The Tesla Model S is the most satisfying car for commuting, according to the most recent Annual Auto Survey from Consumer Reports.
Following closely on the first place position held by the Tesla offering are two of the other top-selling electric vehicles out there — the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and the Nissan LEAF all-electric (EV). The Chevy Volt ranked second overall, and the Nissan LEAF third overall.
Following those top three, the Ford C-Max took the fourth position, the Lexus ES took the fifth position, the Mazda3 took the sixth position, the Subaru Legacy took the seventh position, the Toyota Prius took the eighth position, the Honda Accord took the ninth position, and the Volkswagen Passat took the tenth position.
Overall, the list does seem to put EVs and PHEVs in a good light — with such vehicles dominating the list. The list was compiled based on owner satisfaction surveys related to 230,000 vehicles (all vehicles being less than 3 years old).
The Model S has topped the list every year since it came to market, and the Chevy Volt was #1 for two years before that.
Consumer Reports provides more:
“It is a joy to drive: comfortable, agile, responsive, quiet, and ‘green.’”
“Driver assist and cruise control with tracking are very convenient for routine rush hour stop and go traffic.”
“Auto Pilot 1.0 keeps a safe distance between my car and others; Quiet; Comfortable; Navigation automatically adjusts to the fastest route (huge when the 405 is backed up).”
Commenting on the Chevy Volt, those that answered the survey stated:
“Essentially I gave myself a raise. My electric bill increased about $100 overall. However my employer has free charging stations at work, so I no longer pay the cost of commuting home. The HOV sticker took me about 60 seconds to appreciate.”
“Able to complete my daily commute using no gas on most days. The car is much more comfortable than I anticipated. Nice to see an American manufacturer stepping up to the plate with a great EV.”
“My wife uses this car for her daily commute. She can do so easily on battery alone, even on the coldest days. We then recharge overnight in the garage at a fraction of the cost of a gasoline powered vehicle. The car is smooth, comfortable and quiet.”
(Thanks to “Breezy” on the GM-Volt.com forum for this.)
Images by Zachary Shahan & Cynthia Shahan | EV Obsession | CleanTechnica