Tesla Motors Model S receives highest score for high quality

Tesla Motors Model S earned the highest score for the annual Total Quality Index study. Tesla Motors earlier won the recognition for the Model S being the 'most-loved car' in the US.

Owners of the Tesla Model S tend to be very satisfied with their cars.

You might already know that; but so far, that's largely been anecdotal, based on reports in various ownership profiles, comments, and forums. Now all this owner 'love'—and the lack of problems—is starting to be confirmed by established surveys and metrics. One example: The latest annual study from the market-research firm Strategic Vision, which places the Tesla Model S in first place, industry-wide.

The Model S earns the top score in the annual (2014) Total Quality Index (TQI) study, which was released earlier last week and “encompasses positive and negative product experiences including reliability, actual problems, driving excitement and other measures that collectively are energized by the emotional response associated with the aggregate of all those experiences.”

This year's study incorporates responses from 38,361 owners.

“Tesla built a vehicle that generated love in attributes that were most important to segment buyers,” said Christopher Chaney, Strategic Vision's senior vice president. “Tesla isn’t an electric vehicle that just has good features, but instead it’s a luxurious sports sedan that has ‘True Innovation,’ rocket like speed and drive feeling, that happens to be an electric vehicle.”

“I would call on all manufacturers looking towards electrification to implement a mantra of building super cool transportation that impresses the heck out of customers, and ‘happens to be electric,’” added Chaney.

This isn't the first time that Strategic Vision has ranked Tesla on top. Earlier this year it ranked the Model S the single “most-loved car” in the US. The Nissan Leaf, another all-electric car, ranked high on that poll as well.

Based on Strategic Vision's New Vehicle Experience Study, owners last year declared 'love' for their Overall Vehicle Experience at a rate that was 20 percent higher (and higher among men) than that of those who own other plug-in electric cars.

The Chevrolet Volt, Ford C-Max Energi, and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid were top ranked within their 2014 TQI segments, with 'alternative powertrain vehicles' split into three distinct segments, of 30 studied market segments in all.