The Least Reliable Vehicles List Includes Many Electric Models, Busting the Myth of Superior EV Reliability

A common myth related to vehicle reliability is that battery-electric vehicles are more reliable than conventional vehicles. The thought process behind this is that battery-electric vehicles have fewer moving parts, and thus, must be more reliable. The underlying thinking isn’t bad. However, it’s also not true. 

Related Topic: Study Confirms Vehicles From EV Brands Most Unreliable, Hybrid Brands Very Reliable

Consumer Reports has followed up on its Least Reliable Brands listing, which found that many EV brands rank very low for reliability, with a detailed look at which specific models are the least reliable. On that list of ten total models, three are battery-electric vehicles, and they are from three different manufacturers. The least reliable models in America (According to owner-reported data compiled by Consumer Reports) include the Volkswagen ID.4, Rivian R1T, and the Ford F-150 Lightning. So, although there are relatively few battery-electric models on sale compared to the entire marketplace, they make up a meaningful portion of the worst in reliability listing.

Many who wish to discount Consumer Reports’ reliability reporting generally point to a few false narratives. These include:

1. CR counts any little problem the same as a big problem. In fact, CR weighs the severity of problems when it comes to its reliability rankings. They are not dumb. 
2. The models listed are very new and, thus are just being broken in. In fact, the three electric-only models on this list are not at all new. The Rivian R1T has just entered its fifth calendar year of deliveries. The VW ID.4 is also in its fifth calendar year of deliveries and entered the market about six months before the R1T. The Ford F-150 Lightning entered the U.S. market in mid-2022. 
3. CR is somehow bribed by certain manufacturers to skew its rankings. This is the easiest of the false narratives to disprove. One of Consumer Reports’ major donors over the past decades has been the Ford Foundation. Ford is the brand with the most vehicles on the 2025 least reliable listing. 

Another way to fact-check whether Consumer Reports’ rankings have validity is to look at its peers’ opinions of the various brands on this list. Check out the J.D. Power Dependability Study, and you will see that the lowest-ranked brands line up very closely with the lowest-ranked brands at Consumer Reports.

In addition to the three battery-electric vehicles on this new list of the least-reliable vehicles in America for 2025, there are two hybrid-electric vehicles listed. Both are from Ford, the brand with the most overall models on this list. The Escape HEV and F-150 HEV. Notably, zero of the least reliable models are from Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, and Honda, the long-time leaders in hybrid-electric powertrains. 

Battery-electric vehicles may someday prove to be more reliable than vehicles equipped with conventional powertrains. However, as of today, battery-electric vehicle models and brands continue to be ranked lowest in reliability. 

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John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading. 

Image of Rivian R1T by John Goreham.