Tesla Model Y review – Range, charging & running costs

Tesla Model Y range & charging 

Now the Tesla Model Y lineup starts with the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive model, so the entry-level car is capable of 373 miles of range, making it the version that goes the furthest on one charge. The Long Range All-Wheel Drive has the next-best range as it’s capable of doing 331 miles on a charge, while the shortest range belongs to the Performance model which can return up to 319 miles.

The Skoda Enyaq has a shorter 234-mile range with its 52kWh battery but with the larger 77kWh battery it beats the all-wheel drive versions of the Model Y with up to 358 miles of range – even the four-wheel drive version of the Enyaq comes very close to the Model Y with up to 329 miles of range. Meanwhile, the Renault Scenic can travel up to 379 miles between charges, which is slightly ahead of the Ford Mustang Mach-E with a range of 372 miles in Premium RWD Extended Range guise.

Both the Long Range and Performance models take just under 12 hours to charge from empty to 100% using a 7.4kW wallbox, while a rapid charge at 250kW can take the battery from 10 to 80% in just 19 minutes. Another draw is the Tesla Supercharger network of public chargers, which won our Best chargepoint providers survey, coming top in every category. Owners of early Tesla models got free access but all Model Y drivers will have to pay.

As with all EVs, the Model Y is exempt from VED (road tax) until 2025, but the biggest savings will be for business users, thanks to very low Benefit-in-Kind liability. This can save company-car drivers hundreds or even thousands per month compared with petrol and diesel models, and this has fuelled the Model Y’s impressive sales success.

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Insurance groups

The Tesla Model Y is a desirable electric car with a premium image, which places it in high insurance groups, and it’s likely to be expensive to insure as a result. Base models start from group 46 out of 50, and Performance versions sit in the highest group 50. Long Range versions sit just in between in group 48. Check how much it’ll cost to insure before you buy one or choose one as a company car.

Warranty

Tesla offers a four-year/50,000-mile warranty on its new cars, but drivers who cover more miles than average may be better off with Mercedes’ three-year unlimited-mileage warranty. The Model Y’s battery is covered if it drops below 70% of its original charging capacity for eight years or 120,000 miles.

Servicing

Tesla offers a Maintenance Plan for its cars, which makes sure fluids and filters are replaced at set intervals. Servicing should be cheaper than for a petrol or diesel car, though, because there are far fewer moving parts.