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Tesla Model S and Model Y miss out on Consumer Reports ‘recommended’ rating
Consumer Reports dropped its recommendation of Tesla’s flagship sedan, the Model S, after the organization performed its annual Auto Reliability Survey and found issues with the vehicle’s air suspension and main computer and touchscreen controls. Additionally, the Model Y contributed to a lowering in Tesla’s reliability from the magazine.
CNBC spoke to Consumer Reports’ Senior Director of Automotive Testing, Jake Fisher, who stated that the issues were enough to remove the recommendation that the product testing company once had on the vehicle.
“We see a variety of problems on that car. It’s wavered throughout its life cycle,” Fisher told CNBC. At one point, the Model S was CR’s top-rated vehicle and listed the P85D variant as the best car of all-time in 2015.
However, the removal of the Model S means that only the Tesla Model 3 remains as a “recommended” vehicle by CR. The Model Y never made it to the list, and Fisher added details regarding the all-electric crossover’s issues, which were spotted by CR.
According to Fisher, the Model Y had a number of misaligned body panels, and human hair was found “stuck in the paint,” according to Reuters. “I am surprised that we would see just basic paint and trim type issues and body panel fitment issues,” Fisher said. “Really disappointing when you spend this much money for a car, and hopefully they’ll be able to rectify a lot of these as time goes by.”
The Model Y was given a rating that was “much worse the average” after the examination.
Both Tesla and CR have had a tumultuous relationship with one another, and it is important to identify the relationship that CR has with Tesla.
CR has jostled with ratings of the Model S, Model 3, and Model X several times throughout the past few years. After adding, removing, and re-adding each vehicle several times, CR finally admitted that the Model S and Model 3 were recommended once again in November 2019, after “improved reliability” was reported by the company. A survey of 5,000 Model 3 owners, which revealed positive reviews in terms of the company’s build quality, had shown that Tesla had improved the vehicle’s status during the production process.
However, CR has continued to cast stones in the direction of Tesla: One in the form of a dismissive review of Smart Summon, another in a very one-sided critique of Autopilot, which stated it was a “distant 2nd” to GM’s Super Cruise.
Tesla Autopilot is now a ‘distant 2nd’ to GM Super Cruise: Consumer Reports
Tesla has confronted the issues with the touchscreen controls on several occasions. The company recently announced that it would be offering warranty extensions on older infotainment systems on Model S and Model X vehicles.
CR has not always been negative toward Tesla, though. The company did list the Model 3 as the only American-made car in Consumer Reports’ Top Picks of 2020. Additionally, CR recognized that Tesla has industry-leading battery tech and energy efficiency.
Consumer Reports has had quite a tumultuous relationship with Tesla, but the issues recognized in the most recent Model S examination may cause the electric automaker to improve upon any identified issues. After improvements are made, the Model S and Model Y could join the Model 3 as “recommended” by CR.
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Tesla targets production increase at Giga Berlin in 2026
Plant manager André Thierig confirmed the facility’s stable outlook to the DPA, noting that Giga Berlin implemented no layoffs or shutdowns amid challenging market conditions.
Tesla is looking positively toward 2026 with plans for further growth at its Grünheide factory in Germany, following steady quarterly increases throughout 2025.
Plant manager André Thierig confirmed the facility’s stable outlook to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), noting that Giga Berlin implemented no layoffs or shutdowns despite challenging market conditions.
Giga Berlin’s steady progress
Thierig stated that Giga Berlin’s production actually rose in every quarter of 2025 as planned, stating: “This gives us a positive outlook for the new year, and we expect further growth.” The factory currently supplies over 30 markets, with Canada recently being added due to cost advantages.
Giga Berlin’s expansion is still underway, with the first partial approval for capacity growth being secured. Preparations for a second partial approval are underway, though the implementation of more production capacity would still depend on decisions from Tesla’s US leadership.
Over the year, updates to Giga Berlin’s infrastructure were also initiated. These include the relocation of the Fangschleuse train station and the construction of a new road. Tesla is also planning to start battery cell production in Germany starting 2027, targeting up to 8 GWh annually.
Resilience amid market challenges
Despite a 48% drop in German registrations, Tesla maintained Giga Berlin’s stability. Thierig highlighted this, stating that “We were able to secure jobs here and were never affected by production shutdowns or job cuts like other industrial sites in Germany.”
Thierig also spoke positively towards the German government’s plans to support households, especially those with low and middle incomes, in the purchase and leasing of electric vehicles this 2026. “In our opinion, it is important that the announcement is implemented very quickly so that consumers really know exactly what is coming and when,” the Giga Berlin manager noted.
