UPDATE: CR Lowers Rating on Tesla EVs

Consumer Reports magazine has temporarily lowered its rating for Tesla Inc.’s Model S and Model X electric cars because of the carmaker’s delay in restoring automatic emergency braking as a standard feature.

The downgrade comes as Tesla says it has begun wirelessly distributing the awaited software update. CR says it may take a week or two for the new software to take effect in all models.

Earlier versions of both Tesla cars included AEB, which senses an impending frontal collision and automatically applies the brakes if the driver fails to do so. CR believes the feature should be standard equipment for all vehicles sold in the U.S.

Tesla disabled AEB on its cars last October while it revised control software for its Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system. CR grouses that the company promised to restore automatic braking by the end of last year.

The magazine’s two-point ratings adjustment for both models lowers the score for the Model S sedan to 85—enough to drop the car from the top of the magazine’s ultra-luxury car category to third place behind the Lexus LS and BMW 7 Series sedans.

The Model X crossover vehicle’s new rating of 56 puts the model near the bottom of CR’s luxury midsize SUV category. The magazine says it will revisit the rankings after Tesla completes the update.