Hybrids have emerged as the most reliable vehicle type in the US, according to a recent survey by Consumer Reports, beating out Plug-in Hybrids (PHEV) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), with Toyota once again emerging as the most reliable carmaker in the study.
Consumer Reports, a non-profit consumer advocacy organisation gathered data over the last 12 months for over 300,000 vehicles, produced between 2000 to 2022. The comprehensive survey ranks vehicles across 17 problem areas including engine, transmission, and in-car electronics – from minor issues like squeaky brakes to major problems like engine/transmission rebuilds.
Also read: Consumer Reports on most reliable cars: Mazda SUVs, Toyota hybrids, Lexus top
These reports are which are then weighed for severity and combined Consumer Reports’ internal testing data and owner satisfaction survey results to create a predicted reliability score for each vehicle, from 1 to 100.
Jake Fisher, Senior Director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports added, “With today’s inflated car prices, people are keeping their vehicles longer than ever. A hybrid can provide years of trouble-free miles, and they are a good defence against rising fuel prices.”
In 2022, hybrid vehicles far outranked BEVs, which finished only marginally higher in reliability than gas-guzzling large pickups.
Consumer Reports concluded that EV market leaders Tesla Motors continues to have issues with body hardware, steering and suspension, paint and trim and climate systems. The survey also reported that whilst the Model 3 has average reliability, the Model S, Y, and X are below average.
Other issues with BEVs include charging issues, battery problems and electric drive motor issues.
Fisher added, “In previous years, EVs have had high rates of problems with infotainment system display screens and other in-car electronics, just as many conventional models do. This year, issues with those systems remain, while problems specifically with EV-related components are now being reported,”
Plug-in hybrids also score lower than their hybrid counterparts, according to Consumer Reports, something even Toyota is not immune to. For instance, the Toyota Prius Prime and RAV4 Prime, both PHEVs scored lower than the Toyota Prius and RAV4 Hybrid respectively.
The highest-scoring hybrids this year include the Lexus NX, Ford Maverick, followed by the Toyota Corolla Hybrid.
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Besides offering the most reliable hybrid vehicle, Toyota and Lexus also topped the reliability survey as the most reliable carmaker, in first and second place overall, followed by BMW in third.
In Malaysia, the sole Toyota sells hybrid on sale currently is the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid.
Source: Consumer Reports: Regular hybrids are more reliable than PHEVs and BEVs, Toyota leads