The Tesla Model Y is the world’s best-selling car, the best-selling EV in the UK and the fifth best-selling car here overall. So an all-new Model Y is definitely a big deal and we’ve got our hands on the first car in the UK.
We’ve been able to get an in-depth hands-on look at the new Model Y alongside an original Model Y to compare the differences and understand the story behind the new car from Tesla.
The new Model Y has been nicknamed Juniper, but Tesla tells us that didn’t come from them. Instead it’s a name that was made up by the Teslarati (Tesla fans around the world) and does not relate in any way to an internal codename!
Production of the new Model Y is already underway at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin, with customer cars reaching European customers in March. The first UK cars, badged Launch Series and based on the Long Range All-Wheel Drive Model Y, costs £60,990 and is likely to arrive in May. The Model Y Launch Series will only be available Black or Quicksilver, both coming with an all-black interior.
More details on the arrival of the rest of the Model Y will be coming soon, and we hope to be able to drive the new Model Y in the coming weeks.
Design of the new Tesla Model Y
The new Model Y looks remarkably similar to our own rendering produced late last year. Looking at it in real life, the full-width, slim, three-piece LED light bar at the front of the car is the real difference between the new car and the original. The light bar takes its inspiration from the Tesla Cybertruck and the recently revealed fully-autonomous Tesla Cybercab, too. The main headlights sit just below the light bar in a smoother front bumper that’s more aerodynamic and features a new camera (with its own washer to keep it clean) for enhanced Autopilot functions that the new car is expected to bring – Tesla’s ‘full self-driving’ will be available where it’s legal to use.
The new Model Y is slightly longer than the original at 4,790mm in length (the old car is 4,751mm long), with all that extra length coming from the more aerodynamic front end that sits lower to the ground, too, but still with decent ground clearance. The width of the car at 2,129mm (including the more aerodynamic mirrors) is the same as before, as is the height at 1,624mm.
Looking at the back of the new Model Y is a very different experience compared with the original car. A new tailgate spoiler sits above new C-shaped LED taillights blend into a full-width light bar that cleverly uses reflective lighting rather than the lights being directly in behind the red panel. It’s subtle and looks really nice in real life, reflecting down to where the Tesla lettering is set into it at the bottom. The boot door can now open automatically as you approach the car, and there’s more luggage space inside, too: a total of 2,130 litres including the frunk under the front bonnet.
The rear bumper in general looks much smoother – much like the front – and features a new diffuser for improved downforce at the back, while it’s also stronger to protect the car in potential rear impacts.
The boot door is all-new, and the new rear lighting is incorporated into it. That means when you open the boot, subtle lights at the bottom of the boot opening light up and also feature indicators, so other road users can still see some of the car’s lights when the boot is open.
The profile of the car is very similar to the current model, complete with the camera housing that sits in a design feature on the flank behind the front wheels. There’s still the trademark Tesla deep front windscreen that flows into a full-length glass panoramic roof. There are new, more aerodynamic wheels, too, while the length of the car has increased slightly to boost aerodynamics and efficiency with the Launch Series offering 22 more miles of maximum range at 353 miles, compared with the original Long Range All-Wheel Drive Model Y.
Five colours are available, including the new glacier blue but also stealth grey, pearl white, ultra red and the quicksilver in our pictures. Black is also available on the Launch Series car, but whether that carried through to the other models remains to be seen.
Overall, the styling is a really modern update and probably the biggest notable change in the car, which is set to appeal to current owners.
Inside the new Model Y
Swinging open the door of the new Model Y and the look of the cabin remains pretty much the same as in the outgoing car – and the Tesla Model 3 that was heavily revised at the start of 2024. However, while the Model 3 lost both stalks behind the steering wheel, only one of the stalks behind the new Model Y’s steering wheel is missing.
Tesla appears to have listened to feedback from Model 3 owners who’ve found it difficult using buttons on the steering wheel rather than a traditional stalk to select the indicators. A traditional indicator stalk is on the left-hand side of the steering wheel although the stalk for gear selection and autopilot on the right of the wheel in the old Model Y has gone. The controls for both of those functions have moved to the touchscreen, while there are customisable buttons to be able to flash the headlights on the steering wheel.
When you shut the doors on the new Model Y, you instantly realise that it’s quieter inside – Tesla claims a reduction in noise of around 20 per cent. The windows feature acoustic glazing for better soundproofing, while there’s an upgrade in material quality with softer fabrics used on the dash and doors – it really gives the interior a warmer, more premium feel. New ambient lighting is based on that found in the latest Model 3 – it was showing a tasteful green in the car we sat in, but can be changed. Once again, white and black or full black interiors are on offer with only the latter on the Launch Series cars.
