Business
Tesla gains in 2026 Consumer Reports’ auto brand rankings
Refreshed versions of the Tesla Model Y are shown outside a Tesla store in San Diego, California, U.S. October 21, 2025.
Mike Blake | Reuters
DETROIT — U.S. electric vehicle sales leader Tesla made notable strides in Consumer Reports’ influential annual auto brand rankings, cracking the top 10 overall for the U.S.
The EV manufacturer jumped from No. 18 on last year’s list of more than 30 automotive brands to 10th on the 2026 Consumer Reports Brand Report Card, which was released Thursday.
“They definitely have their struggles, but by continuing to refine and not make huge changes in their models, they’re able to make more reliable vehicles, and they’ve moved up our rankings,” Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing for Consumer Reports, told CNBC.
The annual auto brand report card is based on Consumer Reports’ testing as well as reliability, safety and overall customer satisfaction according to owner surveys.
The surveys do not reflect broader consumer sentiment about the models or automakers ranked by CR outside of customer satisfaction. Tesla has faced a consumer backlash against CEO Elon Musk in response to his work with the Trump administration and endorsements of far-right politicians and personalities around the world, including Germany’s extreme anti-immigrant party AfD.
Fisher said Tesla’s gain occurred as its vehicles have become more reliable over time, especially as the company hasn’t made significant design changes to many of its vehicles like traditional automakers tend to do.
Tesla instead relies on remote, or over-the-air, updates to revise many features on the vehicles. Its powertrain reliability remains a standout among EVs, according to Consumer Reports.
The only Tesla model to have a below-average score is the Cybertruck, its newest model that features a host of new technologies such as a 48-volt architecture system and “steer by wire.”
A Tesla Cybertruck in front of a graffiti mural on Aug. 28, 2024 in Detroit.
Michael Wayland / CNBC
“They’re definitely improving by keeping with things and refining, but if you look at their 5- to 10-year-old models that are out there, when it comes to reliability, they’re dead last of all the brands,” Fisher said. “They’re able to improve the reliability if they don’t make major changes.”
On the other end of report card, Rivian Automotive moved up five spots to No. 26 but remains near the bottom of the rankings. Fisher said Rivian models are the lowest in reliability.
Despite Rivian’s reliability issues, the brand has the highest owner satisfaction, according to Consumer Reports. Fisher during an Automotive Press Association webinar Thursday said its owners are largely early adopters that are willing to deal with some growing pains likely more than more mainstream consumers would.
Brands with good reliability tend to perform well in the overall rankings. Reliability for new 2026 models is predicted based on each model’s overall reliability for the past three years, provided that the model hasn’t been redesigned during that time.
Subaru topped the overall 2026 brand list, followed by BMW, Porsche, Honda and Toyota to round out the top five brands. At the bottom of the rankings were Jeep, Land Rover, GMC, Dodge and Alfa Romeo.
Ford Motor’s Lincoln, the highest-ranked domestic brand, made the biggest jump in this year’s rankings, climbing 17 positions to No. 7 due to its reliability scores. Audi dropped the most from last year, falling back 10 spots to No. 16.
Traditional U.S. automakers, specifically Stellantis brands, struggled compared with their Asian competition in Consumer Reports’ annual brand reliability rankings.
Of note, the Ford brand ranked No. 18 in the report card but saw improvement in reliability. The automaker, which has struggled with quality issues and recalls, had its Ford brand rank No. 11 in reliability — its best position in 15 years.
GM’s top-ranked brand was Cadillac at No. 17, followed by Buick at No. 20, Chevrolet at No. 24 and GMC at 29th.
Consumer Reports said hybrid vehicles, which are growing in popularity, continue to stand out over other “electrified” vehicles, as well as traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines.
Of approximately 30 hybrids analyzed by Consumer Reports, only the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid and Mazda CX-50 Hybrid have below-average predicted reliability scores.
Deliveroo is set to significantly broaden its offerings beyond its core takeaway service, introducing a new feature that will allow customers to book restaurant reservations directly through its platform.
The initiative, named Deliveroo Reservations, is scheduled to launch initially in London this Thursday.
Customers will gain the ability to secure tables at a range of prominent London eateries, including Dishoom, Dove, Hide, Kricket, Barrafina, and Kolae. This expansion marks a strategic move for the company, which was acquired by US-based DoorDash for £2.9 billion last year.
The new reservation system integrates technology from SevenRooms, a restaurant booking platform business that DoorDash also purchased for approximately £900 million.
This integration follows DoorDash’s own expansion into restaurant bookings on its platform in the United States late last year, setting a precedent for Deliveroo’s latest venture.
This move is central to Deliveroo’s ambitions to grow beyond its established takeaway delivery model in the UK. While the feature will first be rolled out to restaurants in London, Deliveroo has indicated plans to extend the service across the wider UK later in the year.
