Tesla's Model 3 ranked 'most satisfying' car, more than Porsche or Corvette
It's well known that Tesla owners tend to show a lot of love for the electric automaker, which often tops lists that rank car brands based on owner satisfaction.
In fact, Tesla's Model 3 compact sedan is so beloved by its owners that Consumer Reports, the product-testing consumer advocacy group, has named the vehicle the "most satisfying car" on the market. Consumer Reports recently ranked the 10 most satisfying car models based on the results of surveys of more than half a million car owners to find "the models that bring their owners joy" (Netflix sensation Marie Kondo might even say they "spark joy").
At the top of that list is Tesla's Model 3, which Consumer Reports notes is a competitor of sedans like the Audi A4 and BMW's 3 Series. Consumer Reports found that 92 percent of Tesla Model 3 owners would "definitely" buy the car again if they had to "do it all over again."
The Model 3 just edged out the likes of the Porsche 911 luxury sports car, Hyundai's Genesis G90 and the Chevrolet Corvette, which rounded out the top four vehicles in the Consumer Reports ranking of most satisfying car models. But, Tesla's Model S luxury sedan snagged the fifth spot, with Consumer Reports describing the car's performance as "exceptional".
Meanwhile, Consumer Reports' own review of the Model 3 notes that the car is enjoyable. "Our testers found the Model 3 to be fun to drive, thanks to the superb handling and immediate thrust from the electric motor," Consumer Reports writes in its appraisal of the Model 3. Though the group also ranks the Model 3 behind the Audi A4 on its own overall ranking of luxury compact cars, noting that the Model 3's "distracting controls [and] overly stiff ride" counted against the car's score.
Tesla began production on the Model 3 in 2017 and is meant to be Tesla's first mass-market electric car with a base price of $35,000. Meanwhile, the more expensive version of the Model 3, which features a long-range battery and costs at least $45,000, was actually the best-selling luxury vehicle of 2018.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously commented on the popularity of the Model 3 with car owners on the company's fourth quarter earnings call, which came after the Model 3 was named the electric vehicle with the best resale value by Kelley Blue Book. "The customer happiness level with the [Model 3] is incredible and, I think, probably the highest of any car in the world right now," Musk said on the earnings call last month.
In the past, Musk has seemed to put a lot of stock into Consumer Reports' reviews. Last year, the billionaire CEO responded to some negative feedback from the group (which negatively reviewed the Model 3's braking performance) by promising on Twitter to remedy the problem with a remote firmware update.
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