Tesla Model S regains top spot in Consumer Reports rating after software update

Tesla Inc’s Model S sedan regained Consumer Reports’ top rating in its vehicle class, the magazine said on Tuesday, after the automaker updated the emergency braking system on the vehicle.

[caption id=“attachment_3856525” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Tesla Model S. Reuters[/caption]

Tesla provided an over-the-air update in July to its software on the Model S to include automatic emergency braking (AEB) at highway speeds, Consumer Reports said.

In April, the magazine, which provides an annual rating of vehicles sold in the United States, lowered its rating on the Model S, noting that Tesla’s last software update for the emergency braking system was not adequate.

The previous update activated AEB on vehicles on speeds up to 28 miles per hour (mph), far lower than the 90 mph limit for the prior AEB system included on older vehicles.

Consumer Reports said at the time the sedan lost its top ranking in the ultra-luxury car category for failing to install the feature that it had promised to owners as standard equipment.

The magazine awards extra points to the overall score to vehicles that provide automatic braking as a standard feature across all trims.

This report comes after a man killed in a crash last year while using the semi-autonomous driving system on his Tesla Model S sedan kept his hands off the wheel for extended periods of time despite repeated automated warnings not to do so, a US government report said