EVs less reliable than ICE cars, but hybrids best: survey
US study finds hybrids more reliable than internal combustion vehicles while EVs and PHEVs lag behindAn independent survey in the US has found electric cars to be significantly less reliable than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, with an average of 79 per cent more problems, whereas hybrids were found to be the most reliable.
Using ICE vehicles as the yardstick, the Consumer Reports survey uncovered a huge discrepancy in the participant-reported reliability of hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery-electric (EV) vehicles.
PHEVs were deemed the most unreliable category, with an average of 146 per cent more problems than ICE vehicles, including those with traditional combustion powertrains within the same model line.
It’s perhaps no surprise that the bulk of the hybrid success comes back to Toyota – the world’s leading hybrid car manufacturer – and in this case focused on the Camry Hybrid, Highlander (Kluger) Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid, as well as the upmarket Lexus UX and NX Hybrids.
Cars with a non-plug-in series/parallel hybrid system proved to have an average of 26 per cent fewer issues than ICE vehicles, while PHEVs were at the other end of the scale with almost twice as many issues as EVs.
Offenders here included the Audi Q5 and Chrysler Pacifica, the latter not offered in our market but ultimately ranked as the least reliable vehicle in the survey.
That’s not to say there aren’t reliable PHEVs – the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Kia Sportage PHEV both scored well above average while the plug-in BMW X5, Hyundai Tucson and Ford Escape all earned ‘average’ reliability scores.
The specific pitfalls of PHEV technology – considered by many car-makers as a relatively short-term ‘stepping stone’ between ICE and EV – weren’t delved into as part of the study’s conclusion.
Unsurprisingly the EV reliability woes were attributed to the electric motor/s, charging systems and batteries, which essentially covers the entire drive system in the same way ICE issues usually fall to the engine, transmission and fuel system.
EVs singled out in these categories include the Ford F-150 Lightning, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Genesis GV60, Hyundai IONIQ 5, Kia Niro and EV6, Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ4X and Volkswagen ID.4.
Consumer Reports auto testing senior director Jake Fisher told Automotive News that reliability issues with new or emerging technology were to be expected, while established tech – like hybrids – have been around for decades and have therefore usually had early issues ironed out.
“The longer a vehicle or a technology is in production, the more the bugs are worked out,” he said.
“The auto-makers that have produced EVs earlier, they’re improving the reliability.”
Lexus, Toyota, MINI, Acura and Honda occupied the top five positions in that order for overall brand reliability, whereas Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, Volkswagen and Jeep were, respectively, named the most unreliable.
Related: Toyota: EVs are only ‘for the few’
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Related: Electric Cars Explained: Hybrid v PHEV v EV
Related: Your questions answered: ICE or PHEV?
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