Tesla Slams Consumer Reports For Giving Model 3 Average Reliability Rating

Tesla Model 3

Tesla has slammed Consumer Reports for giving the Model 3 an average reliability rating despite not yet driving the brand’s entry-level EV.

In Consumer Reports annual reliability survey, it was predicted that the Model 3 will have average reliability because of the large amount of technology it shares with the Model S sedan.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Consumer Reports director of auto testing Jake Fisher said that if the Model S wasn’t given an above-average reliability rating, the Model 3’s rating would have been below average.

“They realize that it’s important to get this car right. We would’ve not predicted average for the Model 3 unless we saw above-average data for the Model S. If the Model S was still just average, we would’ve not made that prediction."

While Consumer Reports is widely regarded as a credible source for vehicle information, Tesla has accused the publication of “inaccurate and misleading" reporting.

“Consumer Reports has not yet driven a Model 3, let alone do they know anything substantial about how the Model 3 was designed and engineered. Time and time again, our own data shows that Consumer Reports’ automotive reporting is consistently inaccurate and misleading to consumers," a Tesla spokeswoman said.