Suzy McClintock, vice president for consumer and new verticals at Deliveroo, commented on the development: “This launch is about supporting restaurants to grow in new ways. Whether it’s a Deliveroo order or a reservation in store, we want to drive discovery, demand and revenue across every channel.”
She added: “By fully integrating SevenRooms into the Deliveroo app, we’re giving restaurants access to new customers and giving diners an easier way to discover and book some of London’s best tables – all in one place.”
Joel Montaniel, vice president and co-founder of SevenRooms, echoed this sentiment, stating: “Bringing reservations into the Deliveroo app gives London restaurants a new way to connect with diners and grow, while making it easy for consumers to discover and book great restaurants.”
Business
Warner Bros. Discovery books $2.9 billion net loss tied to Paramount deal, restructuring costs
An American flag flies at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, California, on Sept. 12, 2025.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday reported a staggering net loss for the first quarter, but it has an explanation.
The company booked a net loss of $2.9 billion, far larger than the net loss of $453 million it reported in the year-earlier quarter.
The figure included $1.3 billion of “pre-tax acquisition-related amortization of intangibles, content fair value step-up and restructuring expenses” as well as the $2.8 billion termination fee that Warner Bros. Discovery owed Netflix after their pending transaction fell through in February.
Netflix walked away from its proposed deal to buy WBD’s assets after Paramount Skydance came in with a higher offer. Paramount agreed to pay the termination fee as part of its agreement to buy the entirety of WBD, but the cost lives on WBD’s books until the close of that deal.
Since the amount is refundable to Paramount under certain circumstances, such as if it were to terminate the deal with Paramount for a higher offer, the obligation would be shifted to WBD.
Paramount’s proposed acquisition received approval from WBD shareholders in April and is currently in the midst of a regulatory review process. On Monday, Paramount said in its earnings release that it has “made significant progress” toward closing the deal, which it expects to be completed in the third quarter.
WBD on Wednesday also reported first-quarter revenue that was down 1% year over year to $8.89 billion. The company’s adjusted earnings before interest taxes, depreciation and amortization was up 5% to $2.2 billion. WBD had $33.4 billion in gross debt at the end of the quarter.
Streaming continued to be a highlight for the company.
Total streaming revenue was up 9% to about $2.89 billion as subscriber revenue increased due to the expansion of HBO Max — WBD’s flagship streaming platform — in international markets. Advertising revenue for the unit was up 20% due to an increase in customers subscribing to the ad-supported tier.
The company said in a shareholder letter it exceeded its guidance of more than 140 million global streaming customers at the end of the first quarter, and it remains on track to surpass 150 million global subscribers by the end of the year.
WBD’s portfolio of pay TV networks, which includes CNN, TBS and the Discovery Channel, continued to weigh on the company. The linear TV networks reported $4.38 billion in revenue, down 8% from the prior year. The company said linear advertising revenue was down 11%, which was primarily driven by the absence of NBA media rights from its portfolio.
Revenue for the film studio division, meanwhile, increased 35% to $3.13 billion year over year.
Virgin Media O2 recorded its highest-ever broadband traffic spike as millions across the UK tuned in to watch Arsenal‘s Uefa Champions League semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid.
Peak downstream traffic on the network surged by 17 per cent compared to an average Tuesday evening, marking an unprecedented event in Virgin Media’s broadband history.
This figure was 4.2 per cent higher than the previous record, established during Liverpool’s Champions League match against Real Madrid last November.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, commented on the phenomenon: “Live sport is one of the biggest drivers of broadband traffic in the UK and last night’s Champions League semi-final set a record on our network.
“As more people stream the biggest sporting moments from home, reliable, high-capacity connectivity has never been more important.”
Bukayo Saka delivered the decisive goal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night as Arsenal secured a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30 – their first on Europe’s grandest stage for 20 years.
And although Arsenal have received an official allocation of just 16,824 tickets from UEFA for the final at the 67,000-capacity Puskas Arena, Declan Rice wants the Hungarian capital to be a sea of red for the fixture against either Bayern Munich or Paris St Germain.
He said: “Bring it on, bring it on, I’ll be ready. I want every Arsenal fan out there, 200,000 of you, come out. Let’s try and do it because we’re going to need all the support, all the energy and let’s make it special.”
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, hailed his “incredible” players for “making history” after securing the win.
Arteta said: “It was an incredible night. We made history again together and I cannot be happier and prouder for everybody that’s involved in this football club.
“The supporters were with us for every ball. They made it special and unique, and I have never felt it like that in this stadium.
“We knew how much it meant to everybody, we put everything on the line, the boys did an incredible job and after 20 years, and the second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final.”
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