Consumer Reports Gives Tesla EV Top Score

Consumer Reports has awarded Tesla Motors Inc.'s Model S electric sedan its highest possible test score: 99 out of 100. The magazine says the car "performs better than anything we've tested before."

CR declares the $69,900 Model S "leaps beyond all normal expectations of electric cars" with an Audi-like interior, Porsche-like handling, an ultra-quiet cabin and mileage equivalent to 84 mpg.

The version of the Model S the magazine tested is equipped with an 85-kWh battery that gives the car a range of about 200 miles per charge. CR recorded a zero-to-60 mph acceleration time of 5.6 seconds.

Still, the car isn't perfect. Recharging the big battery takes 12 hours with a 240-volt charger, according to the magazine. An optional $2,700 fast-charge system reduces that time to five hours. Tesla is erecting special no-fee Supercharger stations that can replenish half the battery's power in 30 minutes.

CR praises the Model S's huge 17-inch touchscreen as bright, colorful and easy to use. But it describes rear-seat room as "crowded" and notes that outward visibility is limited by the car's coupelike roofline and relatively small windows.

The magazine cautions that, in spite of the car's "stratospheric" road-test score, CR lacks sufficient reliability data to recommend the Model S.