DETROIT -- The vehicles that Rivian Automotive builds in Normal ranked last for reliability among new cars in the latest survey from Consumer Reports, though the nonprofit organization reported improvements in dependability of electric vehicles overall.
Rivian, which makes all of its electric pickup trucks, SUVs and commercial delivery vans at a facility on the community's west side, came in last out of 22 auto brands evaluated. The result offers a stark juxtaposition with a different Consumer Reports survey released in February, when Rivian was found to be No. 1 in customer satisfaction for the second straight year.
"It's expected that you're going to have issues when you have nothing to carry over" from previous model years, Fisher said.
Jake Fisher, head of Consumer Reports' automobile test center, noted the California-based automaker is a new company with new electric models that have more glitches. As a startup, it can't use proven powertrains from prior generations yet.
"They never built cars before a couple years ago," he said of Rivian, which began production in Normal in 2021, "and now they're building EVs. Well, you're seeing EV powertrain problems -- like the battery packs; the charging system; the climate system, which is different in EVs."
Rivian fared better, however, in Consumer Reports' road tests where it earned a No. 16 ranking out of 32 brands. Analysts reported that vehicles were "comfortable, startlingly fast, and very capable off-road," with a "practical" range and plenty of cargo room.
Drawbacks cited included screen-based control of some essential functions and "an aggressive regenerative braking system that makes its vehicles difficult to drive smoothly."
EV reliability grows overall
Overall, Consumer Reports concluded vehicles with internal combustion engines and gas-electric hybrids remain far more dependable than EVs -- but that gap is narrowing.
"As the automakers get more experience with the new technologies and new platforms they will improve," Fisher said.
The survey released Thursday measured reliability mainly from the 2022-2024 model years. Plug-ins had 70% more problems than gas vehicles but showed improvement over previous surveys as technology matures.
The top brands
- Subaru: Most reliable brand for first time
- Lexus:
- Toyota:
- Honda:
- Acura:
The highest-ranked U.S.-based brand was Buick at No. 11 while Tesla finished at No. 17 after dropping three spots since last year's survey.
"They don't fix what's not broken," Fisher said about Subaru's approach to vehicle updates using parts carried over from prior generations without major changes or innovations leading to high reliability scores similar to Toyota’s strategy.
The survey found gas-powered Toyota RAV4 small SUV was most reliable followed by Toyota Corolla compact car then RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid third place alongside RAV4 gas-electric hybrid according CR results presented during Automotive Press Association meeting Detroit this week where Mateusz Janik contributed story insights shared here today!