• Rivian and Tesla are among the least reliable car brands, according to Consumer Reports' survey of 300,000 owners.
• Their drivers don't seem to mind, with both EV companies ranking highly for customer satisfaction.
• Tesla has faced scrutiny over vehicle reliability, with the Cybertruck being recalled six times this year.

Rivian and Tesla may not have the most reliable vehicles on the market — but their drivers don't care.

The two electric vehicle brands have some of the highest customer satisfaction despite being among the least reliable vehicle brands, according to Consumer Report's 2025 Automotive Report Card.

EV startup Rivian was ranked as the worst vehicle brand for reliability, while Tesla was voted the 6th least reliable of the 22 major brands surveyed.

Japanese brands Subaru, Lexus, and Toyota led the rankings, which are based on surveys of around 300,000 vehicle owners.

Percieved unreliability hasn't affected Tesla and Rivian owner's enjoyment of their vehicles, however.

86% of the Rivian owners surveyed by Consumer Reports said they would buy their Rivian EV again, giving it the highest owner satisfaction rating of any brand surveyed.

Tesla was not far behind, with 72% of owners saying they would buy their vehicle again.

The Elon Musk-run company has faced scrutiny over vehicle reliability in recent years.

Tesla's most recently launched vehicle, the Cybertruck, has been recalled six times in 2024.

The angular electric pickup, which Musk previously said would be "apocalypse-proof," has faced issues with its drive inverter, rearview camera, and famously large wiper.

In April, Tesla recalled almost 4,000 Cybertrucks over fears the accelerator pedal could become jammed at full throttle.

Consumer Reports found that conventional hybrids remain more reliable than EVs and plug-in hybrids, which had 42% and 70% more problems on average than combustion engine vehicles and hybrids, respectively, according to owners surveyed.

Rivian and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider, sent outside normal working hours.

• The NHTSA is gathering info on a Cybertruck crash that killed three college students in California.
• The crash is the second fatal Cybertruck incident in the US, following one in Texas.
• Tesla's Cybertruck has faced multiple recalls and 21 NHTSA complaints since launching.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probing a Cybertruck crash that killed three college students last month in California.

"NHTSA is aware of the crash and is gathering information from the manufacturer and law enforcement," a spokesperson for the agency told Business Insider, adding that an investigation hasn't been opened yet.

The Piedmont Police Department and the California Highway Patrol are looking into the Tesla crash, Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said at a media briefing. CFP did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The Piedmont Police Department was alerted about the crash at 3:08 a.m. on November 27, according to Bowers. The police arrived at the scene and found the Cybertruck vehicle in flames. Three of the four people in the car were killed, and the fourth sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.

Bowers said at the media briefing that the police officers attempted to extinguish the fire at the crash site, but it was "too intense." The Piedmont Fire Department eventually extinguished the fire, he said.

The cause of the crash still remains unknown, although Bowers said at the briefing that speed was likely a "contributing factor." He also said there was no indication that mechanical issues were the primary cause of the collision, although he said the investigation was still in the early stages.

The Piedmont crash stands as the second fatal Cybertruck crash in the US. The previous fatal crash, which occurred in August, also involved a Cybertruck and a fire after a driver drove off a road in Texas.

Like traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines, electric vehicles can catch fire in crashes. However, EVs have posed challenges with putting out fires in a timely manner because of their large lithium-ion batteries. When an EV battery enters a cycle of overheating and over-pressurizing, it can result in fires or explosions.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticized media coverage of Tesla models that have caught fire and maintained that the automaker's vehicles are some of the safest on the road.

"Considering the odds in the absolute, you are more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime than experience even a non-injurious fire in a Tesla," Musk wrote in a 2013 blog post addressing recent Tesla fires.

The "'apocalypse-proof' Cybertruck, as Musk has described it, has faced multiple recalls since the first deliveries about a year ago, many of which were addressed through software updates. The most recent was due to a faulty vehicle part that could cause the vehicle's wheels to lose power.

Prior to that, 27,000 Cybertrucks were recalled because of a rearview camera issue that could increase the risk of accidents when driving in reverse. In addition to the recalls, NHTSA has also received 21 complaints about issues ranging from broken windshield wipers to issues with the electrical system.

