nothing in comparison to the complexity of an internal combustion vehicle.

Some days I dream of leaving the complexity and sheer scale of the software world and going to something simpler and more relatable, like mechanics.

>Once they gain experience there will be no competition from fossil fuel cars.

This is so bogus. The only reason that most people will end up driving EVs will be because of govenment mandates. Most people were happy with ICE cars (and mostly are, even now).

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