A dog looks out the window while sitting on a Tesla electric vehicle while charging at a Tesla Supercharger station in Santa Monica, California, on May 15, 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon AFP | Getty Images
Tesla An influential annual study by JD Power shows the company is losing its lead over traditional carmakers when it comes to the quality of new all-electric vehicles.
A preliminary 2024 U.S. quality study found that the quality of Tesla’s battery electric vehicles (BEVs) was the same as that of traditional automakers, with 266 problems reported per 100 new vehicles sold or leased.
Tesla models have previously performed better than electric vehicles from traditional automakers in annual surveys. Last year, Tesla ranked at 257 problems per 100 vehicles, while electric vehicles from traditional automakers averaged 265 problems per 100 vehicles.
The study attributes Tesla’s growing problems to negative customer reactions after the company removed controls for traditional functions like turn signals and wiper stalks.
Since JD Power began including Tesla in its study in 2022, Tesla has consistently ranked last in initial quality across the broader industry (not just pure electric vehicles).
Overall, the study, which for the first time included franchised dealer repair visit data, found that electric vehicles such as battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have more problems than conventional gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. .
JD.com said: “Owners of advanced, high-tech pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are experiencing problems severe enough that they are sending new vehicles to dealerships three times faster than owners of gasoline vehicles. Frank Hanley, Power’s senior director of automotive benchmarking, said in a press release.
The study found that plug-in cars require more repairs than gasoline-powered cars across all maintenance categories.
Research shows that pure electric vehicles have an average of 266 problems per 100 vehicles, which is 86 percentage points higher than gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles, which have an average of 180 problems per 100 vehicles. The lower the score, the higher the quality of the vehicle.
Top concerns include functionality, controls and display, and wireless smartphone integration, as customers report frequent difficulties apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The study also reported dissatisfaction with false warnings, unnecessary traffic alerts and automatic braking features. Specifically, Rear Seat Alert has an issue rate of 1.7 per 100 vehicles across the industry, as owners report receiving the signal even when no one is in the back seat.
“It’s no surprise that the introduction of new technologies has challenged manufacturers to maintain vehicle quality,” Hanley said.
—CNBC’s Michael Wayland contributed to this report.
