2026 Tesla Model Y collects major improvements in style, technology and driving experience

Of the September/October issue of Car and driver.

Even with Electrics only a fraction of the American market, the Tesla Model Y 's world's bestsellerauto was in 2023 (the Toyota RAV4 barely overshadowed it in 2024). That is remarkable, but with new EV rivals that flow in, the Model Y, still the top seller of Tesla, receives a number of updates.

Tesla has refreshed the design with new lights and styling at the front and rear. The model Y retains excellent forward sight lines and the rear chair room is huge for an SUV of this size. Newer, nicer, more luxury materials supplement the grim simplicity of a door-to-door horizontal dashboard board with a single touchscreen and almost no buttons or buttons.

There is still a stem for turn signals. On the steering wheel, a button activates a windshield wax and evokes windscreen wiper-speed settings that can be switched with the nearby rotating dial. Otherwise many institutions are buried in touchscreen menus. Yet once learned, the screen works better than in other vehicles that rely on this approach. The problem is that the use of an Ersatzipad is an annoying distraction while driving.

The current comes immediately on the road. Tesla has invented EV gear from the kick-in-the-kidneys, and you can have it if you want it. Our 60-MPH test came back to 3.9 seconds and the quarter miles flew in 12.3 seconds at 115 mph, improvements compared to the last long distance AWD that we tested with 0.5 and 0.4 seconds. Regenerative braking is strong but linear and easy to learn. The EPA estimates that the model Y Long Range AWD Nets 327 miles of reach when wearing its standard 19-inch wheels and tires. Option de 20s, and Tesla says 303 miles to be expected. And of course there is the fast, reliable, extensive Supercharger network.

Structurally stiffer and quieter – we have observed 66 decibels at 70 mph, two less than before – This model Y is better to drive and drive in than the outgoing version. Hand lists and possession are good, although we have noticed some head throw that is not present in the 10-best-winning model 3-sedan.

Tesla prices are famous fluently, but with 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 was another $ 5000.

The All-Screen Interface of Tesla remains a dealbreaker for some, and understandable. But the most omnipresent EV of the planet has unmistakably improved.

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