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

There aren’t many people that haven’t heard of the Tesla Model Y. After all, it’s one of the best-selling electric cars throughout the entire world, let alone the UK. 

The Model Y arrived as the ideal solution for those who liked the idea of a Tesla SUV, but didn’t want the showiness and high-prices of the Model X. You won’t find any falcon wing doors here, but there is plenty of space for the whole family.

You probably don’t need us to tell you that the electric family SUV market has grown massively since the Model Y’s UK debut in 2022. Mr Musk’s family car still boasts some very strong sales figures, but tempting rivals like the Volkswagen ID.4, Skoda Enyaq, Nissan Ariya and Peugeot E-3008 are now lurking in its shadow. There are also a number of premium competitors for it to worry about, including the BMW iX1, Porsche Macan, and Audi Q4 e-tron. 

It’s certainly not the freshest car on the market anymore, but the Tesla Model Y still 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 claimed range of up to 283 miles – which is enough for most buyers – and can do 0-62mph in a steady 6.6 seconds. 

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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.

At the top of the range sits the Model Y Performance. In typical Tesla fashion, this variant offers acceleration that’ll put most sports cars to shame. 0-62mph takes a mere 3.5 seconds, while top speed sits at a healthy 155mph. As is often the case, all of this performance means a slight sacrifice in battery range, but the official figure still stands at 319 miles.

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 located at 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 grand scheme of things.