Tesla Lost First Place to Rivian in 2023 in Terms of Owner Satisfaction

The number of electric vehicles sold on the U.S. market is growing at a fast pace. So is the potential clients’ interest – according to J.D. Power research, more than a quarter of Americans intend to purchase an EV by 2025.

That’s why the company is benchmarking EV owner satisfaction in a new Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study. The research firm started doing so in 2021, in collaboration with PlugShare, which is widely considered the leading app for EV drivers.

For this third study, more than 7,000 EV owners were surveyed about their satisfaction with 2022 and 2023 model-year electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The study was fielded in from August through December 2022.

There are two rankings, one for premium battery electric vehicles, and the other for mass-market battery electric vehicles. For both rankings, there is a segment average value, so that you can easily spot the winners and the losers contenders that didn’t fare so well.

In 2023, the highest overall customer satisfaction index ranking goes to Rivian R1T and Mini Cooper Electric, respectively. Now keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean they are the best. It only summarizes their owners’ subjective opinions regarding several attributes that affect the overall ownership experience.

Premium Battery Electric Vehicles Ranking

In the premium segment, we should note that Rivian R1T is the only pickup truck. Its score is not only better than that of the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y, but it’s higher than last year’s ranking. Which was led by the two Tesla models.

So why that struggling carmaker Rivian has fared better than almighty Tesla? Oops, that’s a trick question. The real one is what made Rivian owners more satisfied with their cars than Tesla owners. One of the reasons is that, in this year’s survey, the towing factor was more satisfying for the owners of the EV truck:

• satisfaction is higher among EV truck owners who have used their vehicle for towing (779) than among owners who have not towed (753)

• satisfaction with driving range is higher among owners who have towed (635) than among those who have not towed (617)

• satisfaction with the accuracy of the stated range is higher (707 vs. 680, respectively) because it seems that communicating the effect of towing on the range helps set owner expectation

Then customers of premium EVs are most annoyed by squeaks and rattles or by the exterior. Rivian R1T’s owners frequently use their cars offroad, as it’s an off-road pickup truck. So, they are more prone to accept these issues.

Its owners had the highest levels of satisfaction with the driving enjoyment and interior/exterior styling factors. There’s also the subjective nature of opinions of first-time BEV ownership – their percentage jumped to 89% from 67% in 2022. The R1T is very recent to the market compared to Tesla’s cars.

It's worth comparing the 2022 and 2023 rankings. As I mentioned before, Tesla Model 3 and Model Y were last year’s leaders. But the segment average index has dropped from 770 to 756 in 2023. So are the scores of Model 3 (from 777 to 759) and Model Y (from 770 to 754).

In return, Audi e-tron fared better this year, its index going up from 718 to 735. It’s a sign that more competition is slightly hurting Tesla’s image. Don’t forget that much of Tesla owners’ satisfaction is due to the Supercharger network, and this means lower satisfaction in other areas.

By the way, the 2023 study was based on these 10 factors:

1. accuracy of stated battery range;
2. availability of public charging stations;
3. battery range;
4. cost of ownership;
5. driving enjoyment;
6. ease of charging at home;
7. interior and exterior styling;
8. safety and technology features;
9. service experience;
10. vehicle quality and reliability.

Mass Market Electric Vehicles Ranking

In the mass market EVs ranking there are twice more models and the graph is self-explanatory. At first, I was inclined to think that Mini won this category because of its lifestyle character. This implies that its owners are more subjective and more prone to appreciate their car.

It turns out that it had the highest satisfaction score of any EV in the study because of its quality and reliability. Still, it’s the KIA EV6 that I think is the real winner, because it has an edge on the most acclaimed Ford Mustang Mach-E.

It also fared better than its ‘cousin’ Hyundai IONIQ 5, which shares the same underpinnings, but has a more conventional look. All the other cars in this ranking look like ‘normal’ cars, while EV6’s appearance is too original by comparison.

“Newer models are bringing in more mainstream, first-time EV buyers,” said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power. EV6 is the least ‘mainstream’ car from this study, so it’s a very good sign its owners are praising high their cars.

As for Ford Mustang Mach-E, it hasn’t evolved from last year’s ranking. This is odd because it’s been constantly well-reviewed by enthusiasts. Maybe it has something to do with infotainment, cited as the most problematic category by mass-market EV owners.

But at least last year’s winner, the KIA Niro EV, is now much lower than the American muscle-car-named SUV. This is not a surprise, as its sibling, Hyundai Kona is out of this year’s ranking. I expect both the new Niro and Kona to return in the next studies because the new generations are much improved.

It’s worth noting that Ford’s electric pick-up and the two affordable Chevrolet Bolt models are below average. Not what Americans expect from 'Made in America' EVs, but at least the Bolt’s index has improved from 687 to 711, mainly because of big discounts.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Nissan Leaf is the last in the 2023 ranking because its technology is simply old compared to other models. Still, the drop is only ten points, from 708 to 698, as it scores more than adequate on the reliability factor.

The best thing: no losers

The bottom line is EV owners are likely more subjective than ICE owners, so the overall results are ok. It’s interesting how quickly is the electric vehicle landscape changing, and what effect this has on what factors are most important in the ownership experience.

J.D. Power’s conclusion is “Today’s EV owners are looking for quality, reliability, driving enjoyment, safety, and technology features.” This is not to say that ‘range anxiety’ is off the list, but it seems it’s not the most important anymore.

Still, the EV revolution is not full steam yet. The research firm notes that at least 25% of Americans declared that they will never purchase an electric car or an electrified one. We’ll see how fast will this percentage decrease in the next years to come.