Tesla Model 3 Owners Are Happiest With Their Cars … At All Ages — 70 Reasons Why
Earlier this year, Consumer Reports published its annual report on vehicle owner satisfaction. Once again, the report, which is based on extensive surveys of vehicle owners, found that Tesla owners are the happiest with their cars. In particular, the Tesla Model 3 won the 2020 competition. As a Tesla Model 3 owner myself, I tried to explain why with 70 reasons that came to my mind.
Consumer Reports has now split out the data in a new way, by generation (h/t Teslarati). The organization published the cars that most satisfy members of the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials. This is based on surveys of 420,000+ vehicle owners. (Yes, a bit more than 420,000 according to Consumer Reports. You can’t make this stuff up.)
As you can see in the title of this article, the Tesla Model 3 won in every age group. It was a quadruple win.
Other Tesla models also ranked well. The Tesla Model S was #3 in the Silent Generation and was #4 among Baby Boomers. Meanwhile, Generation X is most Tesla giddy, with the Model 3 ranking #1, the Model S ranking #2, and the Model X ranking #4. (I’m personally surprised the Model X doesn’t rank a bit higher, since I still think it’s the best passenger vehicle in the world overall, but perhaps the falcon-wing doors just aren’t for everyone — or the vehicle just doesn’t thrill owners like the Model 3 and Model S do.) As an elderly member of the Millennial generation (I barely make the cut), the only Tesla on the list is the Model 3 (at #1 of course), which is completely expected since the Model S and Model X are typically well outside of our budgets.
I did not see any other electric vehicles on the lists, but the Toyota Prius made it onto three of them (not making it into the Millennial rankings), and a portion of those owners must have the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. Furthermore, the Ford Mustang made it onto two of the rankings, providing some hope for the Mustang Mach-E to find buyers, excite them, and perhaps get on these lists in the future. The only concern is that it just barely made the rankings of the older generations (the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers), so it’s unclear of the Mustang brand as the appeal it used to with younger buyers and older buyers are less likely to jump into new technology. CleanTechnica has been covering electric vehicles for approximately a decade, but the concept is still new to many Americans.
Adding onto these new rankings, below are again 70 reasons that I think the Model 3 is the most loved car in America based on Consumer Reports’ extensive owner satisfaction surveys.
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- It achieved the highest safety rating ever from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
- Autopilot/Full Self Driving is a tech wonder that makes driving oodles more relaxing and safer — and is fun!
- The instant torque + motor and battery power capacity, especially in a midsize sedan body, make for some of the funnest driving possible.
- It’s a beautiful car.
- Supercharging doesn’t just make road trips possible, it makes road trips more enjoyable and in some cases more convenient than road trips with a gasmobile or non-Tesla EV.
- The way the door pops open with the touch of a button (from the inside) — continues to be a fun, gratifying experience after more than half a year with the car.
- Free or cheap fuel. (Not having home charging, I’ve only charged at public charging stations, which are all free in my area. Some areas have paid public charging, and most people charge at home, which is still normally cheaper than driving a gasmobile but does cost money.)
- Can charge your car at home.
- The glass roof — so nice to look out of at certain times/places.
- Superfast charging, including new V3 super-superfast charging.
- Preheating/pre-cooling of the car via smartphone app.
- Automatic preheating/-pre-cooling.
- The seats — best seats I’ve ever experienced except for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class ones that massage you. (I like massages.)
- Keyless locking/unlocking — I don’t do anything, the phone and car do all the work.
- The steering wheel — it’s just nice.
- Netflix.
- YouTube.
- Hulu (I don’t use it, but looks good).
- Twitch (I guess, but I don’t use it).
- Spotify/music streaming.
- Beach Buggy.
- Stardew Valley.
- Chess (against the car or another person).
- One-pedal driving.
- Santa Mode.
- Mars Mode.
- Rainbow Road (w/ cowbell).
- Fart App.
- Trax.
- Camp Mode (including nice, warming campfire visualization).
- Autopilot visualizations (aside from the usefulness of the tech, it’s just fun and interesting looking at the visualization).
- Did I mention it’s pretty?
- Plenty of cargo space in the main trunk area, under-trunk compartment, and frunk (though, you can get tons more cargo space in the Model Y if you prefer).
- Can charge your car with solar power, and then can tell people you are driving on sunshine.
- Cabin Overheat Protection (makes sure the vehicle cabin doesn’t get above 105°F when you are away, unless the battery goes below 20%).
- Dog Mode.
- Drawing pad. (Great for kids! But also fun for adults.)
- Monty Python Easter egg.
- White + black interior is stunning.
- Sound system is top notch.
- Super smooth driving experience/feeling.
- Quiet at low speeds (not very quiet at high speeds, but I hear that’s gotten better).
- Best navigation system in the world (because of hardware + software).
- 3-level heated seats.
- Automatic windshield wipers (though, they aren’t always good enough to use on their own).
- Vegan, PETA-approved interior materials for seats, steering wheel, etc.
- This is before getting the car, but it’s worth mentioning — no sleazy, scammy auto dealer to go through!
- Summon (you can bring the car to where you’re standing via your phone).
- Sentry Mode (watches out for intruders, vandals, and other passersby, and records them just in case).
- Can open trunk, frunk, doors, and windows via phone app, or even remotely start it.
- #FrunkPuppyFriday
- Can engage in a bit of fun trolling and honk at someone using phone app (I’ve done it too many times).
- Great range on a full charge.
- Valet Mode & Speed Limit Mode.
- Superb handling and ability to feel like a sports car packaged in a midsize sedan’s body.
- Navigation screen and phone app both show # of free Supercharger stalls at a Supercharger station.
- Can schedule service easily through phone app.
- Can request roadside assistant, and select from list of common problems, via phone app.
- Can find location of car via phone app.
- Carpool lane access, free parking, or other perks in certain places.
- Voice commands — work so well (including voice to text).
- Driver profiles.
- Air conditioning vents — unique, designed by Tesla, and work better than typical car air conditioning vents.
- Tremendous efficiency.
- Almost no maintenance.
- Great resale value — best on the US market.
- Minimalist interior.
- Over-the-air software updates that routinely improve your car (in the time I’ve had my car, we’ve gotten updates that increase range, increase power, and add several of the items above, like Netflix, YouTube, some games, some Autopilot visualizations).
- Can read CleanTechnica on vehicle browser/touchscreen.
- Zero emissions!
Any other reasons?
So, who has the real issues with Tesla cars?
Apparently NOT the people who own them. According to the Consumer Reports survey Tesla has the highest owner satisfaction rating of any other brand by a wide margin.https://t.co/63q9uZEwfs$TSLA#teslaissues$TSLAQ pic.twitter.com/8EHteCdByI
— Vladimir Grinshpun (@VGrinshpun) March 10, 2020
Want to buy a Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Model S, or Model X? Feel free to use my referral code to get some free Supercharging miles with your purchase: https://ts.la/zachary63404. Or not.
You can also get a $100 discount on Tesla solar with that code.
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