Tesla Model Y Long Range 2025 Review

The updated Tesla Model Y again kicks off with the Rear-Wheel Drive, which is $3000 more expensive than previously, at $58,900 plus on-road costs (ORCs).

But the Long Range tested here is more affordable than it’s ever been, priced from $68,900 plus ORCs.

That puts it up against a raft of rivals, including the Kia EV5, Toyota bZ4X, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Subaru Solterra, BYD Sealion 7, XPeng G6, Zeekr X and Deepal S07.

All Tesla Model Ys get electrically adjustable front seats with memory function for the driver, heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate, dual wireless phone chargers, dual-zone ventilation, 360-degree camera, matrix LED headlights and heated outboard seats (the previous model had heated seats in all five positions, but there’s no longer heating for the centre back seat).

This update brings new perforated synthetic leather trim, ventilated front seats, electrically folding second row seats and adjustable ambient lighting.

Like the Rear-Wheel Drive, the Long Range gets 19-inch alloy wheels with plastic covers to improve aerodynamics.

The Model Y also gets Autopilot, Tesla’s name for self-steering and adaptive cruise control.

For $5100 you can option Enhanced Autopilot, which brings auto parking and more advanced highway semi-autonomy.

Or you can get Full Self-Driving for a hefty $10,100. Despite the name, the person behind the wheel is still very much in control, but it adds some additional semi-autonomy and brings the promise that in the future it “will be able to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention”, along with the disclaimer that it is “pending development and regulatory approval”.

It’s a lot of money to spend on a lot of maybes. And given it’s only a software update it’s the sort of thing that can easily be added later.

Other options include 20-inch wheels ($2400) and a white interior ($1500).

As before, white is the only standard colour with Stealth Grey and the new Glacier Blue adding $2300 while Quicksilver and Ultra Red are $2600. Black is no longer one of the colour choices.

The Model Y gets a four-year, 80,000km warranty, which is off the pace with key rivals.

The high voltage battery gets a separate eight-year, 192,000km warranty (160,000km for RWD models).

The Tesla Model Y received a five-star ANCAP rating in 2022.

That rating still applies to the updated Model Y, which uses the same basic crash structure.

The Model Y gets seven airbags: dual front airbags, side curtains, side thorax airbags up front and a centre airbag between the front occupants.

There’s also autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane departure warning and blind-spot warning as well as cameras to show what’s alongside the car when you activate the indicators.

Plus there’s rear cross-traffic alert with auto braking.

An in-cabin camera monitors driver attention and can detect the size and location of occupants as part of the various safety systems.

Matrix LED lights allow the high beams to operate more often without dazzling other road users.

The Tesla Model Y Long Range gets a 15.4-inch infotainment screen that packs plenty in, albeit missing out on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Instead, there are various apps for music streaming, phone calls, messages and more.

There’s also loads of tech packed into it, some falling into the gimmicky category. If you want to play arcade games or karaoke, for example, then you can do it when the car is stopped.

The dog mode could be handy for temporarily leaving pets in the car on a hot day, while the Sentry mode is terrific for monitoring the car remotely, even allowing real-time viewing of the camera from the Tesla app.

The exterior cameras also operate as dashcams, providing vision around the car in the event of a crash or incident (you can set it to record when you hit the horn, for example).

The Boombox feature is as gimmicky as it gets, allowing those in the cabin to use the under-bonnet speaker (it also provides the pedestrian warning sign and the horn sound) to project music or voices outside. It only operates when the car is parked.

The update to the Tesla Model Y brings an 8-inch rear infotainment screen. As well as adjusting the ventilation and infotainment it can be used to stream video, even pairing with Bluetooth headphones.

Plus those in the rear can adjust the backrest angle of the rear seats and even slide the front passenger seat forward and backwards to maximise legroom for the person on the left.

The Tesla Model Y Long Range gets two electric motors and they’re unchanged from before.

While Tesla doesn’t quote combined outputs for the vehicle, delving into the owner’s manual sheds some light on the capabilities of each motor.

The front motor (codenamed 3D3) makes 137kW and 219Nm while the rear motor (codenamed 3D7) makes 194kW and 340Nm.

Combined that’s up to 331kW and 559Nm, assuming the two motors can make their maximums at the same time.

Just to confuse things, the Australian certification documentation for the Model Y Long Range claims the “net engine power” is 378kW.

Either way, the Long Range makes plenty of grunt.

Despite no hardware changes, the latest model is claimed to hit 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, a 0.2 second improvement on before.

That suggests there have been some software updates.

And if you want more grunt via a software update then Tesla will eventually offer an Acceleration Boost that’s expected to cost about $3500. That in turn lowers the 0-100km/h time to a claimed 4.3 seconds.

Efficiency improvements – including lower rolling resistance tyres – have increased the driving range of the new Tesla Model Y.

As before, though, the taller, heavier body means it doesn’t go as far on a charge as its Model 3 sibling.

Still, in entry-level Model Y guise the battery capacity has increased from almost 60kWh to about 62kWh, in turn improving the claimed WLTP range to 466km.

The Model Y Long Range continues with a battery capacity of about 80kWh and its driving range is 551km.

In real world driving we found it was closer to 500km, or less on a freeway.

Whereas the Model Y RWD gets a lithium-ferrous phosphate (LFP) battery, the Long Range gets a nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery that recommends charging to full only when you need it.

Charging for the Long Range can be done at up to 250kW using a Tesla Supercharger, which the company says can add up to 283km of range in 15 minutes.

