NEW Tesla Model Y Review: The Best (And WORST) Tesla? 4K

The Tesla Model Y has finally landed here in the UK, and it's the model that will become Tesla's biggest seller by far. It promises all the features of the Model 3, but offers more space, more versatility, and the ability to conquer more of what life might throw at it.

The new Tesla Model Y faces dozens of electric SUV rivals: the Ford Mustang Mach E, VW ID.4, Skoda Enyaq, Audi Q4 E-tron, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. So how does it stack up against the competition?

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[Robin-esos]

My thoughts about Tesla changed after my first test drive of model 3. I then bought my first model y September of 2020. Best purchase of my life. I recommend anyone who has doubts about Tesla to at least do a test drive. Reading and watching others opinion is very different from what tesla feels like in real life.

[pabloparada]

The suspension feels materially softer when using 19 inch wheels, which is the better choice for the Y. The turbine wheels in your Y are a sport wheel, which I agree don't belong on an SUV, and make the ride too harsh. But you should know that, on every Tesla, you can change the responsiveness of the steering. It's a simple setting you can change, and can even be done while driving. Lastly, you can also change the amount of regen you get from accelerator pedal. This is also a setting. I think the Tesla one pedal driving is marvelous.

[robrackstraw]

"Arguably" the best charging network? There's no contest.

[landl]

Love the fact that you're rewarding people who watch the full video with honest changes of opinion, like the wheel size for comfort. So much better than edited perfection.

[flipadavis]

I wholeheartedly disagree with the paddles on the steering wheel for regen. I think it's actually a huge positive to use your foot and only your one foot to control speed right exactly where you want it. In most coasting situations where you want to maintain speed your foot really doesn't move. It just sort of holds in place at the speed you want to coast. I don't bother to check but you can confirm you are coasting by looking at the power meter to see that you are basically not adding power but not regaining power either. Once you get used to it you actually stop thinking about it and it becomes this one simple connection to your brain and coasting becomes second nature. One foot input directly to brain for most of the driving.

Once you introduce paddles it may seem like you have more "control" but all you are doing is adding more complexity input to your brain. Now you have your one input, the foot, for forward and two inputs, your foot on brake AND you fingers for regen, for slowing down. At best you have two inputs, foot for forward and fingers for slowing. He mentions that it gets tiring having to twitch your foot constantly to go the speed you want. I could say the same with traditional transmissions where in any traffic at all you are constantly timing your coasting and accelerating so you don't have to brake to maintain distance between you and the car in front. In doing so you are constantly thinking and letting off and pushing the accelerator and inevitably moving your foot over and back from the brake to the accelerator. One pedal is dead simple in comparison.

But inevitably whether with really strong regen on the pedal or with paddles you will eventually be using the brake pedal in where you just need to brake harder. Then with the paddles you are mixing regen with paddles and foot on brake and foot on accelerator. I have both a Tesla and a Volt and after years of using both I find that in the Volt I set the regen to the hardest setting but end up just using the brake pedal when regen isn't enough and completely skip using the paddles. Never use the paddles anymore.

[dougbooth]

I wouldn’t consider stepping away from Tesla until the other charging networks offer a viable alternative, it’s too easy to underplay how important that is, the Tesla charging network is light years ahead of the rest, as many are saying here - it’s not even a contest.

[mikadavies]

I've watched 4 reviews on the Model Y.... Without doubt Rory covers things that other "gloss over". Outstanding.... 👍👍👍

[stangmatt]

Rory is talking about the steering ratio being too quick for a family crossover and steering ratio cannot be changed on the Model Y. Level of effort, or steering feel, can be changed on the Model Y from comfort to sport to normal. But in any steering mode, the ratio does not change.

[antoineparmentier]

on my 3, I have 2 saved driver settings: one with the sports steering and max regen for city and back roads, and the other with standard steeting and regen for the highway. Works wonders, and it's easier and faster to change driver profile than to go into the settings to adjust steering and regen.

[mjmulenga]

"Let's take a Tesla into the mud."
Rory: "I'll take the white one".

[Soh]

I have the identical Model Y (white on white) with the 3rd row and Gemini wheels. The smaller wheels improve ride quality immensely. The Y shrugs off bumps that send my other cars (a 2019 AWD Mazda 3 sedan) scampering. I also had zero build quality issues at delivery. Neither did the other 2 people that took delivery with me on their Model 3’s. Tesla’s quality has improved drastically. I wish people would comment on the now excellent build quality as much as they crucified them for their bad build quality during their early days.

[Non.Techie]

Perhaps it's a by product of having these review units for a short time but both the steering and regen effects can be toned up / down!

I change between them, depending on whether I'm driving solo or otherwise and you get used to all settings anyways.

It's really not a deal-breaker in the slightest

[brianmuirie]

Great review. So nice to see you revisit previous comments from a different perspective such as the size of the wheels. Very useful review - I’m off to order one,

[anttiranki]

Just came back from a test drive with a model Y... Me and my friend nearly threw up. Both got extremely motion sick from it. Why oh why can't you just let me coast when I lift off the accelerator Tesla? Let ME decide how I want to drive or how much regenerative breaking I want. I don't want to smash my head into the steering wheel every time I take my foot off the accelerator. Just because of that this is a no go car for me.

And yes, I know you all Tesla fanboys rant about "one foot driving" and all that...but hey, I like to rest my leg completely sometimes instead of micro managing how much pedal pressure I need to keep to just coast.

[michaellafave]

I love the one pedal driving. Test drove a Taycan for a few days and it was one of the biggest things I missed. I agree the ride is stiffer than it needs to be but overall it's a very smooth car and the upside is rather surprising cornering grip and level attitude. There's an Ohlins package for the suspension. IYKYK.

[clivepierce]

Far from perfect, but in its class there are few if any rivals to the model Y in terms of the combination of energy efficiency, performance and reliability. Despite a lot of hype, its rivals seem to fall short in one or more of these areas. Bjorn Nyland’s exhaustive comparative performance tests back this up.

[JV-pylg]

Test drove a MYP in 2020 and compared it to 2021. There was a big difference in ride comfort. They changed something to where it’s a lot smoother over bumps and less nervous. Feels more planted and less road noise

[rchatte]

£55k for the base model! Foxing crazy! Another EV for the 0.1%

[UshasRides]

I’ve said it before… Tesla should put air suspension in the Y. Tesla is to Apple as its rivals are to Android which have very primitive and often unituitive UIs, whereas Tesla has really thought about the user journey and UX to the point of being very much in their own class. It’s wonderful that there are more EV SUV s to choose from, but whenever I take them for a test drive, I’m reminded of how everyone is playing catch-up with Tesla… many have start-stop buttons, the regen is still on silly steering-wheel paddles, there are dust-magnet knobs on the console for air-con and sound systems, AR notifications on the front windscreen which cannot be disabled (it’s been noted to cause severe headaches in some), poor boot space, no frunk, no over-air updates (improving the car as it ages), no sentry equivalent, and, as on the Ionic 5, door handles which are designed to break nails and trap tiny hands. The Mustang Mach-e - the one I test drove anyway - had an accelerator pedal so jittery, and breaks so keen, that the safest option ws to switch to 1-pedal mode. The bottom line is there is more choice for everyone now. The problem is however, once you have owned a Tesla (of any type), it’s difficult to switch to something else - it’s like switching from Apple/Mac to Andorid/PC - there will be pain, frustration, anger and a sense of loss.

[LightningUFC]

I had a customer take me on a ride in his model 3 and I fell in love, once you drive a Tesla you won’t want anything else, it’s all you want. Test driving it is stress free and you don’t have to talk to anyone unless you want to