New York (CNN Business) Consumer Reports has restored its coveted "recommended" rating to the Tesla Model S and Model 3, because Tesla has made its cars more reliable.

"The Tesla Model 3 struggled last year as the company made frequent design changes and ramped up production to meet demand," said Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at CR. "But as the production stabilized, we have seen improvements to the reliability of the Model 3 and S that now allow us to recommend both models."

Although Consumer Reports says the Models S and 3 need fewer repairs, it did have some bad news for Tesla, too: The Model X SUV continues to rank among the magazine's least reliable.

Consumer Reports removed its recommended ranking from the Model S, Tesla's most established vehicle, a year ago. Its reviewers had been huge fans, calling it the best car it had ever tested in 2013, soon after its debut. By 2015, it was even giving it a better than prefect score : 103 out of 100.

But problems with its reliability continued to lower its subsequent ratings until the Model S lost its recommended status last year. And after initially giving the Model 3 a "recommended" rating in 2018, further reliability survey data from more owners of the new car prompted Consumer Reports to remove it from its recommended list in February of this year.

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