Giga Berlin currently employs around 11,000 workers, and it produces about 5,000 Model Y vehicles per week, as noted in an Ecomento report. The facility produces the Model Y Premium variants, the Model Y Standard, and the Model Y Performance.
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Tesla revamped Semi spotted, insane 1.2 MW charging video releases
These developments highlight Tesla’s ongoing refinements to the vehicle’s design and infrastructure.
Tesla is gearing up for high-volume Semi production in 2026, with the Class 8 all-electric truck’s revamped variant being spotted in the wild recently. Official footage from Tesla also showed the Semi achieving an impressive 1.2 MW charging rate on a charger.
These developments highlight Tesla’s ongoing refinements to the vehicle’s design and infrastructure.
Revamped Tesla Semi sighting
Tesla Semi advocate @HinrichsZane, who has been chronicling the progress of the vehicle’s Nevada factory, recently captured exclusive drone footage of the refreshed Class 8 truck at a Megacharger stall near Giga Nevada. The white unit features a full-width front light bar similar to the Model Y and the Cybercab, shorter side windows, a cleared fairing area likely for an additional camera, and diamond plate traction strips on the steps.
Overall, the revamped Semi looks ready for production and release. The sighting marks one of the first real-life views of the Class 8 all-electric truck’s updated design, with most improvements, such as potential 4680 cells and enhanced internals, being hidden from view.
1.2 MW charging speed and a new connector
The official Tesla Semi account on X also shared an official video of Tesla engineers hitting 1.2 MW sustained charging on a Megacharger, demonstrating the vehicle’s capability for extremely rapid charging. Tesla Semi program lead Dan Priestley confirmed in a later post on X that the test occurred at a dedicated site, noting that chargers at the Semi factory in Nevada are also 1.2 MW capable.
The short video featured a revamped design for the Semi’s charging port, which seems more sleek and akin to the NACS port found in Tesla’s other vehicles. It also showed the Tesla engineers cheering as the vehicle achieved 1.2 MW during its charging session. Dan Priestley explained the Semi’s updated charging plug in a post on X.
“The connector on the prior Semi was an early version (v2.4) of MCS. Not ‘proprietary’ as anyone could have used it. We couldn’t wait for final design to have >1MW capability, so we ran with what had been developed thus far. New Semi has latest MCS that is set to be standard,” the executive wrote in a post on X.
Check out the Tesla Semi’s sighting at the Nevada factory in the video below.
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Tesla FSD successfully completes full coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions
Tesla community members celebrated the milestone on X, and the feat earned praise from some of the electric vehicle maker’s executives.
A Tesla owner has successfully completed a full coast-to-coast drive across the United States on Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised. The trip was accomplished with zero interventions.
Tesla community members celebrated the milestone on X, and the feat earned praise from some of the electric vehicle maker’s executives.
FSD Coast-to-Coast
The coast-to-coast feat was accomplished by Tesla owner Davis Moss, who drives a stealth gray Model 3 with AI4 hardware. Based on data from the FSD database and a community tracker, the last 10,638.8 miles Moss drove in his Model 3 were completed using FSD 100% of the time. His vehicle is equipped with FSD v14.2.1.25, which was installed 12 days ago.
As per Moss in a celebratory post on X, his Model 3 was able to complete a full coast-to-coast drive across the United States in 2 days and 20 hours. His trip started at the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles, CA, and it ended in Myrtle Beach, SC. Overall, his trip spanned 2,732.4 miles.
“This was accomplished with Tesla FSD V14.2 with absolutely 0 disengagements of any kind even for all parking including at Tesla Superchargers,” Moss stated in his post. He also added in later comments that there were zero close calls during the trip.
Tesla community celebrates
The FSD milestone trip was widely lauded by members of the Tesla community, especially since a coast-to-coast drive with zero interventions has been cited by Elon Musk as a target since October 2016, when Autopilot 2.0 was unveiled. At the time, Musk initially estimated that a coast-to-coast drive across the United States should be possible by the end of 2017. Considering Moss’ feat in his Model 3, it appears that Elon Musk’s estimate was not impossible at all. It was just late.
Musk himself celebrated the milestone on X, and so did Tesla VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy, who wrote “World’s first fully autonomous coast-to-coast drive, done with Tesla self-driving v14. Congrats and thank you @DavidMoss!” in a post on X. The official Tesla North America account also celebrated the feat, writing “First Tesla to drive itself from coast to coast w/ FSD Supervised. 0 interventions, all FSD” on X.
Tesla targets production increase at Giga Berlin in 2026
Tesla revamped Semi spotted, insane 1.2 MW charging video releases