The NHTSA has investigated other Tesla vehicles, often regarding the company's Autopilot or Full-Self-Driving technology. In October, the agency opened an investigation covering 2.4 million Tesla vehicles. The investigation followed reports of four crashes involving FSD in areas where road visibility had been reduced.

• Tesla told Cybertruck workers they didn't need to report to work for three days this week.
• Two factory workers told BI they were told a battery supply issue caused the schedule change.
• Tesla shortened production hours for the Cybertruck line earlier this year.

Tesla is facing a battery supply issue on its Cybertruck line, according to two Cybertruck factory workers.

The two workers told BI they were notified by production supervisors that a recent three-day reduction in Cybertruck manufacturing shifts was the result of an imbalance in the production line — specifically, a lack of working batteries for the truck.

The battery issue caused the line to get "backed up" over the past week, one of the workers said.

Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Employees on the Cybertruck production line were told on Monday they wouldn't "need to report to work" from December 3 to December 5, according to a memo first viewed by Business Insider. In the memo, no reason was given for the schedule change.

Workers were told they'd still receive eight hours of pay for each day they'd been scheduled to work. The regular schedule would resume on December 6, according to the memo.

The schedule for the line has been inconsistent since late October, five Cybertruck workers told BI, and one employee said he began looking for new jobs as a result. The employee said he was no longer working 40 hours per week; earlier this year, by comparison, workers were collecting overtime, he said.

In April, the company shortened shifts for the line, according to an internal memo viewed by BI. Over the past month, the company has further shortened shifts for some of the workflows on the Cybertruck line, three workers said.

Last December, Reuters reported that Tesla was struggling to produce the Cybertruck's 4680 battery at an industrial scale. The battery is also used for the Model Y.

One Cybertruck worker said he felt Tesla was still "working out the kinks," adding that the line has been constantly adapting to increase efficiency and the quality of the truck, including changing factory practices to address recalls.

The carmaker has issued six voluntary recalls since the vehicle was released late last year. Most recently, Tesla issued a recall due to a faulty drive inverter that could cause the truck to lose propulsion.

The Cybertruck is the best-selling electric pickup in the US, according to Kelley Blue Book. When deliveries of the vehicle first started, the carmaker had more than 2 million reservations, according to a tally reported by Electrek. Tesla has delivered more than 27,000 Cybertrucks, per its most recent recall.

There have been some signs that demand for the product may be slowing. The company stopped selling the Foundation series version of the truck in October and lowered Cybertruck leasing prices earlier this week.

Do you work for Tesla or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email and device at [email protected] or 248-894-6012

• Tesla told employees on its Cybertruck production line to take the next three days off.
• Regular scheduling will resume on Friday, the company told staff.
• Tesla shortened production hours for the Cybertruck line earlier this year.

On Monday, Tesla notified workers at the Austin factory where it assembles the Cybertruck to take the next three days off, according to a memo viewed by Business Insider.

"On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week (Dec. 3-5), you do not need to report to work," the memo said.

Workers were told they'd still receive eight hours of pay for each day they'd been scheduled to work.

The email said workers would return to the Cybertruck production line on Friday, December 6. Tesla also said some workers wouldn't follow the adjusted schedule, and those workers would be notified separately.

It's unclear why Tesla has temporarily changed the scheduling for the Cybertruck assembly line.

Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment from BI.

Factory workers on the Cybertruck line said their schedule had been inconsistent since late October. Four workers told BI that several times after arriving at work, they'd either been sent home or given additional training exercises or cleaning duties to fill their scheduled work hours.

At least one worker expressed frustration with the schedule changes.

"When I started at Tesla you could expect to get overtime pay, now I feel lucky to get 40 hours," said the worker on the Cybertruck line, who'd been with the company for several years.

When Tesla began deliveries of the Cybertruck last year, more than 2 million reservations were recorded in a tally, Electrek reported.

There have been signs that demand for the product may have begun to wane. The carmaker shortened the shifts for workers on its Cybertruck production line in April, according to a memo viewed by BI at the time.

Several reservation holders who were late to reserve the Cybertruck have reported receiving delivery of the vehicle — a sign that Tesla may be going through its reservation list faster than expected. After Tesla unveiled the pricing for the vehicle last year, several reservation holders told BI they didn't plan to order the vehicle.

Do you work for Tesla or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email and device at [email protected] or 248-894-6012

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