Overview
What is it?
There are lots of new electric crossover SUVs around right now. But there’s only one Tesla Model Y. It came out in the US in March 2020, but took two years to arrive in the UK, making the whole thing feel like a 1990s movie or PlayStation game. We were very late to the party on these shores.
Where does it fit in the Tesla range?
It’s Tesla’s fourth four-door, after the Model S big saloon, the Model X big SUV, and the Model 3 small saloon, which the Model Y is pretty closely based on. Sadly just the 3 and Y are on sale in right-hand drive UK spec these days, but there are some S and X bargains to be had on the used market.
In fact, the Y shares three quarters of its parts with the 3 (well, the pre-facelift 3 – it should get an update of its own later this year). It’s just a bit longer and taller. The Model 3 seats sit on huge plinths for a commanding driving position. In October 2024, a long-promised seven seater version was finally added to the UK line-up. Watch out, Mercedes EQB and Peugeot e-5008.
And while the Model Y doesn’t get the Model X’s ‘falcon doors’, it does inherit a 15-inch touchscreen interface from the 3. And a round steering wheel. Phew.
How big is the battery and how far will that get me?
Tesla does like to chop and change its specs quite often, but for now at least this is really simple: you’ve got the entry-level Long Range model with rear-wheel drive that does 373 miles of WLTP range, the Long Range AWD that does 331 miles, and the Performance AWD model.
If you upgrade to the Model Y Performance then your range drops down to a claimed 319 miles, but in return power leaps from 434bhp to a massive 563bhp. And even then, a Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 AMG will be defeated by the Y’s instantaneous pace.
How much will it cost?
The Long Range RWD Model Y costs from £46,990 in the UK, while the dual motor version costs a tenner short of £52k.
For the Model Y Performance, you pay the same note shy of £60,000. A few grand between this and the Model 3 at either end of the spectrum, then, even after all of Tesla’s recent price cuts.
What are the rivals?
They’re multiplying by the week. Chief fodder for the Model Y to chew up and dispatch is the VW ID.4, and its Audi Q4 e-tron, Q4 Sportback and Skoda Enyaq siblings – all of which fall short of the Tesla’s range. Then there’s the much more enduring Ford Mustang Mach-E, and the more design-led Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
More recently the electric Porsche Macan and Lotus Eletre have joined the party, albeit a much more exclusive soiree with inflated entry price to match. Keep an eye out for BMW’s iX3 replacement, coming later in 2025.
What is the Tesla Model Y like on the inside?
You are either going to be okay with everything being on that central screen, or you’re not!
While there might be aftermarket elements you can add to this car – such as a head-up display, or a small digital speedometer you can put in front of the steering wheel – usability might still leave a little bit to be desired depending on what you like when you’re driving.
For me, I would much prefer to have a head-up display or a dashboard binnacle to tell me a bit more information directly in my line of sight, but I do find that I get used to jumping back into a Tesla pretty quickly and the fact the speed readout is relatively close to your line of sight does mean that it’s not that big of a deal.
The screen really does take some getting used to, because there are seemingly thousands of different options and menus for you to dive and delve into, and while you do get used to it – for anyone who hasn’t lived with Tesla – I suggest getting a really thorough run through from someone who knows!
There is still an easy quick selection bar down the bottom with your climate, volume and shortcut buttons for your car menus, and multiple other media controls as well.
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There are amenities in the back including USB-C ports, directional air events, and all three rear seats have heating like those upfront. But annoyingly, there are no overhead grab handles for any seating position in the car.
One of the biggest party tricks of the Model Y though is the amount of storage on offer. In the backseat there are map pockets and a flip down armrest with cupholders, as well as door pockets.
In the boot there is a huge amount of space. Tesla states there is 854 litres of cargo capacity with the rear seats up, including the frunk (under bonnet storage), or a huge 2158L with the rear seats folded.
What that means in reality is the standard boot layout allows enough room for luggage for a family of four for a weekend away, and if you need even more you can lift up the floor section in the back and reveal a well underneath behind the rear axle that allows you even more storage capacity.
If you need even more, you could put your charge cables or some other items in the front trunk of the Model Y, and that seems like a really handy additional space for secure storage. But, remember, if you buy a Model Y, you have to pay extra for your cables!
Also, no spare tyre – if you get a flat, you have to call roadside assistance because there’s not even a tyre repair kit!
