Tesla is one of the least reliable car manufacturers in the United States when it comes to used cars aged 5 to 10 years. This is evidenced by the results of a Consumer Reports study. The organization ranked brands by reliability for used cars after 5-10 years of operation

Tesla was ranked third from the bottom in the Consumer Reports reliability rating, ahead of two other American automakers: Dodge and Chrysler. At the other end of the ranking, the Lexus brand took the highest place, followed by Toyota and Mazda.

It is worth noting that Tesla is the only manufacturer of all-electric cars in the ranking. The fact is that in 2014 — the oldest model year considered for the used car rankings — Tesla was the only mass market car manufacturer in the United States that delivered electric vehicles to customers. This fact remained unchanged until the early 2020s, when the first Rivian, Polestar, and Lucid electric cars were sold.

In 2014, Tesla’s first production car, the Model S, was at the initial stage of its life cycle. It had been released just two years earlier. The Model X went into production in 2015. Therefore, as is the case with every new automaker, it is not surprising that the first cars to roll off the line may have some problems that later disappeared with newer cars such as the Model 3 and Model Y.

In Consumer Reports’ New Car Reliability Rating, Tesla ranked 14th out of 30 (Rivian was 28th and Chrysler was 30th). This is already much better than in the case of used cars, where the first Model S was featured.

The Consumer Reports survey sample included more than 150 thousand vehicles. The overall reliability scores for 6 model years were averaged to provide a used brand reliability score. A total of 20 potential used car problems were investigated: from brake squeaks and interior wear to problems with the engine, transmission, or electric vehicle battery after the warranty period has expired.