Blog Model 3 Tops Consumer Reports Satisfaction Survey

The Tesla Model 3 has topped a Consumer Reports survey of how happy car buyers are with the car they own.

Consumer Reports said it collected survey data from an annual survey on more than half a million vehicles. “Our subscribers provide great insights into their satisfaction by answering one simple question: If they had it to do all over again, would they definitely buy or lease the same model?” the report says. “In addition, respondents also rate their cars in six categories: driving experience, comfort, value, styling, audio, and climate systems.”

Consumer Reports previously named the Model 3 as its top-rated luxury compact car. The endorsement came after the the publication previously would not recommend the vehicle. However, Tesla made improvements to the car’s brakes via an over-the-air update that satisfied the Consumer Reports reviewers.

Tesla, and the all-electric vehicle category in general, was well represented on the satisfaction list, as its Model S was fifth in the rankings.and the Chevy Bolt EV was eighth.

Here’s the full rankings:



Tesla Model 3

Porsche 911

Genesis G90

Chevrolet Corvette

Tesla Model S

Toyota Avalon

Kia Stinger

Chevrolet Bolt

Toyota Prius

Dodge Challenger



“From this data, we find that the vehicles that lived up to their promises—and their owners’ expectations—are rated as the most satisfying,” Consumer Reports wrote of the survey.

 

[dfwatt]

Not really any version of a surprise, but it's good to have large-scale surveys confirm the car's overall excellence. What was disappointing is that Consumer Reports does not unbundle their data around Model 3 version. One would predict that the performance versions get even higher owner satisfaction scores but there's no way to know because this is never identified in their statistics. Also unfortunate but consistent with their practices, you have to do a lot of digging to get to the actual data on what percentage of owner surveyed would buy their vehicles again. It is telling that Tesla tops even the most iconic and popular brands including Porsche 911, Audi, and Corvette

 

[dfwatt]

The Tesla Model 3 has topped a Consumer Reports survey of how happy car buyers are with the car they own. Consumer Reports said it collected survey data from an annual survey on more than half a million vehicles. “Our subscribers provide great insights into their satisfaction by answering one simple question: If they had...
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Boy was it hard to actually FIND THE RATINGS!! CR hid this data really well. I suspect they simply were uncomfortable with the results of the polling data (see below) and they buried it. It's an embarrassment to them that a car they initially panned beat the brands they were recommending. Missing from the graph are satisfaction score for BMW.

It was just a few short months ago that CR couldn't even recommend the Model 3. Not a great start for sure, but in response, Elon quickly directed an upgrade to the ABS code - over the air - in a matter of a couple of weeks, getting that negative rating about the brakes and braking distances quickly reversed. Since then, it's been an amazing collection of 'firsts' and 'bests'.

We just had owner satisfaction ratings published by CR almost 'pinning the meter,' and beating Porsche and Corvette, perennial leaders in this kind of polling? How's that possible? In thinking about this unprecedented level of owner satisfaction, one is struck by how many bests in class might be achieved by the Model 3, esp. the model leading Performance versions:

1) Best performing sports sedan (at least in DMP+ form), both in classic acceleration times (0-60, 1/4mi) and in more and more track-oriented testing results, easily besting the class leaders over the past several years (the BMW M3 and C 6.3 AMG), and even beating a Ferrari 458 on the Willow Springs Street circuit.
2) Most fuel efficient sedan, and tied with the Nissan Leaf for both city and highway mileage (MPGe), the Leaf being a much smaller and lighter car, suggesting therefore that the Model 3 is truly the most efficient car in the world.
3) Cheapest vehicle to actually own and operate? Definitive longer term data not yet available, but it is reasonable to assume that #2, combined with much lower maintenance costs (no oil changes, virtually no brake wear with proper driving, no transmission, and no engine maintenance), will reliably insure that its actual cost per mile is way lower than any comparable ICE vehicle. Depreciation and insurance costs of course are still operative, but daily/weekly/monthly cash outlays are way less, esp. if you can use free supercharging.
3) Safest sedan, winning outright NHSTA collision testing and achieving best score ever seen. Best passive safety complemented by some of the best active safety, if not the best, in terms of audible collision warnings, radar activated emergency braking assist, other vehicles in proximity being displayed on large touchscreen.
4) Best space utilization in class with highest interior volume and trunk space combined ever seen for a car 15 ft 5 inches long.
5) Most fun to drive? Hard to imagine a qualitative metric for this other than subjective user ratings, but I would bet the Model 3 would win this among all competing sedans.
6) Only sports sedan in class that will get significantly better over time, with ongoing and frequent over the air updates. These have included such things as the now famous "Track Mode," and several enhancements of cold weather operations, the release of better and more capable enhanced auto pilot, and other refinements of systems too numerous to mention.
7) Best radar guided cruise control/enhanced auto pilot - not far from fully autonomous driving capability.
8) Best charger network. This plus #7 mean that Tesla Model 3s are great highway cars for long trips, despite this being a traditional knock on EVs.

