3 days ago
Test: 2026 Tesla Model Y Picks Up Major Improvements in Style, Tech, and Driving Experience
From the September/October issue of Car and Driver.
Even with electrics just a fraction of the U.S. market, the Tesla Model Y was the world's bestselling car in 2023 (the Toyota RAV4 just barely eclipsed it in 2024). That's remarkable, but with new EV rivals pouring in, the Model Y, still Tesla's top seller, receives a batch of updates.
Tesla freshened the design with new lights and styling front and rear. The Model Y retains excellent forward sightlines, and rear-seat room is massive for an SUV of this size. Newer, nicer, more upscale materials complement the stark simplicity of a door-to-door horizontal dash shelf with a single touchscreen and nearly no buttons or knobs.
There's still a stalk for turn signals. On the steering wheel, a button activates a windshield wash and summons wiper-speed settings that can be toggled with the nearby rotary dial. Otherwise, many settings are buried in touchscreen menus. Still, the screen controls, once learned, work better than in other vehicles relying on this approach. The problem is that using an ersatz iPad while driving is an annoying distraction.
On the road, the power comes instantly. Tesla pretty much invented kick-in-the-kidneys EV acceleration, and you can have it when you want it. Our 60-mph test came back at 3.9 seconds, and the quarter-mile flew by in 12.3 seconds at 115 mph, improvements over the last Long Range AWD we tested by 0.5 and 0.4 second. Regenerative braking is strong but linear and easily learned. The EPA estimates the Model Y Long Range AWD nets 327 miles of range when wearing its standard 19-inch wheels and tires. Option the 20s, and Tesla says to expect 303 miles. And, of course, there's the fast, reliable, extensive Supercharger network.
Structurally stiffer and quieter—we observed 66 decibels at 70 mph, two fewer than before—this Model Y is better to drive and ride in than the outgoing version. Handling and roadholding are good, although we noted some head toss that's not present in the 10Best-winning Model 3 sedan.
Tesla pricing is famously fluid, but at this writing, the Model Y starts at $46,630; Long Range AWD adds $4K. The one we tested had 20-inch wheels, Quicksilver gray paint, and a black and white interior that tacked on another $5000.
Tesla's all-screen interface will remain a deal breaker for some, and understandably so. But the planet's most ubiquitous EV nonetheless is undeniably improved.
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