Rookie Rivian comes out on top for owner satisfaction in Consumer Reports survey

Electric vehicle newcomer Rivian Automotive outscored EV sales leader Tesla Inc. in brand satisfaction, according to Consumer Reports' 2023 auto survey. Tesla also fell behind brands that mostly sell gasoline vehicles, including BMW and Porsche.

Rivian's top-place finish came in its first year of consideration for brand satisfaction in the Consumer Reports survey. Rivian has two models, the R1T pickup and the R1S crossover, both of which were highly rated by owners.

Across the U.S. auto industry, Tesla is often at the top of the list in satisfaction metrics such as brand loyalty, but it is starting to fall behind rivals with fresher products, analysts said.

"It's not surprising that newer vehicles are populating the most satisfying list and pushing Teslas down," Jon Linkov, deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports, told Automotive News. "Not that Tesla is bad, but people like the newest and shiniest and maybe Teslas aren't as new and shiny."

Tesla's new Cybertruck pickup, which launched in late 2023, wasn't considered by Consumer Reports for the most recent survey because the model hasn't been out long enough to evaluate.

"The Cybertruck will be very interesting to see in a year when it comes into our survey," said Linkov. "As a first-year vehicle from Tesla, it could very well launch itself to the top of the list."

The Consumer Reports data comes from more than 330,000 responses. Ownership is rated in categories such as driving satisfaction and ownership cost. The brand score is determined by scoring from individual models. The survey includes vehicles from the 2021 to 2023 model years, with a few from 2024.

In the most recent survey, Rivian received an overall satisfaction score of five points, the maximum, and 86 percent of Rivian owners said they would buy the same vehicle again. Tesla received a satisfaction score of four points, with 74 percent of owners saying they would buy again, Consumer Reports said in an early February report.

Mini, BMW and Porsche also scored four points for satisfaction but received slightly higher percentages than Tesla on the question of whether owners would buy their vehicles again.

A noteworthy trend, Linkov said, is that owners expressed greater satisfaction generally with vehicles that had an electrification option — such as full EVs or hybrids — over gasoline models. Rivian and Tesla only make full EVs and scored No. 1 and No. 5 in brand satisfaction, for example. Mini, BMW and Porsche make some full-EV models.

When Consumer Reports published its 2021 survey results, Tesla came in first place for brand satisfaction. It slipped to third place in the 2022 survey.

The individual models that scored highly in the most recent survey included the Chevrolet Corvette at No. 1, with 93 percent of owners saying they would buy the car again. The Rivian R1T was in second place, with 88 percent saying they would buy again.

Others in the top 10 included the BMW X5, with 85 percent saying they would buy again, the Rivian R1S with 84 percent, the Ford Maverick hybrid with 83 percent and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV with 81 percent. None of Tesla's four vehicles made the top 10.

Among the least satisfying vehicles, Consumer Reports said, were the Nissan Altima, with just 48 percent of owners saying they would buy it again, along with the Kia Forte with 47 percent, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 46 percent and the Volkswagen Taos with 38 percent.

Linkov cautioned that while newly launched models tend to do well in their first year, that's not necessarily true in subsequent years when the warranty has run out and the shine is off. Luxury vehicles also tend to perform better because they have more features, he said.

The key to satisfaction, Linkov said, is delivering on promises. Rivian vehicles, for example, have suffered software issues and safety recalls. But Rivian isn't promising perfect vehicles. It's promising something fresh.

"What they do say is we're going to deliver range, style and an interesting and unique experience as far as the look and feel of the vehicle," he said. "And they deliver on those promises."