Every year, the TÜV Association publishes a report together with “Auto Bild” in which the results of the main inspections of TÜV companies throughout Germany flow in. The Tesla Model 3 also appears in it for the first time because there are now enough vehicles and therefore reliable figures.
And the electric car pioneer promptly ends up in last place: pushed out with an average defect rate of 14.7 percent Tesla there the “perennial loser” Dacia Logan, which has a defect rate of 11.4 percent. The TÜV experts’ complaints about the lighting, brakes and axles were greatest for the Tesla Model 3.
The report analyzes that Tesla has apparently dispensed with service intervals since 2019 and therefore does not have a dense network of workshops like other manufacturers. Instead, the Americans rely on over-the-air updates. »Electric cars require less maintenance? Only partially true! And particularly affects the drive train because no fluids or moving parts need to be replaced,” says Jürgen Wolz from TÜV Süd. They didn’t expect the Tesla to perform so poorly.
75 percent of the cars examined pass the general TÜV inspection immediately
On the other hand, the manufacturers who offer a dense network of service stations and who inform the driver of the next maintenance date via the cockpit of the car would be in a better position. During regular service appointments, not only is the oil changed, but the chassis and electrics, engine and transmission are also checked. The result is low defect rates in the TÜV general inspection.
The overall winner is the VW Golf Sportsvan: three-year-old cars of this model have a defect rate of 2.0 percent, five-year-old cars have a defect rate of 4.2 percent. The Mazda CX-3 performs well with cars that are six to seven years old; 6.5 percent of the cars have defects. After nine years, the Mercedes B-Class is still doing well with a defect rate of 10.5 percent.
The results of more than ten million general inspections between July 2022 and June 2023 were included in the report. Almost 75 percent of the cars received the sticker immediately, says Wolz. Overall, the average defect rate remains fairly constant at 20.5 percent. Conclusion: “The vehicles in Germany are safe.”