Your membership has expired

The payment for your account couldn't be processed or you've canceled your account with us.

Re-activate

Save products you love, products you own and much more!

Save products icon

Other Membership Benefits:

Savings icon Exclusive Deals for Members Best time to buy icon Best Time to Buy Products Recall tracker icon Recall & Safety Alerts TV screen optimizer icon TV Screen Optimizer and more

    First Drive: The Freshened Tesla Model Y Includes Improvements but Keeps Some Warts

    The ride is better, interior materials are of a higher quality, and the cabin is quieter, but somehow the controls got worse

    The significantly freshened Tesla Model Y has finally arrived as a 2026 model, with all of the changes seen in the Model 3: acoustic glass for a quieter interior, more soft-touch materials throughout the cabin, a touchscreen for the rear passengers, and updates to the controls. Tesla even gave the SUV power-adjustable rear seatbacks.

    The Model Y is as enjoyable to drive as the Model 3 sedan, which is to say it has thrilling acceleration from its dual electric motors, which send power to all four wheels with an immediacy not seen in every electric vehicle. The Y’s handling is similarly tied down and nimble, thanks to low body lean and quick steering. Add in the long driving range and ability to quickly charge on Tesla’s network of Superchargers, and the result is an EV that can handle road trips or spirited local drives.

    In this article Arrow link
    More on EVs

    Yet the Model Y can be infuriating, like the Model 3. The ride has improved, but it was a low hurdle; overall, it’s still stiff. The new interior materials are better, but again, a low bar. And even though the Model Y retains the turn signal stalk—our Model 3 relies on steering wheel buttons—the controls are maddening. 

    At the time of this writing, the Long Range rear-wheel-drive model, which has an EPA-estimated 357-mile driving range, was priced at $44,990. The Long Range all-wheel-drive version we purchased for our test program started at $48,990. It has an EPA-estimated 327 miles of driving range, though we’ll check that when we put the Model Y through our 75-mph highway range test. 

    Once we complete 2,000 break-in miles, we’ll put the Model Y through more than 50 tests at the CR Auto Test Center, including empirical tests of acceleration, braking, handling, and usability. CR members will have access to the full road-test results as soon as they’re available.

    ​Sign up for CR’s Cars email newsletter to be notified when we post our latest road-test results.

    What we bought: 2026 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD
    Powertrain: 384 hp (approximately) dual electric motors; direct drive; all-wheel drive 
    Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $34,000
    Options: Long Range AWD, $14,990; Tow Package, $1,000; Deep Blue Metallic Paint, $1,000
    Destination fee: $1,390
    Total cost: $52,380 (before available $7,500 federal tax incentive)
    Final assembly: Austin, Texas

    Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.