The Tesla Model S is once again the top ranked ultra luxury vehicle according to Consumer Reports, which restored the electric vehicle’s ranking after a software update brought back automatic emergency braking at highway speeds.
The move comes more than three months after Consumer Reports docked the Model S two points in its 100-point rating system that factors in performance, reliability, owner satisfaction and safety, pushing the sedan from its top spot. CR lowered its score in April because newer versions of the electric vehicle didn’t have an emergency braking system that Tesla said would come standard in its cars.
Older version of the S and Model X SUV came with standard AEB systems that work up to 90 mph. But when the company began producing new “hardware 2” iterations of the Model S and X—vehicles with a new suite of sensors, radar, and cameras—some features including AEB weren’t yet functioning.
The AEB was supposed to be rolled out in the new vehicles via an over-the-air software update by the end of 2016. Instead, the AEB software update began at the end of April.
The consumer organization restored some of those points after Tesla updated its software to add automatic emergency braking. But CR only gave Tesla one of two points it had stripped away because the updated braking system didn’t function at highway speeds.
Correction 4:30 p.m. ET: Tesla is the top ranked vehicle in its class. The CR score factors in performance, reliability, owner satisfaction and safety. A previous version stated it was the safest. CR doesn’t identify the safest or least safe vehicle.
