Chevy Volt again ranked by Consumer Reports as most-loved car

DETROIT -- The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid landed atop Consumer Reports' annual owner-satisfaction ranking for the second straight year.

Ninety-two percent of responding Volt owners in a poll of the magazine's subscribers said they definitely would buy a Volt again, tops among 240 models, the magazine said today.

Several other fuel-efficient models also scored highly, including Toyota's Camry Hybrid, Prius, and Prius C as well as Nissan's Leaf electric car.

The Volt's two-year reign "points to the continuing trend of owners' enthusiasm for cars that are fuel-efficient cars, especially as we see more and more hybrid and electric models hitting the market," Rik Paul, Consumer Reports' auto editor, said in a statement.

It's also affirmation for GM executives who've battled bad press from early soft sales, scathing criticism from opponents of green-car subsidies, and a late 2011 federal safety probe into battery fires that turned up no significant risks.

Tops in the sports car category were the Chevy Corvette, Porsche 911, the V8 Dodge Challenger and the Ford Mustang.

Among luxury vehicles, owners of the Audi A7 and A6 and the Lexus GS were the most satisfied, the poll showed.

Sports cars, hybrids and convertibles have traditionally dominated the magazine's owner-satisfaction study.

The Nissan Versa sedan received the lowest rating from owners, followed by the V-6 versions of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, and the Nissan Armada, Suzuki SX4 and Mitsubishi Outlander SUVs.

The survey included responses from owners of 350,000 vehicles spanning the 2010-2013 model years. It is based on the results from the magazine's annual auto survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

Scores are based on the percentage of respondents who answered "definitely yes" to the following question: "Considering all factors -- price, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc., -- would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?"

The Volt has developed a cultish following. Hundreds of online forums have popped up with posts from Volt owners boasting of traveling thousands of miles between fill ups or squeezing out more than 40 miles on one electric charge.

The plug-in hybrid, launched in late 2010, uses a motor powered by a lithium ion battery to travel up to 38 miles in electric mode before a gasoline-powered generator kicks on to run the motor.

The Volt has a sticker price of $39,995. Buyers qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Sales have fallen short of GM's original expectations. Last year, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson predicted GM would build 60,000 Volts this year, one-quarter of which would be shipped overseas for sale in Europe and China. Through Nov. 24, GM produced 22,357 Volts, according to the Automotive News Data Center.

Still, sales have soared compared with last year. Through October, U.S. Volt sales nearly quadrupled from a year earlier, to 19,309 units.

Part of the increase is due to sharply reduced leases that GM has run for much of the year. Lease deals of $279 a month with $2,400 or less down, have been common.