Noticeably better quality in the new Model 3 cars helped Tesla show the biggest improvement among automakers in Consumer Reports' latest brand rankings.

The company, run by Elon Musk, jumped into the top half of auto brands ranked by the auto team at Consumer Reports, which analyzes data on major automakers and tests hundreds of vehicles.

"We saw a marked improvement in reliability in both the Tesla Model 3 and the Model S," said Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing for Consumer Reports. "That was enough to really improve their brand score more than any other brand in our survey."

Overall, Tesla climbed eight spots to rank 11th out of 33 auto brands, according to Consumer Reports. In addition, the Consumer Reports auto team made the Model 3 a "Top Pick" among vehicles with a sticker price between $45,000 and $55,000.