Ford’sMustang Mach-E is the bold attempt by the automaker to sell more electric cars. It replaced the TeslaConsumer Reports has named Model 3 the “Top Pick” of electric vehicles in 2022.  

This designation confirms that Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company, believes Ford can compete with Tesla and even beat Elon Musk in EVs.

Consumer Reports’ senior director for automotive testing Jake Fisher said he was impressed by the Mach-E from the moment the group bought it. Fisher stated that “it is an extremely fun vehicle to drive. It is sporty but also very mature.” Fisher spoke with CNBC. The car rides well, and it’s very quiet. It feels very well constructed.

Consumer Reports claims that the Mach-E’s reliability data shows it to be very reliable so far.  Consumer Reports combined this data with reviews from owners and tests conducted to determine that the Mach-E was its “Top Pick” electric car for 2022, which replaces the Tesla Model 3.

Consumer Reports recommends the Model 3. However, Fisher claims that the Model 3 is not as good as the Mach-E. This includes hands-free driving and alerting motorists who aren’t paying attention. BlueCruise, Ford’s system to detect and notify drivers who aren’t paying attention uses a camera. Consumer Reports claims that while the Model 3 does have a camera monitoring driver activity, it could be even more efficient.

“In our tests we can cover up the camera, we could not look at the road and it really doesn’t give any alerts to the driver to make sure they are looking where they are going,” says Fisher.

Tesla dropped seven places to the 23rd spot in Consumer Reports’ ranking of 32 auto manufacturers. The “Top Picks Issue” is Tesla’s lowest-ranked issue in seven years.

Consumer Reports has concerns not only about Tesla’s Autopilot technology, but also the company’s steering yoke. This is a different design from the Model S or Model X steering wheels. Fisher claims that the yoke can be frustrating. He said that it is more than making the wheel turn harder. They also removed the turn signal stalk.

Fisher stated that 2022’s “Top Picks”, which are dominated again by Japanese carmakers, have a better quality. Subaru was No. Mazda, BMW and Honda were followed by Lexus, Lexus, Lexus, Mazda and BMW. GMC and Mitsubishi were at the bottom of this list, just below Jeep, which was the worst-rated brand.

 CNBC’s Meghan ReederContributed to the report.