Most fun, fastest, most economical, safest, most efficient? All in one vehicle? How's that possible? Two answers to this: the EV design from a clean sheet of paper, with the benefit of everything that they learned on the Model S and X, Tesla simply hit the ball out the the park with the Model 3, and there are simply so many innovations, from the minimalist interior to running all the operating systems through the touchscreen, to NFC card and Bluetooth smartphone control, that the car seems a collective work of genius.

What might keep it from being considered the best car anyone has ever made?

1) Range anxiety. Still an issue, esp. on trips, and most esp. in the winter, where range can crater.
2) Quality of interior materials - clearly a step down from Mercedes, Lexus, BMW et al. in this price segment, even with the supposedly premium interior upgrades.
3) Lingering anxiety about Tesla's long term viability? While recent profits for Q3/Q4 2018, China and Europe introductions of Model 3 and Gigafactory startups collectively all suggest that the future is secure, the ICE press continues to hammer every hiccup, misstep, and quasi-scandal to protect and promote the fossil fuel technology that is not only now technologically obsolete, but that is threatening to bring about climate change on a catastrophic scale.

But now we have a real, and valid argument that the best car in the world is an EV, and that even better cars are coming.

 

[SageBrush]

2) Most fuel efficient sedan, and tied with the Nissan Leaf for both city and highway mileage (MPGe), the Leaf being a much smaller and lighter car, suggesting therefore that the Model 3 is truly the most efficient car in the world.
3) Cheapest vehicle to actually own and operate?

I liked your post a lot but would like to comment on (2) and (3).
The TCO compared to an ICE is very dependent on fuel cost. While not available to everyone, PV+EV is a killer deal.

 

[dfwatt]

I liked your post a lot but would like to comment on (2) and (3).
The TCO compared to an ICE is very dependent on fuel cost. While not available to everyone, PV+EV is a killer deal.

That's true for sure, but even in NH, where our electricity is expensive, we are seeing ~4 cents/mi immediate operating costs. To hit that number, one has to have $2/gal gasoline, and hit 50 mpg in typically mixed driving. Not sure I know anywhere in country where gas is that cheap right now? A Prius might hit that number, as long as you don't do too much highway driving. In any case, there is still oil change, trans fluid change, differential oil change, other engine maintenance, so I'm pretty confident that average costs per mile will be lower than any ICE vehicle, and of course, we should compare apples to apples, meaning that we should compare TCO for Mercedes 6.3 AMG and BMW M3, Alfa Romeo Quadro, Lexus IS F, etc. etc. to Model 3 P+. Given that those are all relative gas hogs, I'm pretty confident that the gap only widens in that comparison. I really struggled to get 25 MPG overall with an IS350, so again, ballpark, at least twice the OOP (out of pocket) daily expense per mile as the Model 3P+, not even counting periodic maintenance.

Of course, depreciation and insurance, and even local excise taxes, can combined easily dwarf these OOP costs - but at least you have serious savings on this important front. If the car proves to be as reliable as its design could potentially insure, one could save on average ~$1000/yr in fuel costs (relative to other premium sports sedans, not Priuses!) and another $500-1000 a year in misc. maintenance costs, assuming 15,000/yr and expected repairs, particularly the need to replace brake pads and rotors, which is costly on BMW, Merc, et al.. BMW M3 and 3 series, Merc C class, and Alfa Romeo have been overall less-than-highly reliable cars, on average all of those brands needing expensive repairs inside of their 100K mi marks. Only Lexus looks highly reliable. So, putting all that together, I'm confident that the Model 3 is going to be by far the cheapest elite sports sedan to own and operate per mile.

