Tesla Model Y real world review EV road trip - the good, bad and ugly

1500 mile real world road trip in a Tesla Model Y - the most practical EV in Europe? The ultimate electric SUV? The news about continued rises of fuel costs is grim, but hopefully it will act as a catalyst for increasing renewable energy adoption.

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With that in mind, Jonny spent last week driving to, from and around Scotland and the North West, filming content… in an EV. Specifically the £55,000 331-mile range Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD.

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Jonny Smith Creative content maker, car presenter & car pervert for hire since '98

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:38 Preheat early departure
2:54 First Supercharger rapid charge
4:00 Y or ID.4 or Ariya or Enyaq or Mach-e?
4:22 Full tech spec
5:16 Using the Tesla phone app
5:34 Charging specs
6:24 Cabin design
8:13 Buy one purely for Supercharger network?
9:18 SUSPENSION TOO STIFF
9:50 Aftermarket air suspension
10:35 Winter range
11:19 5 seater only
11:29 Thanks to R Symons
11:54 Rear seat space
13:22 Electrically drop down seats
13:32 BOOT SPACE
14:00 Boot space Vs rivals
15:26 Why no HUD?!
15:52 White interior paranoia
16:24 TOO.... STIFF....
17:21 Autopilot meh
17:48 Remote unlocking / sentry
18:17 Exterior design thoughts
18:52 Elon's S3XY line up
19:06 Dimensions
19:53 BLOBFISH face
20:30 No range anxiety. No silly charging apps
21:10 CHARGING COSTS AND STATS over 1500 miles
22:30 Why no door cameras?
23:00 Frunk / froot space
23:52 Rival frunk / froot space
24:32 All Tesla models at Supercharger stop
24:53 Sentry mode captures crash!
25:48 In car entertainment options
27:43 Would you one?
28:15 Fart mode silliness
29:25 Verdict. What does Jonny think?

#teslamodelyreview #teslayrange #teslaroadtrip #thelatebrakeshow #modely #4k

[ernied]

“Y front all covered in jazz” That’s gold Jonny. I don’t even like modern cars but I never miss one of your reviews just to listen to the way you describe them.
You are without a doubt the best car reviewer on YouTube. Thanks again for all the great content. Cheers.

[timsnipe]

Really no need to worry about the white fake leather seats. I ran the X for 4 years. The kids did their best to permanently soil them all during that time and when I sold it they were still factory fresh. Agree on the looks though. Beyond challenging.

[quaaludes]

I would have the Y without question. I'm not a Tesla guy but as an EV, you really can't beat their infrastructure and tech.

[CDDT]

I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to find a REAL review of this vehicle. I’ve lost track of how many garbage videos I’ve sifted through while the owner talks about “the amazing interior” followed by 10 minutes of road noise 🙄 and nothing else. Absolute trash.

This solidified my decision to get the Y. Much appreciated!

[knitware]

Thank you for this review! I have had my Y since early March, the sum of its parts makes for a wonderful family car in so many ways. It's my first EV and driving the Y is effortless, the torque and handling is superb, 'one' peddle driving, sound system, the view out.

For suspension, I have 19" wheels with pressures set to 40psi, that seems to be the comfort setting. Don't worry too much about the speedo to the left of sight, (or right if in EU etc) it isn't an issue. Set the seat/steering to your profile, partner to theirs, set once, tweak and forget.

I have some issues with Spotify not linking, mobile chap will pop out to fix. Don't worry about being labeled a Tesla fan boy, I'm not, it was just, for me, the best car to suit our needs and an easy purchase with respect to lead times.

The car is great, in fact it's a joy, it makes you feel good, it makes you look forward to the drive, I am also a 'cool' dad in my children's school!

[iBackBeat]

Model Y because of the Superchargers, the Software, the batterytec, the efficiency, the space 🤩👍.

[johnjeanporteroneonedietc]

I have had a model 3 for almost three years and have just ordered the Y. I cannot find words to describe just how fantastic Teslas are, and have to say that I think they look absolutely amazing. One is normally excited about a new car for the first week or three, then the excitement wears off. Three years down the line I am just excited about my Tesla as I was on day one.

[llbpll]

I’d probably go with a Y. There’s a lot to like about the others, but I think the Y is ultimately the best total package.

[michaellafave]

FWIW we replaced a Range Rover with a Model Y for DD and weekend cottage runs. It's a brilliant tool for carrying people in comfort with tons of gear and cheap to run. Perfect? No. Brilliant? Yes. Great review Johnny. Incidentally...I've had 9 911s and I rather like the styling of the Model Y ;-)

[brooksietyper]

I have a MY on order, coming in May. I went for the Y because when you spec up the EV6, ioniq, id4 etc to a similar level to the MY they’re not that much cheaper. Plus you can get a MY with an 8 week delivery time. All the others are close to a year! Then when you take into account the charging network and the larger boot it becomes a no brainier.
Tesla are constantly updating the software so the car and infotainment will get better and be kept up to date. I have a 10 year old bmw and it feels so dated now as the idrive system hasn’t been updated.
I also have to agree the styling is pretty awful. It was styled in a wind tunnel to give maximum range.

