Is the Rear-wheel-drive Tesla Model Y worth £51,990?

The entry-level, rear-wheel-drive variant of the Tesla Model Y has gone on sale in the UK, with prices starting from £51,990 ahead of deliveries starting in December this year.

Previously, the Ford Mustang Mach-E rival was available with only a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive set-up in Long Range or Performance specifications.

The new rear-wheel-drive Model Y undercuts the Long Range variant by £6000. Tesla does not disclose battery sizes but the firm claims a WLTP range of up to 267 miles on 20in wheels and 283 miles on a 19in set. Performance is rated at around 260bhp and 250lb ft of torque, with a 0-62mph sprint of 6.6sec, making the rear-wheel-drive Model Y almost as fast as the all-wheel-drive Volkswagen ID 4 GTX (6.2sec). Top speed is capped at 135mph.

Tesla doesn’t sell its cars with specific trim levels, so the equipment includes the standard Tesla features, such as the firm’s Autopilot system, a heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats and a premium, 13-speaker audio system.

Drivers of the car will also gain access to Tesla’s supercharging network. It currently has around 9000 chargers across Europe, with charging speeds of up to 170kW.

The Model Y first went on sale in the UK in 2019. Built in Tesla’s Shanghai gigafactory, the electric crossover is currently the best-selling EV in Europe.

From the start of the year to the end of June 2022, the firm sold 44,468 Model Ys across the continent, according to data from analytics firm Jato Dynamics.

That’s around double the number of Volkswagen ID 4 cars (22,570) sold in the same period. The Tesla Model 3 also sold 39,897 units.

Model Y in a similarly positive light to most others, although the host doesn’t seem as keen on the crossover body as most American reviewers are. He argues that while the Model Y is certainly a bit roomier and more practical than the Model 3, the small sedan is still the one you should go for simply because it is the best value Tesla available now.

The Model Y performed better at very high speed, when it was driven around the bowl at close to its maximum speed. Overall, if you have to have a crossover, this review, like pretty much all others, thoroughly recommends the Model Y thanks to its blend of range, tech, performance, image and practicality.

Some negative points noted by the reviewer include the Model Y’s poor rear visibility, some instability during hard braking, as well as the way it rides, which is deemed choppy and unsophisticated. But they do little to dilute the very positive overall impression left by this review.

Model S, Model 3, Model X are also available.