 

[SageBrush]

So, putting all that together, I'm confident that the Model 3 is going to be by far the cheapest elite sports sedan to own and operate per mile.

No argument. I was more thinking about my Model 3 LR Vs e.g. Honda Accord:

My TCO arguments goes like this:
Average petrol/mile about 10.5 cents
PV/mile as low as 0.5 cents per mile (my cost)
200k miles car lifetime
--> $20k fuel savings

I paid $40k for my Model 3 in Colorado after tax breaks. If my fuel savings pan out I paid $20k in Honda Accord dollars, all else being equal.

Insurance cost is all over the board but I just switched to Progressive and was amused to find out that the liability premium on my Model 3 is 21% LESS than my LEAF despite being a much heavier car. The Tesla costs $212 a year.

 

[dfwatt]

No argument. I was more thinking about my Model 3 LR Vs e.g. Honda Accord:

My TCO arguments goes like this:
Average petrol/mile about 10.5 cents
PV/mile as low as 0.5 cents per mile (my cost)
200k miles car lifetime
--> $20k fuel savings

I paid $40k for my Model 3 in Colorado after tax breaks. If my fuel savings pan out I paid $20k in Honda Accord dollars, all else being equal.

Insurance cost is all over the board but I just switched to Progressive and was amused to find out that the liability premium on my Model 3 is 21% LESS than my LEAF despite being a much heavier car. The Tesla costs $212 a year.

Very interesting analysis. I didn't even consider the PV question, but we are 6 months away from having a 10Kw system on our home in FL. Great that you reminded me of that intersection! If we get a local SC (we're sort of in a small SC void here in between Ft Myers SC and Sarasota SC), between more use of SC (free on both our cars), and using the solar roof panels as much as possible, cost per mile out of pocket could vector towards 1c/mi or less.

 

[woodisgood]

Insurance cost is all over the board but I just switched to Progressive and was amused to find out that the liability premium on my Model 3 is 21% LESS than my LEAF despite being a much heavier car. The Tesla costs $212 a year.

This is true - Progressive has a surprisingly attractive premium on the Model 3 as long as you maintain your good driver discount. If you have an at-fault accident, you lose the good driver status and they kick you over to a different underwriter that values the Model 3 very very differently (regardless of the value of your claim). Like 2x differently.

 

[dfwatt]

This is true - Progressive has a surprisingly attractive premium on the Model 3 as long as you maintain your good driver discount. If you have an at-fault accident, you lose the good driver status and they kick you over to a different underwriter that values the Model 3 very very differently (regardless of the value of your claim). Like 2x differently.

Very interesting! Would you feel comfortable providing some specific numbers?

 

[woodisgood]

Very interesting! Would you feel comfortable providing some specific numbers?

Our premium went from $185/mo (for a 2014 Pilot and the TM3, two drivers, clean records other than the recent at-fault) to $347/mo at renewal time. The increase was all related to the Model 3; the Pilot cost roughly the same with both underwriters. The underwriter switched from "United Financial Casualty" (or something like that) to "Progressive Select."

If you'd like other specifics to put the numbers into context, feel free to shoot me a message.

 

[dfwatt]

Our premium went from $185/mo (for a 2014 Pilot and the TM3, two drivers, clean records other than the recent at-fault) to $347/mo at renewal time. The increase was all related to the Model 3; the Pilot cost roughly the same with both underwriters. The underwriter switched from "United Financial Casualty" (or something like that) to "Progressive Select."

If you'd like other specifics to put the numbers into context, feel free to shoot me a message.

Yikes that's really punitive in terms of a rate increase. Kind of scary actually. I assume you must have done some comparison shopping to find out if other people were going to offer the same crappy rates?

 

[woodisgood]

Yikes that's really punitive in terms of a rate increase. Kind of scary actually. I assume you must have done some comparison shopping to find out if other people were going to offer the same crappy rates?

I’m sure we can do better but not until the open bodily injury claim resolves. Unfortunately the gentleman that my wife rear-ended turned out to be the type to milk it for all he can (as he said he would when she declined to give him an immediate payout at the scene). So we wait. Progressive knows we’re stuck.