Going without an electric motor on the front axle hardly gives the Model Y levels of tactility you got with Tesla’s Lotus-derived Roadster (remember those?), but the wheel is small, the weighting of the motion natural and the response mischievously quick but not tiring. That sounds a bit nannying but in reality it means that this Tesla is one of the few EVs to have some genuine shape to its performance, which is refreshing. Without four-wheel drive to provide natural stability, torque is held back at first and only when traction is assured do you get all 310lb ft. Particularly well judged is the throttle mapping.

(Both of these loftier derivatives are AWD.) But 283 miles on a full charge and 6.6sec to 62mph hardly leave the Model Y RWD feeling like a poor relation, and on the road, it’s the nicest and most interesting of the trio, feeling light on its feet and taking Tesla’s trademark drivability and ease of use to a slightly higher level than you get with the heavier, more powerful cars.

Good value.įor your money, you get 64 fewer miles of WLTP range than the Tesla Model Y Long Range and a 0-62mph time around twice as long as that of the Model Y Performance. The Kia EV6, Volvo C40, Polestar 2, Hyundai Ioniq 5, BMW iX1, Genesis GV60, Toyota bZ4X and Audi Q4 E-tron are all gunning for this US-designed but, for UK RWD versions, Shanghai-built Tesla. It means that while a price of around £52,000 was given when the Y RWD was announced last August, it’s now £44,990.

Tesla Model Y Long Range 2022 UK first drive.

Tesla reviews