Tesla among least reliable used carmakers in US; Lexus tops CR study

It covered over 20 problematic areas, ranging from squeaky brakes and broken interior trims to major engine, transmission and battery issues.

Consumer Reports recently released its first-ever brand rankings, focussing on the reliability of used cars between 5 to 10 years old.

As per the result of the study, Chrysler was ranked the least reliable brand in the used car market in the USA. It was preceded by Dodge and Tesla, which completed the bottom three. Also, Tesla is the only EV brand on the list as it was the only mass-market electric car manufacturer back in 2014 in the USA. However, the brand was in its infancy back then, offering just one model, the Model S.

Steven Elek, Senior Automotive Data Analyst, Consumer Reports, stated, "This difference shows in our data, where multiple owners of 2014-2015 Model S reported requiring replacement of the electric drive motor, battery pack, or infotainment hardware." He added, "It is also possible that these components fail over time, meaning new Teslas have years to go before we know if similar issues occur. We will continue to monitor the data for possible trends."

Coming to the opposite end of the list, it is no surprise that Lexus and Toyota rank on the top as the most reliable used car makers. Mazda completes the top 3.

The study is said to have a survey sample of over 150,000 vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2019. It covered over 20 problematic areas, ranging from squeaky brakes and broken interior trims to major engine, transmission and battery issues.

Source: Consumer Reports