EVs less reliable than conventional cars, report says

There’s a lot to consider when buying a new car, including finding one that won’t break down.

CBS’s Shanelle Kaul went to Consumer Reports for a look at some of the most reliable vehicles.

Keith Barry, of Consumer Reports, said researchers analyze data and surveys from tens of thousands of car owners.

“Responding to us and telling us what went wrong on their vehicles. And our statisticians crunch those numbers, and they can predict how reliable a brand’s gonna be. And in many cases how reliable an individual vehicle is going to be,” he said.

The BMW X5 was one of this year’s most reliable vehicles, but Toyota dominates the rest of the top five with the 4 Runner and Camry Hybrid earning this year’s top scores.

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Toyota’s Alex Sun said the Camry has been offering a hybrid version since 2007.

“It pushes out 208 horsepower and gets up to 52 miles per gallon,” Sun said.

It’s not just Camry’s Consumer Reports found hybrids from a number of manufacturers scored high.

“What’s really interesting is that even though hybrid vehicles are, are more complex, they’re 26%, more reliable than gasoline-powered cars on average,” Barry said.

Overall, electric vehicles don’t fare as well as hybrids but the report shows that is changing.

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“The good news is they are getting better every year, they are better than last year,” Barry said.

Out of 30 brands EV maker Tesla is number 14 for reliability, but the top two brands are Toyota and the company’s luxury line Lexus.

“Lexus’s attention to detail that they’ve been building up over the years that our members tell us their Lexus’s don’t have problems,” Barry said.

Buying a vehicle that doesn’t have problems can save you thousands down the road.

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