[AndySnap]

What an absolutely excellent 'programme', not just a car review, but enjoyable, thoughtful viewing. And the production level was right up there with TV channels. As an overview of Tesla ownership, it seemed spot on (I don't own one nor any EV), pinpointing the essence of the appeal, their unique app to charging ecosystem, even down to in-car entertainment designed to wile away charging times. Other EV cars look better, better built, much cheaper, but only Tesla is the complete package. This is peak (so far...) LBS car video, cue applause...

[bjcliving]

DUDE MY HEART STOPPED when you started using the car wash brush. Here in Australia you'd never use one haha full of dirt and scratches the car.

[jonathanmelhuish]

I definitely want a Model Y, personally I don't think it looks ugly at all! I'd definitely go for air suspension if they offered it though.

[markcornwall]

Went for the Ioniq 5 basically because of look and comfy ride and dealer 11 miles away, who are actually really knowledge unlike others. Seriously considered Tesla but it's 185 miles each way to the nearest service centre. If they had one within 50 miles it would have been more tempting. I am open to a Tesla one day but loving the Ioniq 5, which isn't perfect but is very good.

[ezpoppy]

That was funny when you were searching for the hazard lights. That is one of the very few physical buttons! Remember: 1) the owners manual is available on the screen; 2) you can use voice command to perform many operations.

I’ve just completed a round trip of 1, 300 miles in my 2021 Model 3 SR+. I had 5 charging stops each way, averaging ~20 minutes per charge. By simply timing the stops (they were every 90-120 minutes) with bio breaks (food, restroom, stretches…), it worked very well with no inconvenience.

I have gone on 1, 100 mile, 10-day vacation trips with my family (2 adults, 2 teenage boys), all our gear, including full spare tire and camera gear, in my Model 3. The cabin was kept just for people - all our stuff was either in the trunk or the frunk. Plenty of space, including headroom.

Great video.

[human_brian]

First and foremost, this was a great review, thanks Jonny. Even though the Model Y is seriously ugly, I'd still have it over all the other EVs you listed because it is the best all-round EV that does everything well enough without any major flaws. I really like the looks of the EV6 and the Ioniq 5 a lot more but they each have flaws that put them below the Tesla.

[SimonH]

Tesla is like Apple. Its very good at creating an ecosystem.
If I could afford a 50k'ish EV I'd get a Tesla for the user experience, build quality might not be as good or the driving experience of traditional car makers.
Elon has put money into the bits that matter when using an EV - range anxiety and convenience.

GREAT VIDEO 😁😁😁😁😁

[johnmckay]

Agree with pretty much everything in the video. I've had a Model 3 for two years and have ordered another one (replacement, not additional!). The Y was £50/month more on the company car lease scheme and while I would've liked the convenience of the hatchback, it's not an issue often enough to justify £600 per year. The boot's pretty big: luggage for four adults going on holiday is fine and I chucked a bale of hay in this morning. It's just a slightly awkward opening. Most reviews say that the suspension in the Y is noticeably harder and more jiggly - presumably to cope with extra height, so I think the 3 will be better most of the time anyway.
Things I don't like: the indicator stalk is rubbish - very unpredictable about when it cancels. The satnav is miles worse than Waze or Google maps. No option for "3D view" so where there are multiple exits or lanes splitting it's much more difficult to work out which one to take. It's also less accurate because it doesn't update often enough. There was a 15 mile 2x4 lane dual carriageway built near me and it took 2 years to be included in navigation instructions (made worse because it showed on the screen so the instructions didn't match the map). I went adrift in Leeds yesterday and I'm sure it's due to a road layout change that's not yet in the nav system (very clear instructions to be in the RH lane of two, but didn't go where the satnav expected). Obviously this would be an issue with almost any other car manufacturer as well, but Tesla gets software updates so it feels like a let down. Final one is the auto wipers. They don't turn on when they should and go into monsoon mode when you use the screen wash. It uses the cameras instead of a separate system like every other manufacturer. It's therefore even worse in the dark when there aren't many objects for it to judge against.
So after that, why did I order another? Mostly the charging network. Two years ago it was a really easy decision. Now there's a choice of decent cars which is great, but I think Tesla still just about make the best EV - no one is matching their efficiency and the engineering seems less compromised. And again, the charging. I hope I choose something different in 3 years, but Tesla isn't standing still (the current Model 3 is measurably better than mine in ways that you'll notice) and there's a long way for everyone else to go on charging networks.

[Michael]

After owning a Corsa E for the last few months I can totally get the appeal of the Tesla charging network and how seamlessly the app works. Something other manufacturers are way off the mark with. Am home charging when at all possible, limited by the lack of fast chargers in the midlands and increasingly finding fast chargers are almost certainly in use when you arrive at them.

[mpersad]

Outstanding video - informative, objective and excellent production values. In my opinion this is better than anything, on a similar subject, that I've watched on UK TV. The beauty of YT is that channels have the time to deliver this detailed content. Well done to all involved. I learnt a hell of a lot!