USED BUYER'S GUIDE Tesla Model Y

FROM £18,000 Yes, Tesla's products can polarise opinion, but if you can live with a button-free cabin and a firm ride, then a used one makes a real bargain

- Richard Dredge

TESLA is one of the world's youngest car makers, yet it's by far the most valuable. It's worth nearly 20 times as much as General Motors and Volkswagen, and at least three times as much as Toyota. People love or hate the brand in equal measure.

Whatever your views on the world's most talked-about car company, its products are incredibly efficient, while the ownership experience is massively improved by having access to Tesla's Supercharging network.

When Tesla's first mainstream car arrived, the Model S, it put the cat among the pigeons. Its most recent product, the Model Y, did the same when it hit the British market almost four years ago. As always, the new arrival attracted plenty of vitriol - but not from owners or professional reviewers, so how does it now stack up against its rivals as a used buy?

HISTORY

THE Model Y was launched in the US in March 2019, but it would take another three years for the first cars to be delivered in the UK.

There was a choice of Long Range (LR) AWD or Performance editions with a 78.1kWh battery, officially capable of 331 and 319 miles respectively. In August 2022 a new entry-level model joined the range: the RWD with a 60kWh battery to give a range of up to 283 miles. From February 2023 the LR and RWD editions were fitted with comfort suspension, then in October 2024 a new variation on the theme was introduced.

The Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive (LR RWD) replaced the RWD, and a seven-seat option was introduced for the LR AWD.

In February 2025, a significantly facelifted Model Y went on sale, with a redesigned exterior, improved refinement, recalibrated suspension and better steering.

WHICH SHOULD I BUY?