No: the cited Consumer Reports finding does not say new electric vehicles have three times as many problems as internal-combustion-engine (ICE) cars. Its 2023 survey found new EVs had 79% more problems on average—about 1.79 times the reported problem rate. Newer Consumer Reports and J.D. Power results still show a reliability gap, but their figures use different cohorts and measures and should not be combined.
Where the “three times” claim comes from—and what the study found
Consumer Reports’ 2023 Annual Auto Reliability Survey found that new EVs had 79% more problems on average than ICE vehicles. The survey covered more than 330,000 vehicles spanning model years 2001–2023 and early 2024, and asked owners about 20 problem areas. The result is an average comparison of reported problems—not a finding that EVs are three times as likely to break down. Consumer Reports’ 2023 survey announcement
“79% more” means 1.79 times the comparison rate: if the ICE average were 100 reported problems on the survey’s measure, a 79% increase would be 179, not 300. “Three times as many” would mean 200% more than the baseline. The headline’s “3 times” wording therefore overstates this finding.
What counts as a problem?
These surveys count owner-reported issues across vehicle trouble areas. A problem count does not mean every reported issue was a breakdown, left a driver stranded, or carried the same safety or repair consequences. The available Consumer Reports description identifies the number of trouble areas, but does not provide a comprehensive severity-weighting explanation. Treat the result as a measure of reported reliability problems, not a breakdown probability or a tally of equally serious failures.
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How newer findings compare
Consumer Reports: model years 2023–2025
In a later comparison, Consumer Reports reported that EVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) had about 80% more problems on average than gas-only cars among model years 2023–2025. That suggests the reported gap persisted in this newer comparison; it does not establish an identical result for every model or a direct trend against the 2023 survey, whose vehicle population and survey cohort differ. Consumer Reports’ model-year 2023–2025 comparison
J.D. Power: three-year dependability for 2023 model-year vehicles
J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study reported problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) after three years of ownership. Lower PP100 means higher quality. Its results were:
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| Powertrain | Problems per 100 vehicles |
|---|---|
| Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) | 237 |
| Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) | 281 |
| Gas-powered vehicles | 198 |
The study covered 33,268 original owners of 2023 model-year vehicles. Fieldwork ran from December 2024 through November 2025, and the survey covered 184 specific problem areas. These are PP100 scores, not percentages relative to a baseline, so they are not the same metric as Consumer Reports’ average-problem comparison. J.D. Power’s 2026 VDS results Study sample and methodology details
Within J.D. Power’s results, PHEVs had a higher problem score than BEVs, and both had higher scores than gas-powered vehicles. That distinction matters: “EV” can refer loosely to different powertrains, while BEVs and PHEVs are separate categories in this study.
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Why the figures cannot be merged into one EV reliability number
The studies differ in who was surveyed, vehicle model years, ownership duration, powertrain categories and the way results are expressed. Consumer Reports’ 2023 figure is a percentage difference in average reported problems; J.D. Power’s 2026 figures are PP100 results for original owners after three years. The later Consumer Reports comparison also covers a different model-year cohort and combines EVs with PHEVs. Those findings can provide context, but they do not form a single like-for-like time series.
- Source and survey year: Consumer Reports and J.D. Power are separate studies.
- Vehicles and ownership: Model-year ranges and time owned differ.
- Powertrain labels: BEVs, PHEVs and gas-only vehicles are not interchangeable categories.
- Metric: A percentage above a baseline is not the same as problems per 100 vehicles.
- Issues counted: A reported issue count does not, by itself, show severity or establish a breakdown rate.
What the evidence says about EV reliability
The defensible takeaway is that the identified surveys found more reported problems for electric powertrains than for gas-powered vehicles in their respective comparisons. The 2023 Consumer Reports result was 79% more on average—not three times as many. Newer data continue to show a gap, but differences in survey design mean they should be read on their own terms rather than treated as proof that the gap has either stayed exactly the same or disappeared.
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J.D. Power also identified infotainment as its most problematic overall category, at 56.7 PP100, and reported phone-integration issues among leading industry problems. That overall finding does not show that infotainment explains the difference between BEVs and gas vehicles. J.D. Power director of auto benchmarking Jason Norton said: “Software updates and new technologies should enhance the ownership experience over time, yet many vehicle owners cite ongoing mobile phone integration problems and little to no benefit after an update is performed.” J.D. Power’s statement and 2026 study release
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