• Fast in a straight line
• Plenty of overtaking power
• Responsive at any speed

What power options are there?

The Tesla Model Y has several different power options available. The cheapest and least powerful is a single-motor ‘Long Range’ setup powering the rear wheels. This replaced the previous ‘Rear Wheel Drive’ car in October 2024, with its 5.7-second 0-62mph time shaving a second off the previous model’s. Tesla likes to keep its stats under wrap, so its power figure is still unclear.

A dual-motor setup with four-wheel drive is available with two power outputs. The Long Range car has 384hp, while the Performance model has 60hp more than that. These power outputs are slightly less than you get in a Model 3, but still mean that the Model Y is good for a 0-60mph time of 4.8 seconds, or 3.5 seconds in the Performance model.

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In typical Tesla fashion, the Model Y accelerates briskly and with zero drama – simply put the car into drive and floor the accelerator pedal. The Model Y is quick off the line, and it’s rapid when accelerating at higher speeds, too. Power delivery is linear, and it didn’t really tail off until we approached triple-digit speeds, so it’s more than responsive enough for everyday use.

Tesla offers multiple levels of energy recovery in the Model Y, from freewheel coasting to high resistance that charges energy back into the battery, meaning we could drive the car using one pedal and with hardly ever needing to use the physical braking system.

What’s it like to drive?

• Numb steering and not very refined for an EV
• Impressive driver assistance features
• Firm ride can be uncomfortable

The Tesla Model Y is fast in a straight line, but that headline figure is fairly irrelevant compared with the sheer ease of driving, and how happy the car is to trickle along in the busiest of conditions. Tesla’s Autopilot feature, activated with just two taps down on the gear selector, is one of the best around, and can look after various driving conditions with ease – even being able to negotiate roundabouts and control the speed for them.

But the steering is unpleasant, with an almost numb feeling to it. You can control the weight of the steering with three settings, but regardless of which one you choose, it makes it quite hard to control how much lock you need for a tight corner. We found ourselves having to fidget the wheel more than in other cars. It’s a same story if you’re on a motorway as because of the nervous feel of it, you constantly find yourself making minor adjustments and fidgeting around in a lane.

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Despite this, it feels stable in corners, and there’s not too much body roll, either. You can thank the Model Y’s low centre of gravity in part for that. Grip levels are also generous, so it’s all there, but ultimately a Kia EV6 is more rewarding on a back road.

The ride quality is quite disappointing on typically rough city streets, too, and you can partly blame that on its large wheels. It fidgets nervously over expansion joints and potholes, and never settles down. It is shaded by the BMW iX1 in this department.

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Noise levels are also higher than in some of its rivals, with the odd rumble and bump from the suspension, as well as tyre noise at speed being more prevalent than in cars such as the Skoda Enyaq and Audi Q4 E-Tron. It’s one of the more louder EV cars to travel in, going against their usual refined feeling.