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By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 129

Think EV and you think Tesla. Launched in 2020, this Model Y hatch was the brand's offering for the mid-sized crossover segment, a car that aimed to redefine what a premium electric vehicle of this sort could deliver. It shared its powertrain and much of its design with its Model 3 saloon showroom stablemate, which meant it came with all the values you'd associate with this innovative American brand - long battery range, easy charging and an avant garde cabin. It was also very fast in volume Dual Motor AWD form. European rivals from this period shade this Tesla for quality and have more accessible interior design, but in this segment from this time, there's still nothing quite like this car. Let's check it out as a used buy.

Modelsword count: 8

5dr Hatch (EV) [Rear-Wheel Drive, Dual Motor, Performance]

Historyword count: 328

Tesla. Once a start-up company sneered at by the established makers - before they realised the brand was serious and struggled to follow its lead in automotive EV technology. And, just as they caught up, along came this contender, the Model Y, the company's first really high volume global EV. It was the car that rivals always feared Tesla would build. They had plenty of time to prepare for it. Even though 75% of this mid-sized Crossover hatch design was shared with the Tesla Model 3 saloon launched in 2017, it took the marque until 2020 to get the Model Y to market in the US. And a further year more to get it into customers' hands in Europe. A delay so protracted that by the time we came to film this car in the early summer of 2022, we already knew that a substantially updated version with better battery range was just months away. As was the start of full production for European markets from Tesla's new giga factory in Berlin, one of four global plants that were eventually assigned to build this car, producing up to half a million Model Ys a year. A top Performance version arrived just after launch and in 2022, Tesla also added a more affordable rear-driven variant. Here, really for the first time, this visionary American maker had a real fight on its hands. Its earlier cars, the Roadster of 2009, the Model S of 2012 and the Model X of 2015, faced only patchy opposition. Even that Model 3 design we mentioned didn't face the kind of over-crowded market this Model Y had to win over. Yet it sold prodigiously and was the world's best selling car in 2023. Even well into its initial production run, it still managed to be the U.K.'s fifth best seller in 2024. Here, we look at the earlier 2020-2024 versions of this model which sold until a far-reaching 'Project Juniper' update in early 2024.

What You Getword count: 841

You'll either think the Model Y is cool and minimalistic; or rather anodyne and featureless. There'll be no in-betweens. On first acquaintance with this Model Y, you might find it hard to avoid the initial conclusion that it's merely a five-door version of its Model 3 saloon stablemate. Elon Musk was always publicly proud of the fact that the two cars shared 75% of the same components, though actually, most of these were to do with the powertrain because the dimensions between the two cars are somewhat different. Predictably - for a car that wants to have something of a Crossover vibe - the main difference is height: this 'Y' is a considerable 181mm taller than a '3' - and only 27mm of that is from increased ride height (up to 167mm). The two cars are much closer on length, a little surprisingly given that this Model Y needed to be large enough to accommodate the third seating row that this pre-facelift design only got as an option late on in production. It's 50mm longer than a Model 3, which makes it about the same length as something like a BMW iX3. This Tesla's fish-like silhouette might not be particularly striking, but there's the draw of a standard two-piece panoramic roof and, thanks to neat details like the flush door handles, the shape is notably aerodynamic (0.23Cd). At the front end, differences between this car and its sedan counterpart are very difficult indeed to spot, though actually this 'Y' is 70mm wider. Unlike most rivals, there's no pretence at any sort of front grille; all the cooling air that's needed is inhaled by this broad intake below the numberplate, flanked by slim indicators. Obviously, things are different at the back compared to a Model 3, this being a hatch - like virtually all its mid-sized EV segment rivals. As with the Model S and the Model 3, Tesla mounted the charging flap neatly in the offside rear light cluster - and made the socket inside CCS-compatible so that a wider number of public charging stations could be used. Once inside, you find yourself seated in a cabin identical to that of the Model 3. Which means it's more minimalist than a Scandinavian loft. Well, in terms of button clutter anyway. There's nothing minimalist about the enormous 15-inch central touchscreen, on to which virtually all the comfort, infotainment and driving features you'll need have been located, including those you'd normally find in a conventional instrument cluster - here missing too. Beyond this, operating control provision was kept to the absolute minimum. Don't bother looking for a gearstick, a starter button, a handbrake switch or physical ventilation controls; even the vents themselves are pretty hidden. Tesla also thought about getting rid of steering wheel stalks (as it did with the updated Model 3), but they were reluctantly retained here, the left one for indicators and the right for gear selection. Otherwise, you're limited to a couple of unmarked scroll wheels on the steering wheel spokes. Beyond this, operating control provision was kept to the absolute minimum. Which is all well and good, but a potential premium segment European buyer of this car is ideally going to want such minimality to be accompanied by the kind of cabin quality and richness of interior design that the posh German brands offer. You don't really get that here, but compensatory technology is absolutely dripping from every menu and pinch-and-swipe action accessible through the enormously capable central screen. There's a superb Google Earth navigation system, all the usual infotainment stuff and even arcade games. The driving position sits you a little higher than the segment norm and the lack of central transmission tunnel frees up loads of space for useful extra stowage compartments. In the rear, the first thing you might notice is the completely flat floor - the usual transmission tunnel's not needed of course because there's no mechanical transmission. Even better, there's much more room than is usually provided for a centre-seated passenger to slide his or her shoes forward, beneath the jutting console with its twin vents. True, you'll rarely need the central pew to be occupied, but the space provided for it adds to the airy feel already created by the rear quarterlights and, primarily, by the huge standard panoramic glass roof. For the two outer passengers, things are a little more comfortable than they would be in the brand's alternative Model 3 saloon because the bench is mounted slightly higher, so your knees don't end up being quite so much arched towards your chin. Even so, a couple of six-footers should still find that headroom is ample. Finally, let's consider the boot. There's 854-litres of capacity on offer here, which only sounds like a lot because Tesla measures up to roof height, rather than up to window level like everyone else. Unfortunately, no parcel shelf is provided, so everything's in plain sight. Anyway, it's a good, square, usable space, which is usefully improved by the versatile floor with its twin luggage boards.

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