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Tesla and Nissan get top reliability scores in Consumer Reports’ survey
Tesla and Nissan stand the test of time when it comes to reliability. Consumer Reports gathered data from numerous surveys to see which electric vehicles (EVs) were the most reliable–Tesla and Nissan stood out.
According to Consumers Reports data, the Tesla Model 3 and the second-generation Nissan Leaf were the second and third-most reliable electric vehicles. The 2022 Kia EV6 was the only vehicle to beat the Tesla Model 3 and Nissan Leaf. However, the EV6 still has some aging to do before it can match the Tesla Model 3’s reliability track record.
EVs vs ICE Reliability
Consumer Reports noted that electric vehicles do not yield strong reliability scores compared to gasoline engines.
It stated that, in theory, EVs should be more reliable than gasoline engines. After all, electric vehicles have fewer parts because they don’t have transmissions, ignition and fuel systems, valvetrains, and other elements found in fossil-fuel cars. They also don’t require oil, spark plugs, or transmission fluid.
The difference in reliability comes down to over a century of work legacy automakers have put into refining and tuning the design of fossil-fuel vehicles. Whereas electric vehicles have reconceptualized the idea of a car.
EV automakers are still fine-tuning and refining the design and technology in electric vehicles. Legacy automakers, in particular, are struggling with adapting to the new car form since EVs use new platforms and technology. The cabin of electric vehicles alone is much more advanced than the ICE car cabins. EVs usually have advanced infotainment systems that control many more of the car’s functions while also acting as a source of entertainment.
Electric vehicle owners usually report issues with their cars’ batteries, electric motors, and charging. Some Teslarati readers, who own a variety of EVs from different brands, have shared complaints about infotainment systems, suspension, and service.
The Tesla Model 3 and Nissan Leaf’s Advantage
Hard work, patience, and experience culminated in the strong reliability of the Tesla Model 3 and Nissan Leaf. Unlike other electric vehicles on the market, users report fewer problems with the Tesla Model 3 and second-generation Nissan Leaf. They experience fewer issues with batteries, electric motors, and charging.
Even more interesting is that the Model 3’s reliability outshines that of Tesla’s other vehicles. Tesla has improved the Model 3 quite a bit since sales began. It plans to revamp the Model 3 again soon.
Consumer Reports stated that the Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model Y are still below average regarding reliability. Although Tesla has made significant improvements to the Model Y in recent years that may improve its reliability score in the future.
Model Y owners still report suspension issues and body hardware problems related to the hatch. They also pointed out issues with the Model Y’s paint and trim. Meanwhile, Tesla customers who own Model S and Model X units often bring up air suspension problems.
I’d like to hear from you. Contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla Robotaxi Safety Monitor seems to doze off during Bay Area ride
We won’t try to blame the camera person for the incident, because it clearly is not their fault. But it seems somewhat interesting that they did not try to wake the driver up and potentially contact Tesla immediately to alert them of the situation.
A Tesla Robotaxi Safety Monitor appeared to doze off during a ride in the California Bay Area, almost ironically proving the need for autonomous vehicles.
The instance was captured on camera and posted to Reddit in the r/sanfrancisco subreddit by u/ohmichael. They wrote that they have used Tesla’s ride-hailing service in the Bay Area in the past and had pleasant experiences.
However, this one was slightly different. They wrote:
“I took a Tesla Robotaxi in SF just over a week ago. I have used the service a few times before and it has always been great. I actually felt safer than in a regular rideshare.
This time was different. The safety driver literally fell asleep at least three times during the ride. Each time the car’s pay attention safety alert went off and the beeping is what woke him back up.
I reported it through the app to the Robotaxi support team and told them I had videos, but I never got a response.
I held off on posting anything because I wanted to give Tesla a chance to respond privately. It has been more than a week now and this feels like a serious issue for other riders too.
Has anyone else seen this happen?”
My Tesla Robotaxi “safety” driver fell asleep
byu/ohmichael insanfrancisco
The driver eventually woke up after prompts from the vehicle, but it is pretty alarming to see someone like this while they’re ultimately responsible for what happens with the ride.
We won’t try to blame the camera person for the incident, because it clearly is not their fault. But it seems somewhat interesting that they did not try to wake the driver up and potentially contact Tesla immediately to alert them of the situation.
They should have probably left the vehicle immediately.
