Tesla Model X review - Reliability and safety

As a brand, Tesla finished in an impressive second place in our 2022 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, and although the Model X itself didn't appear, the Model 3 was voted into ninth place on our list of the top 75 cars to own. The number of Tesla owners who reported a fault with their car in the first year of ownership was considerably high, though, at 44 per cent - this was more than any other manufacturer. 

The Tesla Model X was tested by Euro NCAP in 2019 and it was awarded a full five-star rating. As well as a notable 98 per cent score for adult occupant safety, it scored an impressive 94 per cent for its driver assist systems. The individual scores for child occupant and pedestrian protection were 81 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively.

Safety kit includes side collision avoidance tech, automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning and parking sensors. There’s also Isofix child seat mounting points inside for car seats. Tesla also includes Autopilot software with the Model X, which helps drive the car on motorways for you.

Warranty

While the eight-year, 150,000-mile warranty for the Model X’s battery and drive unit is reassuring, the four-year, 50,000-mile warranty on the rest of the car is a little disappointing. Many drivers will cover that mileage in four years, leaving them with a car out of warranty that many garages around the country can’t repair. They may end up paying high prices at Tesla dealers, but that said, Tesla claims to run its service centres at cost and not for profit.