In Consumer Reports' 2021 study, Tesla dropped five spots to 16th place due to reliability problems with the Model S, Model Y, and Model X. The nonprofit research organization noted that Teslas get high scores in owner satisfaction and its road tests, but only the Model 3 received a high enough overall score to be recommended.
The Tesla Model 3 made it into Consumer Reports' "10 Top Picks" list, also released Thursday, as one of four "Green Choice" models that demonstrate good safety, performance, reliability, and affordability along with low emissions.
For the Brand Report Card, Consumer Reports evaluated 32 brands based on expected reliability, owner-satisfaction surveys, road tests, safety features, and crash-test results.
Mazda took the top spot, besting many more expensive luxury brands including last year's winner, Porsche. In total, five non-luxury brands made it into the top 10: Mazda, Subaru, Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai.
Advertisement
But Tesla wasn't the only brand to slide several spots in this year's rankings. Lincoln fell 15 spots to 28th, due to below-average reliability for the redesigned Aviator and Corsair SUVs.
JD Power, the influential market research company, included Tesla for the first time this year in its 32nd annual US Vehicle Dependability Study. The report measures the number of problems per 100 vehicles that drivers of three-year-old models experienced over the last 12 months.
Tesla received a score of 176, placing it 30th out of 33 brands surveyed. But JD power couldn't officially list Tesla in the ranking because it doesn't allow JD Power to survey its owners in 15 states, so the firm had to go off of surveys from drivers in the other 35.
JD Power said the industry-average score was 121. Lexus, Porsche, Kia, and Toyota claimed the top spots, while Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, and Land Rover ranked last.
{{}}
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.