New Tesla Model Y vs Tesla Model 3

The contenders

NEW Tesla Model Y Long Range

List price £57,990
Target price £57,990

Essentially a Model 3 for more family-minded buyers, the Model Y isn’t much more expensive in like-for-like spec – so is it the better buy?

Tesla Model 3 Long Range

List price £57,490
Target price £57,490

The Model 3 has been one of our favourite electric cars for years. It’s good to drive, has a fantastic range and gives you access to Tesla’s brilliant Supercharger network

Back in March, the cars you’re staring at were number one and two in the sales charts. No, not the electric car charts; these two Teslas were the best-selling cars in the UK. Full stop.

Okay, things were skewed slightly by pent-up demand, and the fact that Tesla tends to send big shipments to the UK, as opposed to the steadier streams of cars that flow from factories in Europe. But still, it’s a sign of the times that two fairly expensive electric vehicles (EVs) from a brand that many people hadn’t heard of a decade ago are finding so many buyers.

And these particular Teslas are actually very closely related. The Tesla Model 3 arrived in the UK in 2019 after a couple of years on sale in the US, yet it still offers a longer range than almost any other EV you can buy. The only problem is that it’s a saloon – a body style that, in this country at least, is about as fashionable as monkeypox.

That’s where the new Tesla Model Y comes in. It is, in effect, a Model 3 that’s been pumped full of growth hormone to turn it into an electric SUV, with a higher driving position and more space inside. It also has a hatchback boot to make it even more family-friendly. So, on the face of it, the £500 premium over the equivalent Model 3 seems incredibly reasonable.

To find out if the Model 3 is now effectively redundant, we decided to put both cars through the full gamut of What Car? tests.

Driving

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

If you know anything about Tesla, you probably know that its cars have a reputation for being fast – ludicrously fast. We’re testing the Long Range rather than flagship Performance versions, but each still packs 434bhp and transfers that power to the road via all four wheels.

The lighter and lower-slung Model 3 is, unsurprisingly, the quicker car, sprinting from 0-60mph in just 4.4sec in our test, although the Model Y will still leave any Volkswagen ID.4 for dead. It can hit 60mph in 5.0sec and gives your neck muscles a real workout every time you stomp on the accelerator pedal. Both cars are equally effortless to drive at lower speeds; it’s easy to pull away smoothly and the brakes are far more predictable and confidence-inspiring than in many EVs.

But while there are plenty of similarities, there are also some surprisingly big differences. The Model 3 has fairly firm suspension, so it isn’t as calm and easy-going as some EVs, including the Audi Q4 e-tron – but at least the ride never becomes overly fractious

The Model Y, however, crosses the line into what we’d describe as uncomfortable. You’re jostled around in your seat continually, and any potholes you don’t manage to avoid will really make you wince. The Model Y’s larger wheels (19in versus 18in) probably don’t help matters, but it feels as though less time and effort has gone into tuning the suspension.

And while the Model 3 isn’t as engaging to drive as a BMW 3 Series, it’s still jolly good fun. There’s enough grip to make you feel giddy, and the quick steering dovetails well with the car’s sharp responses to give you lots of confidence. The Model Y has the same steering, but because it’s taller, it doesn’t react quite as quickly to inputs. This can make the car feel nervous and disjointed. Yes, lots of grip means you can ultimately carry more speed along a twisty road than in a Q4 or Kia EV6, but when the process isn’t enjoyable, you have to ask yourself: what’s the point?

If you’re looking for an EV that does an outstanding job of isolating you from the outside world, neither of these cars should be on your shortlist. We’d recommend checking out the aforementioned Q4 or EV6. The Model 3 is the quieter car here, though, with slightly less tyre noise. The Model Y is a bit of an echo chamber; with no parcel shelf to provide sound deadening, booms from the suspension reverberate around the interior.

The Model Y’s extra weight and the fact that it doesn’t slip through the air as efficiently as its saloon sibling have an inevitable impact on range. In our tests, conducted in 16-18deg C temperatures and dry but cloudy conditions, it averaged 3.4 miles/kWh. This works out to a theoretical maximum range of 258 miles. In the same conditions, the Model 3 should be able to manage 276 miles, courtesy of its efficiency of 3.7 miles/kWh.

Behind the wheel

Driving position, visibility, build quality

Plenty of manufacturers build SUVs on the same basic underpinnings as their saloon cars. However, while the starting point is the same, the end results are usually so different that you probably wouldn’t even realise the cars are related.

