Consumer Reports survey finds electric vehicle reliability improving but lagging gas models

AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — The reliability of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids has dramatically improved, narrowing a gap with gas-powered automobiles. That’s according to the latest annual survey by Consumer Reports. But the survey found vehicles with internal combustion engines and gas-electric hybrids are still far more dependable. Consumer Reports subscribers report that electric vehicles had 42% more problems than gas autos on average. But that was down from 79% more in the 2023 survey. Plug-ins, which travel a short distance on battery power before a hybrid powertrain kicks in, had 70% more problems than gas vehicles, less than half the difference found in last year’s survey. Consumer Reports says automakers are getting more experience building electric and plug-in vehicles.