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.”

“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.