Tesla’s approach has been rather more simplistic and, on the face of it at least, has involved raising the height of the roof and mounting the seats on stilts. The dashboard, controls and even the positioning of the steering wheel and pedals appear unchanged. So, you sit farther from the road in the Tesla Model Y but look down on the dashboard in a slightly unnatural way. The whole arrangement feels much more cohesive and better suited to the Tesla Model 3.

The ‘vegan leather’ front seats in both cars are comfy enough when you’re going in a straight line, and they have full electric adjustment, but they could do with a bit more support around the sides and shoulders to hold you in position through corners.

The steering wheel in both is electrically adjustable, too, although the process isn’t as easy as you might imagine. You first need to use the touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard to tell the car what you want to do, and then play about with small controls on the steering wheel to move it into position. It’s all a bit of a faff.

Both cars have fairly thick windscreen pillars that are angled in such a way that they can hamper your view out at junctions and roundabouts. How badly this affects you will depend on how tall you are and your driving position. Lanky drivers might also find that the Model Y’s low-set rear-view mirror obscures their view when turning left.

We’ve been critical of the quality of Teslas in the past, but things seem to have improved. Both cars feel well screwed together inside and the exterior panel gaps are fairly consistent. The interior design is very minimalist in both (you’ll either like that or you won’t), but the materials they’re made with feel fairly upmarket. Don’t expect to be blown away, though; the steering wheel and those ‘vegan’ seats are very obviously trimmed in plastic.

Infotainment systems

Tesla Model Y

Both cars get a 15.0in, landscape-orientated touchscreen. It’s intuitive to use, and while some of the smaller icons can be a bit tricky to hit accurately while you’re driving, the screen responds quickly to inputs. Sound quality from the standard audio system is impressive; that’s fortunate, because there’s no option to upgrade it. The only annoying thing is there’s no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

Tesla Model 3

All of what we’ve said about the Model Y’s infotainment applies to the Model 3’s too, because, well, it’s exactly the same system. There are loads of useful features (navigation, web browsing and so on), welcome additions such as Netflix and Spotify, and some purely fun applications (driving games controlled using the steering wheel and the ability to make whoopee cushion noises to amuse your passengers).

Space and practicality

Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot

If you’re looking at the Tesla Model 3 and thinking “A saloon like that just won’t work for my family”, you might want to think again. It’s a big car, with more than enough space for four six-footers and a boot (or rather two boots) that can swallow a total of 10 carry-on suitcases – two more than the BMW iX can hold and three more than the Jaguar I-Pace. One fits under the bonnet, plus a further nine in the rear boot, which includes a huge well under the main floor. You can even fold the rear seats down (in a 60/40 split) when you need to carry longer items.

However, there’s no question that the Tesla Model Y is the more practical choice. Although we couldn’t cram any extra suitcases into its two boots, the hatchback tailgate makes loading and unloading so much easier. And when you need to, the rear seatbacks are super-easy to fold: you just flick switches on the wall of the boot and they drop down of their own accord.

The 40/20/40 seatback split also gives you the option to slot long, thin items, such as skis, in between two rear passengers; you can’t do that in the Model 3. And the Model Y’s rear seats can be reclined when the boot isn’t full of luggage.

There’s more leg and head room than in the Model 3, too – although not a dramatic amount. The biggest difference is that, because the seats are mounted higher in the Model Y, the seating position is much more comfortable; you don’t feel as though your knees are being forced up towards your chin.

Boot space

Tesla Model Y

Boot 971-2158 litres Suitcases 10

Tesla Model 3

Boot 450 litres (r) Suitcases 10

Buying and owning

Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security

There’s barely anything between our contenders if you’re taking out a PCP finance agreement. Put down a £6000 deposit and, assuming a limit of 10,000 miles per year, you’ll pay £813 a month for the Tesla Model 3 and £821 for the Tesla Model Y. The difference is only slightly greater (£12 a month) for those choosing to lease.

For company car drivers paying benefit-in-kind tax, our contenders are again neck and neck. Anyone in the 40% tax bracket who chooses the Model Y over the Model 3 will spend just £11 extra in total salary sacrifices between now and April 2025.

If you’re a cash buyer, the Model Y is actually likely to work out cheaper in the long run. That’s because it’s only £500 more expensive to start with and is predicted to depreciate at a slower rate. Expect to spend a little over £5000 more to own the Model 3 if you buy now and sell in three years’ time.