Dimensions | Tesla Model Y RWD |
Length | 4750mm |
Width | 1978mm |
Height | 1624mm |
Wheelbase | 2890mm |
Boot capacity | 854-2158 litres |
To see how the Tesla Model Y lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
ENGINES & PERFORMANCE
Remember all those drag race videos of Teslas pulling away from various supercars? A Tesla may not be a driver’s car in the traditional sense, but they do trade on performance.
That’s probably why the AWD Long Range has a motor on each axle for a combined 389bhp and powered to 60mph in 4.7sec. An extra £10,000 buys you a Performance version with 426bhp and a claimed 0-60mph time of 3.5sec, but you certainly wouldn’t feel short-changed with the regular one. The base RWD Long Range will do the same sprint in 5.9sec, so even that can easily scarper away from everyday ICE traffic.
After all, that performance is temptingly easy to access. There is no need to select a special mode or warm up the battery like with early fast Teslas. Just mat the pedal and this family SUV will hurl itself at the horizon. Other than the sheer level of thrust, it’s all pretty undramatic, too. On a dry road, it just grips and goes. Unlike most electric cars, it carries merrily on to an electronically limited top speed of 135mph.
If it is all a bit much for you, you can select Chill mode to soften off the accelerator response and limit power to help save battery, but it is possible to achieve the same thing simply by going easier on the right pedal. Rather than a Chill mode, we would have liked to see more options to vary the regenerative braking.
You get a choice of Creep, Roll and Hold, and all three modes provide the same high level of regen when you lift off the accelerator at speed. The difference is what happens at low speed. Creep mimics an automatic gearbox, Roll lets the car roll when not holding the brake and Hold ups the regen at low speed and enables true one-pedal driving. It’s very good at it, rivalling chauffeurs in how smooth it is when coming to a stop.
Which is fine if you enjoy driving like that, but some drivers prefer only a little retardation when lifting off, for stronger braking to be controlled using the brake pedal. Tesla doesn’t offer that option. And that typifies the prescriptive way in which the car wants to be driven and operated.
PERFORMANCE
Model tested:
Model Y Long Range
Price:
£54,990
0-62mph – claimed
5.0sec
0-62mph – tested
4.7sec
0-100mph – tested
10.5sec
30-70mph – tested
3.6sec
Standing 1/4 mile (time & speed)
13.1sec at 111.4mph
Top speed (claimed)
135mph
Power to weight
219bhp per tonne
Torque to weight
214lb ft per tonne
Stopping distance from 30/50/70mph
8.5m / 23.2m / 46.5m
What should I be paying?
Prices now begin at a very impressive £46,990. That’s a £6,000 uplift from the Model 3. White paint is free. Black and blue cost £1,300, red and silver cost £2,600. Black ‘vegan leather’ is standard. White is £1,100.
Upgrade to the Long Range All-Wheel Drive and you’ll be paying £51,990, while the Performance variant is pitched at £59,990 (although it’s worth noting that at one point that would set you back £67,990).
Is the Performance worth the additional outlay for 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds? Impressive as that is, we’d say ‘no’: the Long Range AWD is more than fast enough to impress your friends with its silent 4.8-second run to 60, and even then we’d be more tempted by the entry Long Range RWD car and its extra range.
Upgrading from 19-inch rims to 20s costs £2,100. The larger wheels look fantastic but Tesla reckons you’ll get 20 miles more range if you go an inch smaller. You’ll also get a slightly better ride.
Want the seven-seater? You can only pair it with the Long Range AWD, and you’ll be paying £4k for the privilege. And that’s just a few months after Tesla launched the option at £2.5k. Ouch.
Tell me about ‘Autopilot’.
You just did an air quote gesture with your hands, didn’t you? ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ – which allows (rather haphazard) automatic lane-changes and a summon feature to call the car across a car park to you – is £3,400. The full-house, “full-self driving capability” is £6,800. Worth noting that the Y is in no way an autonomous car, though – Tesla does explicitly say so on its website and it wouldn’t be legal on UK roads anyway.
Charging the battery takes less than half an hour at one of Europe’s 6,500 Superchargers (at up to 250kW DC) but a 7kW home wallbox is going to need just over 11 hours. Mind you that’s less than a Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range – the Model Y’s battery still does more, with less.