► New Long Range RWD brings 372-mile range
► Most efficient electric SUV you can buy, says Tesla
► Replaces ‘Rear-Wheel Drive’ model
How do you make the world’s best-selling electric car even more popular? Give it a longer range is the obvious answer, and that’s exactly what Tesla has now given to its Model Y. It’s worth a reminder this isn’t just the most popular electric car, but was the world’s best-selling car overall in 2023.
So along comes the new Model Y ‘Long Range Rear Wheel Drive’ as the new entry-level version of this Model 3-based SUV. It replaces the ‘Rear Wheel Drive’ model and brings significantly more range and performance for only a small bump in price. It all sounds pretty good on paper, but does it stack up?
At a glance
Pros: Long range and great efficiency, effortless performance, spacious interior
Cons: Numb steering, noisy for an EV, poor ride quality
What’s new?
Visually there is absolutely nothing to separate this new Long Range Model Y from the previous car, which still has the same awkward styling of its predecessor and a minimalist interior dominated by a huge touchscreen.
Replacing the ‘Rear-Wheel Drive’ car, it’s the latest development in Tesla’s constantly chopping-and-changing line-up, and tides the Model Y over until later in 2025 when a facelifted model is expected to launch, featuring many of the updates from the recently revised Model 3.
What are the specs?
Getting solid facts and figures out of Tesla is like getting a straight answer out of a politician, with the American firm remaining unnecessarily secretive about many details – is it really a surprise with Elon Musk at the helm?
Previously the Model Y RWD came equipped with a 60.5kWh unit battery allowing for a 283-mile range, which is now upgraded to a larger battery of an undisclosed size, but our calculations show a 93kWh unit. It brings a significant range boost, with Tesla claiming 372 miles from a charge and 4miles/kWh efficiency – the most of any electric SUV of this type.
Tesla’s quoted range remains one of the most honest and achievable around – in normal driving we matched the quoted efficiency figure, dropping to 3.7mi/kWh on a motorway run and 3.3mi/kWh when being more enthusiastic.
The only performance figure Tesla gives for the new model is the 5.7-second 0-62mph figure, which is a 1.1-second less than the old 341bhp car, so expect a welcome power bump.
Tesla also continues to offer the Long Range AWD and Performance models, offering electric ranges of 331 and 319 miles respectively. As for 0-62mph, it takes 4.8 seconds to achieve in the AWD car and 3.5 in the case of the Performance.
What’s it like to drive?
The Model Y is a car truly best left to its own autonomous devices, with Tesla’s driver assists among the best around. Put its Autopilot on and apart from a gentle touch of the steering wheel, you can let it do its own thing as long as you’re always paying attention. You can ramp up the Autopilot functionality more as an option, too.
Performance even from this ‘entry-level’ model is pleasantly brisk, with an effortless power delivery that’s ideal for pulling out of a junction or for a quick overtake. Even in this entry-level guise it’s quicker than just about all its rivals even in their ‘performance’ trims and very easy to modulate – it will out-accelerate a Skoda Enyaq vRS and match the most expensive Audi Q4 e-tron, for example. It has a genuine one-pedal drive, too, with the ability to bring the car to a complete stop without touching the brake pedal.
I’d heard rumours that Tesla has fixed the Model Y’s early (poor) ride quality, but no such thing seems to have happened. The suspension continues to crash over bumps in the road, often feeling unsettled and quite jiggly. You really feel and hear in the interior, and it must be one of the loudest EVs you can buy – with lots of wind and road noise on a motorway that goes against the usual quiet EV ambience.
The steering is also quite unpleasant. It’s completely numb of feel and it’s also way too sharp in the middling mode. It makes it tricky to balance a smooth line through a corner as you have to constantly adjust the input. Meanwhile, in Sport mode, there’s too much false weight so it feels like steering through Marmite. Regardless of steering weight, it’s quite hard to keep dead straight in a line; you tend to find yourself fidgeting around in a lane.
