Tesla Model Y review: all the EV you could ever need!

Tesla Model Y verdict

Elon Musk may have made a bit of a blunder with Twitter (sorry, ‘X’), but he knocked it out of the park with the Tesla Model Y. It may look a little like a lunchbox on wheels, but it’s nevertheless packed to the brim with goodies and boasts one of the most impressive infotainment systems we’ve ever seen. It’s more than just glossy displays and whoopee cushion seats, too; the Tesla Model Y offers blistering performance, a strong range and full access to Tesla’s unrivalled Supercharger network, making long journeys a breeze. More practical than the arguably better-value Model 3, Tesla’s baby SUV is all you could need in an electric car and it’s no wonder why it’s such a big seller.

Range details, specs and alternatives

Everyone and their grandma knows of Tesla, and the Model Y is perhaps the EV brand’s most famous model yet, earning the prestigious title of the world’s (as well as the UK’s) best-selling electric car.

So, what’s all the fuss about? Well, for starters, the Model Y is what is dubbed by the industry as a ‘family SUV’, so therefore acts as a rival to popular electrified models like the Volkswagen ID.4, Skoda Enyaq, Nissan Ariya and the forthcoming Ford Explorer and Kia EV5. There are also more premium competitors like the BMW iX1 and Audi Q4 e-tron, as well as smaller and more budget-oriented options such as the Kia Niro EV, Hyundai Kona Electric and MG ZS EV.

That’s a lot of competition. However, the Tesla Model Y has the powertrain line-up to keep it at the top of the class; even the eponymous rear-wheel-drive base model gets a pretty solid range of up to 283 miles – which is enough for most buyers – and can do 0-62mph in a pretty swift 6.6 seconds. 

Step up to the Long Range model and, thanks to the addition of another electric motor on the front axle which provides four-wheel-drive, this time is slashed to 4.8 seconds. The real reason to opt for the Long Range version is… well, range; according to Tesla, the Model Y Long Range is capable of up to 331 miles on a charge.

Finally, there's the top-of-the-range Tesla Model Y Performance which sacrifices a bit of range – Tesla says it’ll do 319 miles before needing to be plugged in – for outright speed; 0-62mph takes just 3.5 seconds, which is enough to embarrass many serious sports cars, including the Porsche Taycan.

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Like all Tesla models, the Model Y gets full access to the brand’s Supercharger network of rapid chargers which, as of the time of writing, comprises more than 1,000 chargers over a more than 100 locations across the UK. This means that if you’re ever on a long journey and need to charge, you’re never too far away from a quick top-up.

To simplify the production process, all Tesla Model Ys come with largely the same level of standard equipment. That being said, we’re not complaining too much, as the list of kit includes a huge 15-inch touchscreen with built-in sat-nav, heated vegan leather seats front and rear, climate control, a panoramic glass roof, wireless mobile phone charging and a raft of safety and driver assistance features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and a reversing camera.

It’s worth noting that Tesla keeps some of its most desirable infotainment features behind a paywall; you get access to things like music and video streaming, live traffic information and internet browsing free for the first month, but from then on you must fork out roughly £10 per month. While this might seem a bit cheeky, if you’ve got the Model Y on a monthly lease, this isn’t a huge additional cost in the scheme of things.

Click here to see why you can trust DrivingElectric reviews, or for a more in-depth look at the Tesla Model Y, keep reading for the rest of our in-depth review...