Tesla Model Y
The most recommended of 15 electric SUVs
Recommended for impressive self-driving features, software that keeps improving and top safety ratings, though inspection data shows high defect rates and the design has barely changed.
Recommended for impressive self-driving features, software that keeps improving and top safety ratings, though inspection data shows high defect rates and the design has barely changed.
241 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 139
- criticize it
- 102
- approval share
- 58%
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 3.2 years
Median of the 20 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 139 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.3 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
Impressive FSD self-driving
“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”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Elon Musk pushes out more xAI founders as AI coding effort falters” “the same Model Y you can buy at the dealer is driving around by itself with no one behind the wheel”
Comment from 9 Oct 2026 in “Tesla Rebrands Full Self-Driving as Tesla Assisted Driving in Europe” “Smoother ride, everything feels higher quality, and FSD (if you can get it) is just amazing.”
Comment from 6 May 2026 in “BYD overtakes Tesla and Kia as the best-selling EV brand in key overseas markets” - Comment from 21 May 2026 in “Waymo pauses Atlanta service as its robotaxis keep driving into floods”
Popular, best-selling, loyal owners
“Most MY and M3 owners I have talked to rave about their cars and have very high customer loyalty.”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Tesla Is Recalling Cybertrucks Again” “has regularly been the best selling car in the world and the only EV to ever achieve such”
Comment from 3 Feb 2026 in “xAI Joins SpaceX” “Model Y is still one of the best selling cars in the world, and very well reviewed.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Elon Musk pushes out more xAI founders as AI coding effort falters” - Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “Starbase, LA”
Excellent, improving software
“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”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “Tesla's 4680 battery supply chain collapses as partner writes down deal by 99%” “tesla has much fancier software, the remote control on the phone for the tesla is great.”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “Tesla's 4680 battery supply chain collapses as partner writes down deal by 99%” “Tesla sw is miles better than the previous two. It is responsive and laid out well.”
Comment from 3 May 2026 in “Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons” Top safety ratings
“Tesla vehicles are loaded with safety technology; the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the 2024 Model Y as a Top Safety Pick+ award winner”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “Tesla Hid Fatal Accidents to Continue Testing Autonomous Driving (French)” “it can ace a blind spot warning test because it can detect a motorcycle next to it”
Comment from 9 May 2026 in “Tesla Model Y Passes NHTSA's New 'Advanced Driver Assistance System' Tests” “Tesla Model 3 and Y are some of the safest cars to have been tested in history.”
Comment from 16 Oct 2026 in “Tesla Roadster”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Poor reliability and high defects
“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 have after 11-13 years”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “TÜV Report 2026: Tesla Model Y has the worst reliability of all 2022–2023 cars” “An 18% failure rate on a one year old model Y under "suspension and steering". This is absolutely shocking.”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “TÜV Report 2026: Tesla Model Y has the worst reliability of all 2022–2023 cars” “The serious defect rate is 17.3%, thus there's an 82.7% chance you don't encounter serious defects.”
Comment from 27 Nov 2025 in “The Tesla Model Y Just Scored the Worst Reliability Rating in a Decade” Dated design, minimal updates
“The new refreshes don't look nearly as big in terms of changes as new generations of car models for other manufacturers”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Tesla ending Models S and X production” “They look terrible. They looked terrible when they came out 13, 8 and 5 years ago and they have aged very poorly.”
Comment from 6 Nov 2025 in “Tesla's German car sales more than halve in October as wider EV sales jump” “Today's versions of these cars are not significantly different from when they were first launched”
Comment from 10 Apr 2026 in “Tesla reportedly developing new smaller, cheaper EV after killing Model 2” Older cars miss promised autonomy
“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?”
Comment from 9 May 2026 in “Tesla Model Y Passes NHTSA's New 'Advanced Driver Assistance System' Tests” “most of their cars are physically incapable of running the size of models L4 systems will require”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “JPMorgan warns Tesla stock could sink 60% in new note”
Other electric SUVs people recommend
The four most recommended other electric SUVs, 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 YThis page | 139 | 102 | 58% | 12 | 3.2 yrs20 owners | — |
| Rivian R2 | 32 | 23 | 58% | 10 | — | — |
| Tesla Model X | 18 | 40 | 31% | 9 | 3 yrs7 owners | — |
| Kia EV6 | 10 | 6 | 63% | 7 | — | — |
| Rivian R1S | 10 | 6 | 63% | 7 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 289 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Tesla Model 3 and Y are some of the safest cars to have been tested in history.”
“the same Model Y you can buy at the dealer is driving around by itself with no one behind the wheel”
“my Tesla MY is considerably larger than a lot of CUVs on the market and has a much worse turning radius”
“It's the height (and ground clearance) of what we used to call sedans, and really feels like a sedan instead of an SUV.”
“the Model 3/Y has been a ginormous hit and it transformed the global EV market”
“At least the base Model Y/3 are competitive or even cheaper than equivalent Chinese models.”
“Suspension and stock wheel alignment were well done. Interior quality is not that good though.”
“It also has good handling, with very little body lean through curves, and a lateral G force of around .85 G.”
“Looks boring, tons of stuff can be packed and still comparable acceleration to not that old BMW M3.”
“Falcon is the model Y of rockets: competent, something that should've been evolved.”
“Sadly, this is a bit too expensive to compete with a used Rivian R1S's or Model X's”
“it was very impressive especially for the current price compared to the competition”
“Had a pretty healthy margin too, I charged on the outskirts of town on the way home 2 days later.”
“I just took my Model Y over Highway 1 in California without requiring human intervention”
“This is obviously a factually incorrect post as anybody who uses the product can attest”
“it can ace a blind spot warning test because it can detect a motorcycle next to it”
“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?”
“Smoother ride, everything feels higher quality, and FSD (if you can get it) is just amazing.”
“Tesla sw is miles better than the previous two. It is responsive and laid out well.”
“Tesla vehicles are loaded with safety technology; the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named the 2024 Model Y as a Top Safety Pick+ award winner”
“Today's versions of these cars are not significantly different from when they were first launched”
“most of their cars are physically incapable of running the size of models L4 systems will require”
“I avoided spending hours at a dealership, and I must know at least a couple dozen Tesla owners that report no issues”
“tesla really is the best that is out there unless you want to potentially spend a lot more”
“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”
“Model Y is still one of the best selling cars in the world, and very well reviewed.”
“has regularly been the best selling car in the world and the only EV to ever achieve such”
“it makes sense to have the Model 3 (economy sedan) and Model y (upmarket crossover SUV)”
“An 18% failure rate on a one year old model Y under "suspension and steering". This is absolutely shocking.”
“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 have after 11-13 years”
“I don't have issues with mine except one where after 2 years frunk latch started failing.”
“The new refreshes don't look nearly as big in terms of changes as new generations of car models for other manufacturers”
“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”
“tesla has much fancier software, the remote control on the phone for the tesla is great.”
“The Y doesn't have a place for a spare tyre, which is a disease that seems to afflict many modern cars”
“Exciting trip, not a huge fan of Teslas, but their charger planning is really nice.”
“Rusty brakes are less than ideal, but they're common on EVs and they work just fine.”
“The serious defect rate is 17.3%, thus there's an 82.7% chance you don't encounter serious defects.”
“Most MY and M3 owners I have talked to rave about their cars and have very high customer loyalty.”
“They look terrible. They looked terrible when they came out 13, 8 and 5 years ago and they have aged very poorly.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.