Electric vehicles (EVs) suffer from 79 percent more maintenance issues than gas or diesel-powered vehicles, while plug-in hybrid EVs have 146 percent more problems, a new report has found.
According to the nonprofit member organization Consumer Reports, hybrids have 26 percent fewer problems than cars powered by internal combustion engines (ICE), i.e. gas and diesel-powered vehicles.
The researchers gathered data on over 330,000 vehicles, from the 2000 to 2023 model years, with a few early-introduced 2024 model years.
They studied 20 trouble areas from squeaky brakes and broken interior trim — to major bummers, such as potentially expensive out-of-warranty engines, transmissions, EV batteries, and EV charging problems.
The data was merged with the publication’s own track testing, owner satisfaction survey findings, and safety information.
It then averaged it to offer a numerical score (out of 100) to each brand.
The number of possible problem areas varies by vehicle type: ICE vehicles have 17, EVs have 12, traditional hybrids have 19, and plug-in hybrids have all 20, the report mentioned. The most dependable brands in the segment were Lexus’ UX and NX Hybrid and Toyota’s Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid, and RAV4 Hybrid. Fully electric cars and SUVs, which many automakers hope to have on their lots by 2030, have mediocre average scores of 44 and 43, respectively.
Electric pickups, the newest technology in the group, fared the worst, with an average score of 30.
As more EVs hit the marketplace and automakers build each model in greater numbers, we are seeing that some of them have problems with the EV drive system motors, EV charging systems, and EV batteries, the report noted.
Cars, including sedans, hatchbacks, and wagons, remain the most reliable vehicle type, with an average reliability rating of 57 (on a scale of 0 to 100), followed by SUVs (50) and minivans (45). Lexus came out on top among EV brands.
Among the top five brands, Lexus has just one model, the NX, that scored average predicted reliability, the report said.
