J.D. Power Reports EV Satisfaction, Rivian & Mini Are Winners

Organizations like J.D. Power and their ilk seem to have been measuring customer satisfaction in the automotive segment ever since someone told Henry Ford he just might be onto something with his idea about assembly lines. It’s no different as we move into the EV age, with these types of surveys continuing to provide interesting insights into the minds of real-world people who have shelled out their own money for a new rig.

The group’s Electric Vehicle Experience ( EVX) study focused on first-time EV owners, a solid approach since the uptake of electric cars has increased dramatically over the last couple of years – mostly with customers who are new to the segment. This is a logical approach since aspects of EV ownership can be markedly different than that of an ICE car. In fact, 85 percent of EVX respondents were first-time EV owners. That’s huge. 

“The electric vehicle landscape is changing quickly, and newer models are bringing in more mainstream, first-time EV buyers,” said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power. “Recent vehicle launches from both new brands and traditional automakers have had a profound effect on what factors are most important in the ownership experience.”

The EVX classified vehicles into two groups, premium and mainstream, with the value of 1000 points being used as a perfect score. There were five eligible models in the premium segment, aggregating an average grade of 756 points. Atop the heap was the Rivian R1T, which scored 794 in its first year of eligibility, and the Tesla Model 3 which earned 759 points. In terms of mass-market cars, the Mini Cooper Electric ranked highest with a score of 782. Kia's EV6 (762) ranks second and Ford's Mustang Mach-E (742) ranks third. The segment average was 730.

Unsurprisingly for anyone who’s been paying attention to articles detailing stories of EV ownership, public charging infrastructure remains a vexatious issue for nearly everyone – regardless of brand. Tales abound of broken chargers, payment difficulties, and general dissatisfaction with the overall state of public charging. Owners of non-luxury EVs panned that part of the ownership experience, giving it an average score of just 341 out of 1,000 points. Other issues were grousings about (surprise!) infotainment controls and overall carping about touchscreens. In this, some EVs are not unlike some ICE vehicles, it seems. Speaking of discontent, J.D. Power also listed owners who are least happy with their EVs. In order to make the VerticalScope overlords happy with fresh new clicks, we’ll detail those owners in a separate post. 

The 2023 study includes 10 factors (in no particular order): accuracy of indicated battery range; availability of public charging; actual battery range; the overall cost of ownership; general driving enjoyment; ease of at-home charging; styling; safety and tech features; service experience; and vehicle quality/reliability. Survey respondents for the study include 7,073 owners of 2022/2023 model-year BEVs and PHEVs. The study was fielded in from August through December 2022.

[Image: Rivian]

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