The 2012 Chevy Volt. Image: GM Corp.
Consumer Reports has just released its latest owner satisfaction ratings, and the Chevy Volt extended range EV tops the list in customer satisfaction. The Volt scored 93 percent on CR’s owner surveys, edging out the Porsche 911 and the V-8 Dodge Challenger, which each scored 91 percent. The findings from Consumer Reports give the Volt some precious good news, just as the NHTSA begins an investigation into post-crash-test fires caused by the battery pack.
GM has been working hard to ensure Volt owner satisfaction, offering to provide free loaner cars to Volt customers or even buy back cars from those truly concerned, but the (remote) risk of fire has been turned into a feeding frenzy by the media. To date, the only fires where the Volt was the documented cause occurred in NHTSA testing, where the car was struck from the side, then rotated 90 degrees on a rotisserie. The actual fire occurred weeks after the crash test, and the car that burned had lost battery coolant following the crash test.
In the “we’ve known this for years” department, CR says that the segment with the highest owner satisfaction is sports cars, with the Porsche 911 and V-8 Dodge Challenger topping the list. Other cars in the segment that scored well include Audi’s S4, A5 and S5, the Chevy Camaro and Corvette, the Mazda MX-5, the Ford Mustang GT and the MINI Cooper Convertible. It sounds like you just got the justification you needed to trade that Camry in on a new Camaro.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
