Tesla Model Y Exclusive Preview: Will this be the best EV yet?

Intro, Price, and Options

Introduction

The Tesla Model Y has been one of the most hotly anticipated EVs since it was announced in 2019. Although the Model 3 has been Tesla’s biggest worldwide seller, it sits somewhere in the midsize and executive markets, which make up less than 10% of European sales, according to JATO’s most recent figures. The SUV market, however, is a hefty 40% of the European market, so the Model Y is expected to fly out of the factory even faster than the Model 3.

Sadly, although the Model Y started to ship in the US on March 13^th, 2020, we will probably have to wait until 2022 before we see it in the UK. However, since one of WhichEV’s founders, Stefano Rebaudengo, currently lives in California, we were able to preview how the Model Y is shaping up, with a test of a Model Y Performance. This is what we think so far, and what we expect the Model Y to be like when it does arrive on this side of the Atlantic.

Price and Options

The Tesla Model 3 apparently achieved 17% of the US small and midsize luxury car market in the first half of 2020, selling more than every single model from BMW put together. The Model Y has only been out for five months, but it had already hit 14^th place in the year to June for global EV sales. More significantly, it sold 7,500 units in June alone, placing it third behind the almighty Model 3 and Renault ZOE.

At the moment, there are only two versions of the Model Y available, unlike the Model 3. There’s a Long Range AWD variant and a Performance option, with 346hp and 450hp motors respectively. No UK pricing for these has been announced, but most estimates expect the Long Range AWD to cost around £45,000, since the Model X is £5,000 more than the Model S, and the Model 3 Long Range AWD is around £40k. The Performance versions of Teslas are usually £10,000 more than Long Range ones, so the Model Y Performance is likely to come in at around £55,000. Unfortunately, you can’t just translate the dollar prices to pounds via the exchange rate. For example, the Model 3 Standard Range Plus is $39,990 in the US and £40,490 in the UK.

Both versions of the Model Y have a 75kWh battery like their Model 3 equivalents. There had been an expectation that a Standard Range version of the Model Y would be released to slot in beneath the Long Range and Performance, but tweets form Elon Musk have denied this would happen. On the other hand, he also mentioned a single-motor version, which he then began to call the Model Y Long Range RWD. Since the Model Y is based on the same drivetrain as the Model 3, we suspect that this will have the same motor as the Standard Range Model 3, but with the 75kWh battery of the Performance and Long Range. The result is likely to trade slower performance for a noticeably higher range.

There’s no point going into too much detail on the paint colour and interior options at this stage, which we suspect will be broadly similar to those available for the Model 3 as they are in the US – standard white, with black, grey, blue or red premium options for exterior, and black or premium white interiors. But Tesla UK is already offering 21in wheels with the Performance and 19in or 20in with the Long Range AWD. The other choice will be between standard autopilot or the £6,800 Full Self-Driving Capability. These are the options currently available in the US.

Design, Comfort and Storage

Exterior Design

The jury is always out when it comes to Tesla’s external designs. The Model Y is based on the Model 3 and does look like a taller version of the same car. Although we’re sure Tesla could have made its vehicles a big funkier, the major constraint is the aerodynamics. Despite being an SUV, the Model Y still manages to achieve an incredible drag coefficient of just 0.23, which is the same as the Model 3. This will really help with motorway efficiency.

Although this is a mini Model X, there are no Falcon Wing doors, just conventional ones. Judging by the US options, you can’t choose the Aero wheels of the Model 3, which we don’t really like anyway, and the alloy designs are different to the Model 3. The Uberturbine 21in wheels on our Performance worked well with the Midnight Silver Metallic of its paintjob. As with all Teslas, however, you either like the serious efficiency of the Model Y’s design or you don’t. It almost certainly wasn’t shaped by an Italian.

Interior Comfort

The same can be said of the Model Y interior. Our test car had the standard black interior, which looks like leather but isn’t. There’s the same single wood veneer panel at the front, which we thought looked out of place on the Model 3 and does just as much on the Model Y. We’d prefer if this was just black. With only the central 15in LCD panel, the interior seems very bare. All the seats are comfortable, and the front ones have electric adjustments at the side. The central console includes two cupholders and four USB ports with docking for two smartphones, and two USB ports for the rear. All Model Ys come with Qi wireless phone charging as standard.

One area of controversy has been whether the Model Y would actually have seven seats as originally hinted. Right now, in the US, you can’t buy it with this configuration, unlike the Model X. But when we talked to global vehicle tear-down company A2Mac1, which happened to have a Model Y in the lab being deconstructed, there was clearly a deep well behind the rear bench that could only be there for use with a third row of seating.

Recently, Tesla has updated its US website to offer seven seats from 2021 for $3,000, which will probably translate to £3,000 in the UK. The design of the Model Y will almost certainly mean these seats face backwards, as they did in the seven-seat Model S option that was offered for a few years, although some prototype pics have shown these facing forwards. However, unlike the third-row option in a Model X, these will definitely be for kids, without adequate adult headroom, and tiny legroom if they face forwards.

