Tesla Model S
The most recommended of 5 electric sedans
Owners praise its fast acceleration, long range and durability, with many reporting cars still running well after a decade. Critics point to build quality and touchscreen-heavy controls.
Owners praise its fast acceleration, long range and durability, with many reporting cars still running well after a decade. Critics point to build quality and touchscreen-heavy controls.
114 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 55
- criticize it
- 59
- approval share
- 48%
Recommended in 12 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 10 years
Median of the 11 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 55 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 0.9 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 12 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Lasts a decade with few repairs
“Only wiper fluid and tires and had to change out break disks in the front but besides that, nothing.”
Comment from 13 Sep 2026 in “Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco” “after eight years of EV driving (2015 Tesla S 70D) I am not anticipating any problems.”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “BU-808: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries (2023)” “My 2013 Model S is still going strong, still gets software updates.”
Comment from 18 Mar 2026 in “Honda is killing its EVs – and any chance of competing in the future” - Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “Honda is killing its EVs – and any chance of competing in the future”
Quick acceleration and high top speed
“Tesla model S accelerates faster and has a higher top speed, and also more range on a smaller battery”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Jony Ive's Ferrari” “incredible acceleration, and looks pretty normal and practical”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Volkswagen Just Built an EV That Can Go Nearly 900 Miles on a Charge” “Tesla has completely dominated acceleration vs ice cars”
Comment from 21 Jan 2026 in “Porsche Sold More Electrified Cars in Europe in 2025 Than Pure Gas-Powered Cars” Long range on the battery
“My ancient 2015 Model S 70D would do that 300 mile journey with less than an hour of charging in the middle.”
Comment from 25 Sep 2026 in “Toyota is taking the Corolla electric” “one of the most (if not the most) practical electric vehicles on account of range alone”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Tesla ending Models S and X production” “still 320 miles of EPA range which is a lot better than many other EVs”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Tesla registrations crash 17% in Europe as BEV market surges 14%” Roomy, comfortable, quiet ride
“the S is roomier, the seats are more comfortable, the dash screen is helpful, the ride is plush and quiet”
Comment from 2 Feb 2026 in “Tesla ending Models S and X production” “Bigger battery, larger center console and the cabin is slightly more premium.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Tesla ending Models S and X production”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Poor build quality and fit
“my model s, supposedly a good build year is absolutely crappy and feels like a cheap piece of plastic”
Comment from 27 Nov 2025 in “The Tesla Model Y Just Scored the Worst Reliability Rating in a Decade” “Terribly put together. Awful interface. And so utterly fucking distracting it was a liability.”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Elon Musk pushes out more xAI founders as AI coding effort falters” “Even people paying $100K for a Model S Plaid end up with things coming unglued or misaligned.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Jony Ive's Ferrari” - Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Jony Ive's Ferrari”
Controls moved to touchscreen, disliked
“Tesla did test out the new steering yoke and removing the control stalks in the S: both features were met with tepid reception and partially rolled back.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Tesla ending Models S and X production” “Lucid does something similar to Tesla where too much (IMO) is controlled through the touchscreen.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Tesla ending Models S and X production” “Terribly put together. Awful interface. And so utterly fucking distracting it was a liability.”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Elon Musk pushes out more xAI founders as AI coding effort falters” - Comment from 6 Jan 2026 in “Volkswagen Brings Back Physical Buttons”
Owner reports of malfunctions and waits
“several reviews have not exactly been kind, along with lots of comments from owners about annoying issues and malfunctions”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Tesla ending Models S and X production” “A friend of mine just sold his Model S because he'd been waiting over 7 months for the shop to source a replacement part.”
Comment from 11 Feb 2026 in “Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV” “my model S chimed at me to drive into the intersection while sitting at a red light”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “Tesla to pay $243M judgement over Autopilot crash”
Other electric sedans people recommend
The four most recommended other electric sedans, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model SThis page | 55 | 59 | 48% | 12 | 10 yrs11 owners | — |
| Xiaomi SU7 | 20 | 4 | 83% | 8 | — | Approved |
| BYD Seal | 18 | 4 | 82% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 10 | 2 | 83% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Lucid Air | 9 | 4 | 69% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 143 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“My ancient 2015 Model S 70D would do that 300 mile journey with less than an hour of charging in the middle.”
“Tesla transformed the world in terms of rolling out electric cars.”
“incredible acceleration, and looks pretty normal and practical”
“Only wiper fluid and tires and had to change out break disks in the front but besides that, nothing.”
“There are cars with Cd around 0.2 (Xiaomi SU7, Lucid Air, Tesla S, Hyundai Ioniq...)”
“The big portrait screen on the old Model S being firmly embedded in the dashboard makes it much easier to use.”
“Neither of those are a problem in my 2015 Tesla Model S for the buttons that control the climate control or media player.”
“the original Model S proved that you can have a nice electric car that looks nice”
“Even people paying $100K for a Model S Plaid end up with things coming unglued or misaligned.”
“they still don't know how to make actual quality that is present the models you listed above”
“Tesla model S accelerates faster and has a higher top speed, and also more range on a smaller battery”
“It has had three success stories which are all pretty banal”
“the Prius and then Model S kickstarted the EV revolution”
“My 2013 Model S is still going strong, still gets software updates.”
“I literally spent practically nothing for 11 years.”
“Terribly put together. Awful interface. And so utterly fucking distracting it was a liability.”
“Literally there isn't a single combustion car which comes anywhere close to this improvement.”
“still 320 miles of EPA range which is a lot better than many other EVs”
“the lack of demand makes them pretty cheap at the moment”
“my model S chimed at me to drive into the intersection while sitting at a red light”
“A friend of mine just sold his Model S because he'd been waiting over 7 months for the shop to source a replacement part.”
“I haven't had a car payment since 2017 and won't have another one till 2036”
“I'm quite pleased to know that my Tesla S will assist me in braking when I stamp on the pedal.”
“316 Wh/km somewhat worse than my ancient (2015) Tesla Model S”
“the S is roomier, the seats are more comfortable, the dash screen is helpful, the ride is plush and quiet”
“its ten-year-old Autopilot (autosteer and cruise control with lane shift) is actually smoother and more reliable than many of its competitors current offerings.”
“Lucid does something similar to Tesla where too much (IMO) is controlled through the touchscreen.”
“one of the most (if not the most) practical electric vehicles on account of range alone”
“several reviews have not exactly been kind, along with lots of comments from owners about annoying issues and malfunctions”
“Bigger battery, larger center console and the cabin is slightly more premium.”
“Tesla did test out the new steering yoke and removing the control stalks in the S: both features were met with tepid reception and partially rolled back.”
“the S has always been the flagship model with all the best features and the top performance”
“after eight years of EV driving (2015 Tesla S 70D) I am not anticipating any problems.”
“The regen braking is amazing for avoiding mechanical braking.”
“Tesla has completely dominated acceleration vs ice cars”
“the Plaid's 'yoke', both of which were silently shelved after buyer dissatisfaction”
“just asked my wife and she said the first thing she looks when she is deciding to buy a car are giga castings”
“Get out of any other car and you forget you can't just walk away from it and it'll shut itself off and lock the doors.”
“my model s, supposedly a good build year is absolutely crappy and feels like a cheap piece of plastic”
“I think the model s, model 3 or the previous model y look great.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.