The Model Y gets 19in alloys as standard – a £1500 option on the Model 3. Other advantages include a fixed panoramic roof that’s a single piece of glass, rather than two pieces separated by a bar in the middle (as on the Model 3), and a darker-tinted rear screen and side windows. The tint is so dark that you can’t see through it – one of the reasons why there’s no need for a parcel shelf.

You get the same Autopilot lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control features with both. On motorways, this does a great job of maintaining a set distance from the car in front, as well keeping you in the centre of your lane.

You can upgrade to Enhanced Autopilot, which brings a self-parking function and allows the car to make automatic lane changes on the motorway, or Full Self-Driving Capability. The latter goes further, allowing your Tesla to stop automatically at traffic lights and then pull away again, plus you’ll get additional features, including automatic steering in city driving, over the air as soon as they’re released. Just bear in mind that these shouldn’t be considered self-driving systems, despite what the names might suggest.

The Model 3 has been awarded a five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP, with excellent scores for its ability to protect adult and child occupants. Given its similarities, we’ve no reason to expect that the Model Y won’t prove similarly safe, although a Euro NCAP appraisal has yet to be published.

Our verdict

We can absolutely see why you’d be tempted to choose the Model Y; before we’d driven it, our gut reaction was exactly the same. It’s built from largely the same components as the Model 3 yet is bigger, so it’s more practical. For private cash buyers, it should even work out the slightly cheaper option in the long run, thanks to its slower predicted depreciation.

Yet the difference in the way these cars drive is too great to overlook. The Model Y is a lot less composed than the Model 3 through corners and can be fractious on roads that aren’t perfectly smooth, whereas the Model 3 handles very well by EV standards and rides comfortably enough. Add to that the Model 3’s quieter interior and the fact that you’ll need to charge up less often and it’s the clear winner.

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1st – Tesla Model 3

For Even swifter acceleration; longer range; better to drive; slightly cheaper on a PCP
Against Relatively small boot opening; less comfortable seating position in the back
Recommended options Enhanced Autopilot (£3400), metallic paint (£1100)

What Car? rating 5 stars out of 5

Read our full Tesla Model 3 review >>

Find Tesla Model 3 deals >>

2nd – Tesla Model Y

For More space in the rear seats; more practical boot; slower depreciation
Against Uncomfortable ride; noisy cruising manners; slightly unnatural driving position
Recommended options Enhanced Autopilot (£3400), metallic paint (£1100)

What Car? rating 4 stars out of 5

Read our full Tesla Model Y review >>

Find Tesla Model Y deals >>

Specifications: Tesla Model Y Long Range

Engine Two electric motors
Peak power 434bhp (est)
Peak torque 364lb ft
Gearbox Single-speed automatic, 4WD
0-60mph 5.0sec
30-70mph 3.7sec
Top speed 135mph
30-0mph 8.8m
70-0mph 45.4m
Noise @ 30mph 62.4dB
Noise @ 70mph 67.7dB
Kerb weight 2071kg
Wheels and tyres (std) 245/45 R19
Real-world range 256 miles
Official range 331 miles
Efficiency on test 3.3 miles/kWh
Maximum charging rate 250kW
7kW home wallbox (0-100%) 12hr 
Rapid charger, peak rate (10-80%) 27min
CO2 emissions 0g/km

Specifications: Tesla Model 3 Long Range

Engine Two electric motors
Peak power 434bhp (est)
Peak torque 364lb ft
Gearbox Single-speed automatic, 4WD
0-60mph 4.4sec
30-70mph 3.4sec
Top speed 145mph
30-0mph 8.1m
70-0mph 44.6m
Noise @ 30mph 61.6dB
Noise @ 70mph 67.2dB
Kerb weight 1919kg
Wheels and tyres (std) 235/45 R18
Real-world range 276 miles
Official range 374 miles
Efficiency on test 3.7 miles/kWh
Maximum charging rate 250kW
7kW home wallbox (0-100%) 12hr 
Rapid charger, peak rate (10-80%) 27min
CO2 emissions 0g/km

Test weather conditions Dry

Cars pictured

Tesla Model Y Long Range with Pearl White paint

Tesla Model 3 Long Range with Deep Blue metallic paint (£1100)

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Read more: How far can electric cars really go? >>