Storage and Load Carrying

Tesla cars universally do well on storage, because so much of the drivetrain is low down out of the way. It has a frunk, plus a well in the rear like the Model X. However, Tesla is a bit coy about stating the separate capacity of each of the areas. With the rear seats down and frunk included, you get 1,868 litres, which is 143 litres more than an Audi e-tron, for example, and much more than the Model 3’s 1,140 litres. The Model 3’s frunk has 85 litres, and the Model Y’s is clearly quite a bit larger. Estimates put the rear capacity with the seats up at 650 litres, which is similar to the Audi e-tron’s 660 litres. Either way, there’s plenty of luggage space for lots of different scenarios. The rear seats have the typical 60/40 arrangement, so you can choose whether to have one, two or no rear passengers alongside your expanded boot.

It’s also worth mentioning that, like the Model X, the Model Y can tow, although understandably not so much. With 19 or 21in wheels, the maximum is 1,588kg, but with the 20in wheels it is strangely much less at 1,043kg. This looks like a typo, but online discussions appear to infer that the tires and wheels used for the 20in option have a lower load capacity. If you’re planning on towing, we’d recommend the 19in wheels with the Long Range AWD. The 1,588kg ability is very good, although the Mercedes EQC and Audi e-tron can tow 1,800kg.

In-Car Entertainment and Controls

Like the Model 3, the Model Y relies exclusively on a 15in central panel, with no visual instrumentation behind the steering wheel. This is another Tesla acquired taste. Most Model 3 owners claim they get used to the speedometer being to one side rather than directly in front of them, but you also only get two steering wheel stalks and a couple of wheels with push-in button capabilities to control settings. The most common complaint about this arrangement is that the windscreen wiper speed can only be adjusted manually via the touchscreen, with a German court declaring this illegal after a driver crashed while operating it.

However, the touchscreen menu and interface design itself is the best in the EV business. The various sections are very logically organised and it’s extremely easy to find all the settings. We won’t spend time here going into the details of what’s available, because there’s not much that’s different to the Model 3 in this respect. However, our man in California did rather enjoy the ability to make flatulant noises that appear to emanate from various seats around the car. For at least 15 minutes.

Performance, Running Costs, and Range

Performance

Performance is always an area where Tesla has a clear lead over its competitors, and the Y doesn’t disappoint either. Even the Long Range will take just 4.8 seconds to hit 60mph, while the Performance will offer a Ferrari-challenging 3.5 seconds. The Long Range will manage a top speed of 135mph, which rises to 150mph for the Performance. Our test driver told us that the acceleration on the Performance model is as interstellar as any Tesla Performance, describing it as “one of the fastest cars I have ever driven”.

He also pointed out that the handling is much better than a car this tall has any right to offer. This is what we found with the Model X, which corners amazingly for a 2.5-ton SUV. The Model Y is 2,030kg without occupants, so nearly 200kg heavier than the Model 3, but the majority of this is low down, and you have traction control operating across four-wheel-drive, so the Y also corners incredibly well, with loads of grip.

We have no further official details of the rumoured Long Range RWD, but if we compare the AWD versions with their Model 3 equivalents, they are 0.3 or 0.4 seconds slower to 60, so we should still expect a Model Y RWD Long range to have a sub-6 seconds 0-60mph, which will be extremely competitive when, for example, the Lexus UX 300e will take more like 7.5 seconds. Top speed could be 125-130mph. EVcompare.io agrees, stating 0-60mph of 5.5s and 130mph top speed, with a 258hp powertrain.

Range

With the extra weight, the Model Y has lower range ratings than the Model 3. The Long Range AWD can manage 314 miles rather than 348 (WLTP), while the Performance drops to 298 miles from 329 miles. If a Long Range RWD arrives, we expect this to offer over 330 miles of range. EVcompare.io reckons it will be 336 miles. These are all very good in their class, with even the Jaguar I-Pace rated at 292 miles WLTP, and the Audi e-tron and Mercedes EQC closer to 200 miles.

Running Costs

With its excellent range, the Tesla Model Y has low per-mile electricity costs of 3.52p per mile for the Performance and 3.34p per mile for the Long Range AWD, based on 14p per kWh. The Long Range RWD would be even cheaper – possibly 3.12p per mile. Of course, this assumes you drive frugally and don’t call upon that stellar performance ability too frequently. Since this car isn’t available yet, we don’t have an insurance group for it, but the Performance and Long Range AWD versions of the Model 3 are both group 50, so this will not be a cheap car to insure.

Verdict and Key Specifications

Verdict

The Tesla Model Y has loads going for it, and it’s clear why it has already been hugely popular in the USA. If the Long Range AWD arrives for £45k as predicted, it will make the Lexus UX 300e look incredibly overpriced, given that it will be much quicker, with a much longer range, and considerably greater load capacity. If there’s a Long Range RWD for under £40k, it will be a real game changer, giving even the VW ID.3 pause for thought in the same price bracket. The Performance version has range to combat Jaguar, Mercedes and Audi, plus speed that’s in a different class. The one caveat, as always with Tesla cars, is the design. You might not like the exterior appearance, and you’re quite likely to find the interior lacking in luxury compared to Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes or Audi. But if you weigh the EV capabilities against this, the Model Y could be a real game changer when it arrives in the UK, just like the Model 3. We can’t wait to see it on British roads.

*based on electricity costs of 14p per kWh