Sitting in the redesigned front seats feels more comfortable than ever, and you’ll arrive more refreshed on a hot day thanks to ventilation as well as heating of the front seats. The back seats are heated, too, and feature new cushioning – they felt really comfortable to sit on..
The 15.4-inch central touchscreen remains, but is joined by an eight-inch touchscreen for rear passengers, which features games or streaming channels for anyone in the back seats to play with separate bluetooth connectivity so those in the back don’t disturb those in the front. The rear seats now adjust electrically at the touch of a button at the side by each door, or they fold flat electrically via a button in the boot.
The amount of space inside the car – including the frunk under the front bonnet – now totals 2,138 litres, which is actually 20 litres less than before although we couldn’t notice!
New Model Y drive, range, charging speed and performance
That new, more aerodynamic body is also much stiffer than before, which will bring a couple of additional benefits. Tesla says the new Model W will be safer than before, but it can also help to improve the ride quality – one of the biggest bugbears of owners of the original Model Y, a car that just doesn’t ride over the bumps very well.
The new Model Y follows many of the improvements made to the latest Model 3 and eatures new suspension, hubs and tyres, hopefully going some way to curing that overly firm ride of the old model. A reduction in the number of parts in the chassis is also said to improve refinement, making the car quieter still.
In the UK, the Launch Series car is now on sale, with other models likely to follow, including a seven-seat version – a seven-seat version of the original car was launched late last year.
The Launch Series is based on a Long Range All-Wheel Drive Model Y, with a claimed maximum range of 353 miles – 22 miles more than on the original version of that model. It has a top speed of 125mph and will do 0-60mph in just 4.1 seconds, which is 0.7 seconds faster than the original Long Range All-Wheel Drive car.
Two ‘launch edition’ versions of the new Model Y feature on Tesla’s Chinese and Australian websites: a Long Range All-Wheel Drive car or a Standard Range car with rear-drive. There’s no word on battery size, but according to Tesla’s Australian website, the long range all-wheel drive car will go up to 342 miles, while the standard range car will travel up to 290 miles on a full charge – both figures are handy increases over the current Model Y which claims a maximum of 331 miles for the Long Range All-Wheel Drive car.
Charging speeds are rated at up to 250kW for the Long Range car including the Launch Series or 170kW for the standard range model.
Tesla Model Y release date
The new Model Y Launch Series is on sale now on Tesla’s UK website, with first deliveries of those cars expected some time in May. Tesla is expected to roll out other all-new Model Ys with a non-Launch Series Long Range All-Wheel Drive model as well as a Standard Range model with rear-wheel drive. A Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive model would be expected to join the range soon, too.
A performance version of the Model Y, wearing the same Tesla Performance badging as the new Model 3 with subtle spoilers front and rear, is expected to arrive later in 2025.
New Model Y pricing
The Launch Series Model Y is now on sale at a price of £60,990. That’s likely to be a steep increase over what we would expect to see a normal Long Range All-Wheel Drive car costing, even though it’s the same car with only badging likely to mark it out. That’s the price of getting one of the first all-new Tesla Model Ys in the UK.
There currently isn’t a standard rear-drive Model Y on sale in the UK – as it stands the range starts at £46,990 for the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive car. A standard rear-drive Model 3 costs £5,000 less than its Long Range Rear-Drive cousin, so allowing for a slight increase, we would expect a new standard Rear-Drive car to kick off the new Model Y range at around £43,000, with around a £10,000 premium for a Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive car.
In China, the Long Range All-Wheel Drive car costs ¥303,500 (£33,600) with the Standard-Range Rear-Drive car costing ¥263,500 (£29,200). In Australia the long range car costs AUD 73,400 (£36,928) while the standard car costs UD 63,400 (£31,900).
New Model Y technology
Elon Musk revealed at the recent Robotaxi event that the Model Y would have full self-driving capabilities where allowed. As with all Teslas, expect over-the-air updates to improve not only the tech on board, but efficiency, too.
The new Model Y is expected to go on sale in the UK with both enhanced autopilot and full self-driving as options, although the latter cannot yet be used on UK roads.
Connectivity inside the car has been improved, too, with increased wifi range to connect the car to your home wifi and improved download speeds, while new microphones should improve voice control or phone calls. Ultra-wideband tech should improve performance of the phone or watch app key system, too.
The standard 16-speaker plus subwoofer speaker system has also been enhanced, although we’ll leave a full test of that until our first drive.
The latest software updates to roll out across the Tesla range will also be on the new Model Y, with an updated phone and Apple Watch app that enables owners to use their watch as a key for their cars.