Charging from a three-phase home wallbox would take about eight hours, while the more common single-phase wallbox would take more like 12 hours.

Plug into a standard powerpoint and you’re looking at something like 40 hours for a full top-up.

The Tesla Model 3 Long Range has never had an issue with performance and it’s no different with the updated model.

The claimed 0-100km/h time is 4.8 seconds, which is ample to squeeze you nicely into the seatbacks.

And while it may not be quite that quick – Tesla is often optimistic with performance figures – it’s still a very brisk car. There’s not much that will keep up with it for similar money.

And we can’t think of any mid-sized SUVs priced around $70K that will embarrass a Model Y Long Range at the traffic-light grand prix.

Perhaps the biggest revelation with the way the power is delivered is the regenerative braking.

Tesla has reintroduced driver-adjustable regenerative braking, allowing people to choose between the Standard level of deceleration – which is quite aggressive – or Reduced.

It was Reduced I found myself defaulting to for its more relaxed approach, which means you don’t have to be as finicky with your right foot.

But the biggest revelation with the driving experience are the new frequency selective dampers, which can adjust the damping force depending on the severity of the bump.

The difference may not be as dramatic as it is with the Model 3 that uses the same technology, but it nonetheless transforms the Model Y.

Whereas the previous model could jiggle and jump around – especially over successive bumps – the new one is calmer and more composed.

Added compliance and a sometimes-longer recovery time in the suspension movement makes it far easier to live with day to day.

That added maturity makes for a vastly more relaxed driving experience and arguably brings the Model Y closer to the expectations of the average family SUV driver.

The 19-inch Hankook tyres can still jar into sharp, sudden edges, but those instances are rare and less pronounced than they were with the previous car.

Revised steering, too, falls into line with the new driving ethos, with less dartiness. But there’s still meaningful weight – adjustable through the centre screen – to add to the sense of cornering security.

The final piece of the dynamic puzzle is a quieter cabin.

Model Ys weren’t excessively noisy, but with the absence of an engine to roar away it made tyre roar more obvious.

Additional sound deadening throughout, including softer materials throughout the cabin in lieu of some hard surfaces, makes it noticeably more hushed.

The Tesla Model Y Long Range is an SUV with all-wheel drive, but it’s very much an on-road machine. There’s no spare wheel, either.

The basics of the new Tesla Model Y remain, including a spacious five-seat layout. But the addition of suede-like material on the door and the same flecked grey material as used on the Model 3 across the dash lifts the ambience.

There’s still a Tesla starkness to it, something that places the emphasis on the infotainment screen and the minimalist treatment. Yet while it doesn’t exude the richness and intricacies of some rivals (everything from the BYD Sealion 7 to the Cupra Tavascan), it’s appealing in its own way.

There are tweaks current Tesla owners may notice, too: when closing the glovebox, for example (it’s still opened through the 15.4-inch touchscreen), a magnet now sucks it closed for the last part of the movement, clicking it back into place.

The front seats are new, too, with a firmer feel and additional bolstering, all of which works well for long stints in the saddle.

Those up front get loads of headroom and the obligatory raised seating position, aiding vision.

There may be a new rear window, but the view out the back is still letterbox-like; there’s no rear windscreen wiper, but dirt doesn’t seem to collect on the back window. Thankfully the cameras and other driving aids help with seeing what’s going on around the vehicle.

While few will be fooled by the stuff that’s trying to imitate leather, the addition of perforations brings it a step closer to the real deal.

Rear headroom is equally as generous, aided by the vast glass roof that is less endearing on a hot day; a new metallic finish embedded in the roof claims to reflect seven times more solar energy than before, something a couple of weeks of summer would be needed to put to the test. It makes for a tinted roof for all but the rear-most strip; it doesn’t have the new coating so it doesn’t interfere with the telematics system embedded in the rear section of the roof.

A flat floor makes getting three across the rear easier, too.

Luggage space is still excellent, albeit marginally reduced from before.

Space behind the back seats, for example – including the vast underfloor cavity – has dropped from 854 litres to 822L.

That’s likely due to the redesigned underfloor section that can now store the removable luggage cover.

The redesigned frunk, too, drops from 117L to 116L. But it picks up a drain hole that allows it to be filled with ice or some water.

The 2025 update to the Tesla Model Y Long Range addresses the key downside with the original car: its hyperactive ride.

The newfound driving maturity and classier cabin adds polish to an EV that continues to play at the pointy end of an increasingly busy SUV field.

Performance, value, tech and space are either class leading or not far off, reinforcing the competitiveness of an electric car that’s also had a significant design refresh.

Of course, there’s one thing we haven’t touched on until now that probably has some furiously punching away at their keyboards as they read: the Musk factor.

The head of the company is a polarising figure whose foray into politics have many now swerving away from the brand.

It’s a shame, because they’ll be sidestepping an EV that absolutely deserves to be on anyone’s shortlist.

2025 Tesla Model Y Long Range at a glance:
Price: $68,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Late May 2025
Powertrain: 2 electric motors; asynchronous induction (front), permanent magnet (rear).
Output: 331kW/559Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 80kWh (approx.) NMC lithium-ion
Range: 551km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 15.8kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: 5-star (ANCAP 2022)

Related reading:
RELATED: New Tesla Model Y revealed and priced
RELATED: Tesla Model Y Australian pricing
RELATED: Tesla Model Y production starts today

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