It’s a shame as the Model Y’s chassis is pretty capable, with a particularly low centre of gravity and an excellent mix of grip and minimal body roll. Even this RWD car feels capable of 99 per cent of what an AWD car can do, with its torque levels limited from a standstill to avoid unnecessarily wheel spinning and sliding – and effectively so.
What’s the interior like?
Tesla build quality has taken a real step forward in recent years and is a far cry from early Model Xs with panel gaps that you could lose small children in. I’d not go as far to say a Model Y feels premium, but its modern and minimalism is pulled off better than most rivals that try and do the same. Standard leather-effect upholstery, soft-touch materials throughout and smart wood trim does a good job of making the Model Y feel quite pleasant inside.
Yes, the big touchscreen controls far too many features for our liking, but once you get used to it – and discover the various shortcuts you can do with it through the nondescript steering wheel buttons – it’s surprisingly easy to use. As someone that always defaults to Apple CarPlay once I’ve done my initial testing, not having it on any Tesla does grate slightly and the voice control is surprisingly clueless for a tech manufacturer.
The screen’s standout feature is the way sensors build a graphical picture of your surroundings. Nearby vehicles, pedestrian warnings, traffic lights and roadside rubbish bins are faithfully recreated. Elon Musk takes inspiration from the film Spaceballs for his Model S Plaid edition, but he’s clearly a fan of Coneheads too if the Y’s obsession with orange traffic cones is anything to go by.
The Model Y is also one of the most spacious car in its class, with Tesla making good use of its bespoke electric architecture. A completely flat rear floor in the rear seats, huge boot with a massive underfloor storage (plus a frunk) and large cubby holes in the front are all particularly practical, and give it an edge over most rivals. A lack of USB chargers anywhere in the interior and an irritating parcel shelf cover that always manages to be in the way are the only aspects that irritate.
Before you buy (trims and rivals)
Arguably still the best thing about Teslas is its quick and instant access to its Supercharger network. As long as a payment card is loaded into the system it charges as soon as you plug it in. The brilliant in-built navigation with Google mapping also plots the best place to stop to charge (if required) on a journey, and as it’s a Tesla charger, reliability is never a problem. You just know it will work, and its chargers are usually much cheaper than those of other rapid EV charging providers.
I had to use a credit card-style key, which is a bit of a faff having to tap it on the B-pillar to unlock it and then on the centre console to start it, but most owners will use their smartphone for this – which is much easier from past experience.
The Model Y is well equipped, with standard kit including a glass roof, ‘premium’ sound system with 14 speakers, powered front seats and four heated perches, plus a raft of safety features including blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and rear cross traffic alert
And all Model Ys get Tesla’s Autopilot system as standard – Level 2 driving assistance with traffic-aware motorway cruising and braking, and automatic steering to keep you in lane. The Model Y has got a five-star Euro NCAP rating and scored 98 per cent on the safety assist systems.
Options are confined to the paint colour, alloy wheels and a white interior for £1,100. Elsewhere you can have ‘enhanced Autopilot’ for £3,400 with lane change assist and the ability to take motorway exits. A £6,800 ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ comes in at £6,800, but is a pointless purchase at the minute until it gets the green light for approval on the road
Prices for the new Long Range RWD car start from £46,990, and though £2,000 more than the outgoing car, it seems a bit of a steal considering the extra range and performance you get compared to before. It’s without doubt our pick of the line-up compared to the £52,990 AWD model and £59,990 Performance.
The Model Y is also great value next to its other premium SUV rivals – an Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback and Mercedes EQA are both more expensive yet slower and have a worse range. A BMW iX1 starts for slightly less money but again can’t compete on any of those two factors.
Verdict
There’s a reason a Tesla Model Y continues to be the world’s most popular electric car, and the introduction of this new Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive model will only continue to reaffirm its dominance. Nothing in this class can match the Y’s sheer ease of use, from its brilliant charging network to the exceptional range and – in particular – efficiency.
The steering and ride quality are far from the best in this class – and something the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback and BMW iX1 both do significantly better. But if you want an electric car that you can own without hassle, it’s pretty hard to beat a Tesla Model Y.