We as humans are extremely emotional decision-makers. I was reading a few articles from Consumer Reports and found some of the ratings at extreme ends and indeed in a dichotomous situation. Tesla was at the bottom of the quality and reliability list and yet they were the most preferred brand from the consumer perspective. Mazda made it to the top on the reliability list, but yet they were middle of the pack (and end of the pack for certain models) in consumer preferences. In fact, most of the reliable brands of cars were much lower down on consumer purchase preferences. Of course, there is distinct US bias to these ratings as the survey and the evaluation organization are both US-based.

Leaving Tesla aside, a brand like Lincoln which was at the absolute bottom of the quality and reliability list was #2 after Tesla on the most preferred brands list. What the heck is going on in here?

I assume, that if we are just rational in our car choices - then perhaps many of these brands and models wouldn’t even exist. In fact, if we were truly rational then perhaps we would not be having “cars” at all and would have developed other forms of transportation.

Good thing that we are emotional after all. That is probably what makes life potentially fun and worth living, isn’t it?

Resources:

Consumer reports: Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars? https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars/

Consumer Reports: The Most and Least Liked Car Brands https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/most-and-least-liked-car-brands/

Consumer Reports: 10 Top Picks of 2021: Best Cars of the Year https://www.consumerreports.org/cars-best-cars-top-picks-2021/