# Tesla Model Y Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/tesla-model-y/ 88 people recommended Tesla Model Y in Hacker News comments, 44 had mixed feelings and 94 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. Owners report keeping it a median of 3.2 years, among 19 owners. It was recommended in 12 of 12 months, in 50 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Criticized more than recommended: inspection data shows high defect rates and the design has barely changed; those who recommend it cite impressive self-driving features, software that keeps improving and top safety ratings. Summary written by Claude from the comments below. Claude agents reviewed it against the quotes on 2 Nov 2026. ## What people warn about - Poor reliability and high defects (3 comments in the sample): "Looks like the Tesla Model Y has roughly the same amount of faults after less than 3 years as the top cars in this comparison…" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46810073)) "An 18% failure rate on a one year old model Y under "suspension and steering". This is absolutely shocking." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46810403)) "The serious defect rate is 17.3%, thus there's an 82.7% chance you don't encounter serious defects." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46064763)) - Dated design, minimal updates (2 comments in the sample): "The new refreshes don't look nearly as big in terms of changes as new generations of car models for other manufacturers" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46807918)) "They look terrible. They looked terrible when they came out 13, 8 and 5 years ago and they have aged very poorly." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45831545)) - Older cars miss promised autonomy (2 comments in the sample): "I was told mh Model Y that I bought around 2021 was going to do all this but it's now too old or something?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48070258)) "most of their cars are physically incapable of running the size of models L4 systems will require" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47665654)) ## Why people recommend it - Impressive FSD self-driving (4 comments in the sample): "it is by far the best car I've ever owned, and the FSD blew my mind with how much better it was than I expected" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47372149)) "the same Model Y you can buy at the dealer is driving around by itself with no one behind the wheel" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50026169)) "Smoother ride, everything feels higher quality, and FSD (if you can get it) is just amazing." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48042196)) - Popular, best-selling, loyal owners (4 comments in the sample): "Most MY and M3 owners I have talked to rave about their cars and have very high customer loyalty." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45918966)) "has regularly been the best selling car in the world and the only EV to ever achieve such" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46866001)) "Model Y is still one of the best selling cars in the world, and very well reviewed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47371480)) - Excellent, improving software (3 comments in the sample): "this is the only vehicle I’ve had that consistently gets better and better in terms of its software features over the course of ownership" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46436014)) "tesla has much fancier software, the remote control on the phone for the tesla is great." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46434518)) "Tesla sw is miles better than the previous two. It is responsive and laid out well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48000805)) - Top safety ratings (2 comments in the sample): "it can ace a blind spot warning test because it can detect a motorcycle next to it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48070410)) "Tesla Model 3 and Y are some of the safest cars to have been tested in history." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50124358)) ## Other electric SUVs people recommend - [Rivian R2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/rivian-r2/): 19 recommend, 13 mixed, 22 criticize - [Tesla Model X](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tesla-model-x/): 13 recommend, 3 mixed, 38 criticize - [Kia EV6](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kia-ev6/): 9 recommend, 1 mixed, 5 criticize - [Skoda Enyaq](https://hackerapproved.com/p/skoda-enyaq/): 6 recommend, 1 mixed, 2 criticize ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://www.tesla.com/modely) ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Tesla Model Y", https://hackerapproved.com/p/tesla-model-y/ (88 recommend, 44 mixed, 94 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.