How reliable can an electric car be?

This may come as a shocker recent Consumer Reports (CR) from 2021 showed a negative trend in the reliability of EVs as reported on Bloomberg. In the reliability survey published in November 2021, CR named electric SUVs the least-reliable vehicle type. The reasoning provided was as follows. (Although, I must disclaim that this is not the last word in reliability.)

The CR report said on average, electric cars have significantly higher problem rates than gas cars across model years 2019 and 2020. That improved somewhat for 2021, but certain models still showed high rates of problems, according to the report.

Source: Tesla

The areas identified were:

In-car Electronics: More susceptible to breakage needing repairs

Noises and leaks: Due to more moving parts

Power equipment: Drive costs high

Climate system: Less versatile to harsher weather

Body hardware: More fragile

Drive system: With automaticity comes respective risks

Paint and trim: More delicate and high maintenance

However, there are myriad pros of electric cars as follows:

Environmental Friendliness: With less CO2 emission, EVs are more friendly to the green philosophy.

Fewer Stops (with a caveat): Modern EVs can go over 200 miles on a single charge. So, your habits will decide.

Growing Options: Although Tesla is synonymous with EV cars, now even Toyota is coming to the market.

Fuel Savings: Though it can vary, EVs need 60% less money to power them.

Maintenance Savings: Research shows that EV owners spend about half as much to repair and maintain, compared to gas car owners. That accounts for about $4,600 throughout the car’s lifetime.

Lower Taxes: US federal government provides higher tax breaks to owners of EVs.

Therefore, although there are both camps, recent surveys pointed to negativity. That said, electric car technology is progressing much faster than gas cars. WardsAuto reported that the situation is improving. So, considering the use-base, budget and time, it deserves analysis to conclusively draw a conclusion