Tesla’s ride-hailing service in the Bay Area differs from the one that is currently active in Austin, Texas, due to local regulations. In Austin, there is no Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat unless the route requires the highway.
Tesla plans to remove the Safety Monitors in Austin by the end of the year.
Tesla has officially opened Robotaxi access to everyone and everyone, but there is one catch: you have to have an iPhone.
Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin and its ride-hailing service in the Bay Area were both officially launched to the public today, giving anyone using the iOS platform the ability to simply download the app and utilize it for a ride in either of those locations.
It has been in operation for several months: it launched in Austin in late June and in the Bay Area about a month later. In Austin, there is nobody in the driver’s seat unless the route takes you on the freeway.
In the Bay Area, there is someone in the driver’s seat at all times.
The platform was initially launched to those who were specifically invited to Austin to try it out.
Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.
Slowly, Tesla launched the platform to more people, hoping to expand the number of rides and get more valuable data on its performance in both regions to help local regulatory agencies relax some of the constraints that were placed on it.
Additionally, Tesla had its own in-house restrictions, like the presence of Safety Monitors in the vehicles. However, CEO Elon Musk has maintained that these monitors were present for safety reasons specifically, but revealed the plan was to remove them by the end of the year.
Now, Tesla is opening up Robotaxi to anyone who wants to try it, as many people reported today that they were able to access the app and immediately fetch a ride if they were in the area.
We also confirmed it ourselves, as it was shown that we could grab a ride in the Bay Area if we wanted to:
🚨 Tesla Robotaxi ride-hailing Service in Austin and the Bay Area has opened up for anyone on iOS
Go download the app and, if you’re in the area, hail a ride from Robotaxi pic.twitter.com/1CgzG0xk1J
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 18, 2025
The launch of a more public Robotaxi network that allows anyone to access it seems to be a serious move of confidence by Tesla, as it is no longer confining the service to influencers who are handpicked by the company.
In the coming weeks, we expect Tesla to then rid these vehicles of the Safety Monitors as Musk predicted. If it can come through on that by the end of the year, the six-month period where Tesla went from launching Robotaxi to enabling driverless rides is incredibly impressive.
News
Tesla analyst sees Full Self-Driving adoption rates skyrocketing: here’s why
“You’ll see increased adoption as people are exposed to it. I’ve been behind the wheel of several of these and the different iterations of FSD, and it is getting better and better. It’s something when people experience it, they will be much more comfortable utilizing FSD and paying for it.”
Tesla analyst Stephen Gengaro of Stifel sees Full Self-Driving adoption rates skyrocketing, and he believes more and more people will commit to paying for the full suite or the subscription service after they try it.
Full Self-Driving is Tesla’s Level 2 advanced driver assistance suite (ADAS), and is one of the most robust on the market. Over time, the suite gets better as the company accumulates data from every mile driven by its fleet of vehicles, which has swelled to over five million cars sold.
The suite features a variety of advanced driving techniques that many others cannot do. It is not your typical Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) and Lane Keeping ADAS system. Instead, it can handle nearly every possible driving scenario out there.
It still requires the driver to pay attention and ultimately assume responsibility for the vehicle, but their hands are not required to be on the steering wheel.
It is overwhelmingly impressive, and as a personal user of the FSD suite on a daily basis, I have my complaints, but overall, there are very few things it does incorrectly.
Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.1.7 real-world drive and review
Gengaro, who increased his Tesla price target to $508 yesterday, said in an interview with CNBC that adoption rates of FSD will increase over the coming years as more people try it for themselves.
At first, it is tough to feel comfortable with your car literally driving you around. Then, it becomes second nature.
Gengaro said:
“You’ll see increased adoption as people are exposed to it. I’ve been behind the wheel of several of these and the different iterations of FSD, and it is getting better and better. It’s something when people experience it, they will be much more comfortable utilizing FSD and paying for it.”
Tesla Full Self-Driving take rates also have to increase as part of CEO Elon Musk’s recently approved compensation package, as one tranche requires ten million active subscriptions in order to win that portion of the package.
The company also said in the Q3 2025 Earnings Call in October that only 12 percent of the current ownership fleet are paid customers of Full Self-Driving, something the company wants to increase considerably moving forward.
Tesla Robotaxi Safety Monitor seems to doze off during Bay Area ride
Tesla opens Robotaxi access to everyone — but there’s one catch
