Every Tesla carries some of the company's history with it, and the Model Y Long Range is no exception. Best-selling vehicle in the world. 311 mi range, supercharger network.

Propulsion comes from a dual-motor electric setup driving through a AWD layout, with 384 hp available essentially the moment you ask for it. Electric drive removes the gearshift entirely, so the 4.6-second 0–60 mph time is delivered as one uninterrupted pull rather than a sequence of ratios. At roughly 4,416 lb it carries about 11.5 lb per horsepower, which is the number that actually predicts how it feels on a road rather than on a spec sheet.

Mechanically it's a conventional, well-understood package rather than an experiment, which is a large part of why it works as an everyday car.

Electric performance cars change the question from peak power to thermal management — how many hard launches or laps a car can repeat before the battery protects itself. At around $50,000, the Model Y Long Range is priced as a car people genuinely use, and our value score of 9.2/10 reflects what you get for that against its direct rivals rather than against the market as a whole.

What keeps it interesting is the coherence of the whole package rather than any single specification.

03 / How to use

Owner's walkthrough

Practical guide for everything a new owner asks on day one — starting the car, finding the gear selector, drive modes, infotainment, driver aids, and easy-to-miss features.

How to start it

Step on the brake, press the engine start button on the console or steering column; wait for the cluster to confirm ready before shifting out of P.

Where the gear selector is (and how to use it)

Console-mounted shifter with R-N-D-S notches; paddles behind the wheel for manual gear control.

Drive modes

Drive modes are accessed via the drive-mode selector on the console. Available modes typically include Normal, Sport, Eco. Each mode reshuffles throttle mapping, steering weight, adaptive dampers (if equipped), exhaust valves, and stability-control thresholds. On performance trims, an 'Individual' or 'Custom' slot lets you save your favorite combination so you can recall it with one click instead of nesting through menus.

Cluster & head-up display

The driver display is a Digital cluster. Use the steering-wheel left thumb-pad to cycle layouts (Classic, Sport, Navigation, Minimal). When in Sport / Track mode the cluster automatically swaps to a wide tach with gear indicator and tire-temperature readout. The head-up display brightness, height, and content are configured from Settings → Displays → HUD.

Infotainment & voice control

Infotainment runs on Central touchscreen with smartphone mirroring. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard; pair from Settings → Connections the first time, then it auto-connects whenever your phone is in range. Steering-wheel push-to-talk wakes the in-car assistant for nav, climate, calls, and messaging without touching the screen. The main display also hosts vehicle-specific apps: tire pressures, performance data recorder (where fitted), drive-mode customizer, and the camera views.

Driver assistance

Standard driver aids include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Toggle each system individually from the driver-assist menu (steering-wheel left-pad → Assistance). A surround-view camera and parking assist may be optional — turn them on once in settings and they default to active in tight spaces from then on.

Charging

DC fast-charging happens through the CCS1 (or NACS, for newer 2025+ US-market models) port. Plug in, the car negotiates power automatically — typical 10–80% takes 18–28 minutes on a 350 kW charger. Level-2 home charging via J1772 covers a full charge overnight (8–11 hours). The car app schedules charging during cheap off-peak hours and pre-conditions the cabin while still plugged in so you don't drain range warming up.

Keys & phone-as-key

Beyond the physical key, this car supports Smart key. Set up phone-as-key from the Manufacturer app app: it provisions a secure credential to your phone's wallet so a tap on the door handle unlocks the car and placing the phone on the wireless charging pad authorizes ignition. You can also share temporary keys to family members (with optional speed and area limits on performance trims) directly from the app.

First-week tips & easy-to-miss features

A few things every new owner tells us they wish they'd known on day one:

Enable one-pedal driving in the dynamics menu — once you adapt (about 30 minutes), you'll rarely touch the brake in town and regen does the slowing.
Pre-condition the battery before fast-charging by entering the charger in nav — the car warms the pack for full-speed charging.
Download the brand app (Manufacturer app) and pair it with your VIN before your first long trip — remote climate, charging/fuel-level checks, and remote lock-status save you walking back to the garage in winter.

Open full how-to page →

Compare this car Back to garage

TeslaModel Y Long Range

Choose a trim · 3 available

What this car offers

About the Tesla Model Y Long Range