Tesla has made it into the top 10 most reliable car brands for the first time in its history. According to reports, the company hit a new record, which was revealed in the latest Consumer Reports ranking. In the report, Tether now holds the 9th position out of the 26 car brands, after being ranked 17th last year, and 27th in 2022.
According to Consumer Reports, the steady rise in its rankings was because Tesla kept making the same cars long enough to get better at it. The rankings were based on survey responses from about 380,000 vehicles, a rise of 27% from 2024. However, the improvement in its rankings does not mean that Tesla has been able to solve all its problems, with its electrically controlled door still a major problem.
Tesla moves up reliability rankings due to its older models
According to a Bloomberg investigation, more than 400 complaints have been filed against car makers with United States regulators, with Tesla being the most mentioned brand. However, those recurring issues didn’t occur enough to affect its reliability score. Jake Fisher, senior director at Consumer Reports, said the reliability score had nothing to do with innovation.
Fisher claimed that Tesla has not changed much, noting that it is the main reason why things have improved. “With Tesla, it’s not that they’ve suddenly changed, but the issue is that they’ve been building vehicles in the same plant that are very similar for a while now, and they’re able to improve them,” Jake said. The pattern is evident in its Model S, which has been around since 2011.
“The Tesla Model S is a dinosaur in the world of redesign,” Jake said. “To have a vehicle that’s going to soldier on without a full redesign is unheard of in the industry, but it’s helping them.” Still, not all models performed the same. The Cyber trick, which is the newest on the lineup, is the only Tesla vehicle below the average reliability score.
That reliability surge also pushed Tesla into the top 10 of Consumer Reports’ automotive report card, which includes more than just reliability. It factors in road testing, safety, and customer satisfaction. This year, Tesla took the 10th spot out of 31 brands, moving up from 17th. The last time it cracked that list was in 2018, when it came in eighth. While Tesla climbed, Rivian slid close to the bottom.
Rivian moved five spots down to 26th, but Fisher claimed that its reliability remains the lowest of all the brands tested. Despite that, Rivian owners are some of the most satisfied based on Consumer Reports’ surveys. During a webinar with the Automotive Press Association, Fisher claimed that it is probably because Rivian drivers are early adopters who are okay with flaws.
Other carmakers recorded mixed fortunes. Ford’s Lincoln made the biggest jump this year. It jumped 17 places to No. 7, while Audi saw the biggest drop, falling 10 spots to No. 16. Legacy American brands like Jeep, GMC, Dodge, Land Rover, and Alfa Romeo filled out the bottom of the list. GM’s best-performing brand was Cadillac at No. 17, followed by Buick at No. 20, Chevrolet at No. 24, and GMC at No. 29.
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