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Re:

Are New EVs Three Times More Problematic Than Gas Cars? What the Studies Say

The “three times” claim overstates Consumer Reports’ 2023 finding: new EVs had 79% more reported problems on average than ICE vehicles. Newer surveys show a gap, but measure it differently.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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No: the evidence behind the “three times” claim does not support that figure. Consumer Reports found that new electric vehicles had 79% more reported problems on average than gas-powered vehicles in its 2023 survey—not three times as many. Later Consumer Reports and J.D. Power findings still show more reported problems for EVs, but use different samples and measures, so they cannot be combined into one trend line.

Where the “three times” claim comes from—and what it gets wrong

The Consumer Reports finding most closely tied to the claim was that new EVs had 79% more problems on average than internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles. In ordinary arithmetic, 79% more means 1.79 times the comparison figure, not three times. Three times as many would mean 200% more.

Consumer Reports’ 2023 Annual Auto Reliability Survey drew on responses covering more than 330,000 vehicles from model years 2001 through 2023 and early 2024. It examined 20 trouble areas. The 79% result is a comparison of average owner-reported problem counts for new EVs and ICE vehicles in that survey; it is not a finding that an EV is three times as likely to break down.

Consumer Reports’ 2023 survey announcement

What newer reliability results report

Consumer Reports’ 2025 comparison

In a later comparison of model years 2023–2025, Consumer Reports said EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) had about 80% more problems on average than gas-only cars. That is still a substantial difference, but it is not a threefold rate. The comparison groups EVs and PHEVs together, unlike results that report battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids separately.

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Consumer Reports’ 2025 comparison

J.D. Power’s 2026 Vehicle Dependability Study

J.D. Power reported the following problems-per-100-vehicles (PP100) results for 2023 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership:

Powertrain Problems per 100 vehicles
Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) 237
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) 281
Gas-powered vehicles 198

These are J.D. Power’s 2026 study figures, not percentages from Consumer Reports’ survey. In this study PHEVs reported more problems than BEVs, and both powertrain categories scored worse than gas-powered vehicles. J.D. Power says a lower PP100 score indicates higher quality.

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The study surveyed 33,268 original owners. Fieldwork ran from December 2024 through November 2025, and the study covered 184 specific problem areas. Its figures describe reported problems after three years of ownership, not the chance that an individual car will fail.

J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

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Why the figures are not interchangeable

The studies point in a similar direction—more reported problems for EVs than for gas-powered vehicles—but they do not measure the same thing in the same way. Consumer Reports’ 79% figure compares average reported problem counts. J.D. Power’s PP100 score counts problems per 100 vehicles. Their populations, survey designs, model-year cohorts, and powertrain groupings also differ.

  • Survey and cohort: Consumer Reports’ 2023 survey included many model years and owners; J.D. Power’s 2026 study examined 2023 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership.
  • Powertrain categories: A comparison that groups EVs and PHEVs together is not directly comparable to one that reports BEVs and PHEVs separately.
  • Metric: A percentage difference relative to a baseline is not the same unit as problems per 100 vehicles.
  • Problems counted: Both are owner-reported reliability or dependability results. A reported problem is not necessarily a breakdown, and a count alone does not show that every issue is equally serious.
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What the problem counts can—and cannot—tell a car buyer

These results are useful as broad comparisons, not as a prediction that a particular EV will be unreliable or expensive to own. The surveys count issues across multiple trouble areas; the published figures cited here do not establish that every reported issue strands a driver, requires a repair, or carries the same cost.

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J.D. Power identified infotainment as its most problematic overall category, at 56.7 PP100, and cited phone-integration issues among leading industry problems. That is a result across the study, not evidence that infotainment explains the gap between BEVs and gas-powered vehicles.

As J.D. Power director of auto benchmarking Jason Norton put it: “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.”

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For a purchase decision, use the broad survey difference as context, then compare reliability information for the specific model and model year you are considering. These overall results do not establish which individual EV is most reliable.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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