New Tesla Model Y Performance review: family SUV is supercar fast but not supercar fun

Verdict

Like the rest of the revised-in-2025 Model Y range, the new Performance model takes a step forward over its predecessor. Faster in a straight line, more competent through the corners, and more refined and efficient too, it’s a very compelling all-round package. Despite this, it still misses out on the feel and feedback that would make it a worthy driver’s car. 

Its main issue, however, is the rest of that updated Model Y range. Lesser models are more than quick enough for most people, so there’s not a huge amount of benefit in spending a big chunk of extra cash for the hottest option. 

Does a family SUV need to cover the 0-62mph sprint in 3.5 seconds? That’s what the latest Tesla Model Y Performance is capable of. It means this all-electric SUV, with generous cabin space and huge boots both front and rear, has the chops to keep pace with an Aston Martin Vantage in a traffic light Grand Prix. All the more impressive when it costs £61,990. 

But we doubt many shoppers are comparing the specs of a Model Y and a beautiful British GT car when considering their next set of wheels. Instead, the Tesla has a few more intriguing and evenly matched rivals - most notably the £65,100 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and the less extreme, but no less intriguing, MG IM6 Performance - a relative snip at £50,995.

Used - available now

2023 Tesla

Model Y

28,360 milesAutomaticElectric

Cash £25,000

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2023 Tesla

Model Y

14,696 milesAutomaticElectric

Cash £27,600

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2023 Tesla

Model Y

30,405 milesAutomaticElectric

Cash £25,500

View Model Y

2023 Tesla

Model Y

28,958 milesAutomaticElectric

Cash £25,800

View Model Y

Tesla’s acceleration figures have been dominating headlines for years and they're still enough to convince many buyers. It’s easy to make an EV go fast in a straight line, but a driver’s car needs more than that to be entertaining. And it’s those bits that the engineers of this Model Y Performance have turned their focus to this time. 

Styling is an easy place to focus if you want to draw in the admirers, and the Performance is off to a strong start. It adopts the new front end treatment of its other revised Model Y rangemates - including the slim Cybertruck-style light bar - but also gains bolder air intakes at the outer edges of the bumpers to show off its extra sporting intent.

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New forged 21-inch alloy wheels - wider at the front than the rear - fill the wheel arches very nicely indeed, and look great either with or without the aerodynamic wheel covers. To the rear, a carbon fibre lip spoiler sticks out far beyond where the standard car’s boot lid ends, adding a little balance to the overall shape. Tesla says that these changes mean that compared to the pre-facelift Model Y Performance, aerodynamic drag has been reduced by 10 percent, yet lift has also been cut by 64 per cent.  When so many Teslas seem to be optioned with dreary greyscale paint choices, the Ultra Red of our test car really popped in bright sunlight, too.

Inside, the Performance gets a set of more figure-hugging seats than other Model Y trims, while the key upgrade here is a subtle one; the previous 15.4-inch screen has been replaced by a new, higher resolution 16-inch QHD item. While you’d need to study quite closely to notice any significant improvement over the old (already impressive) screen, what becomes clear is that it’s the brightest, sharpest display we’ve ever tested in a car. It’s running the same interface as previous Model Ys, so loading times and touch responses are as quick as they come, too. While it’s currently only available in the Performance, it’s a safe bet that it’ll be rolled out to the rest of the Model Y (and Model 3) range at some point.

But the screen needs to be good, because pretty much everything goes through it. We don’t have a problem with door mirror and steering wheel adjustment being set within the touch display - these are the sort of things that only really get adjusted rarely anyway - but it’s much harder to approve headlight and wiper controls in the same place. While a headlight flasher and the windscreen washer are conventionally placed buttons on the steering wheel, we’d be much happier if the cabin was a touch less minimalist and incorporated an extra stalk or button for these key controls. 

When it comes to what makes the Performance earn its name, the latest version now makes use of the Performance 4DU powertrain that is also used by the Model 3 Performance. With 454bhp, it makes 32 per cent more peak power and 22 per cent more continuous power than the outgoing Performance. Tesla doesn’t state a maximum torque figure, but it does say that is up 16 per cent, too.

With figures like that, it’s no surprise to learn that the Model Y is seriously rapid. But as with other Teslas, it’s the quality of the powertrain calibration that really shines. That throttle is superbly responsive without being hyperactive; it’s possible to very precisely meter out torque with your right foot. Brake motor regeneration is also excellent; the car can come to a limo-like smooth stop when shuffling along in traffic, yet unlike the previous Performance, which had a habit of engaging its brake regen system too aggressively while cornering - making it hard to balance the throttle through a turn - it feels much more progressive here. The ability to alter the level of regen between two settings is a massive help, too.

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Like the powertrain, the fundamentals of the suspension setup are lifted from the Model 3 Performance, and then tailored for the Y’s taller SUV body. This includes an adaptive damping setup which Tesla says can adapt in real-time to driver and road inputs. Meanwhile, new springs, stabilizer bars and bushings, steering knuckles and revised geometry are designed, in no particular order, to improve steering precision, improve ride comfort and increase torsional stiffness. 

And the results are all positive. The latest Performance is the most sophisticated Model Y yet in the chassis department; body roll is well contained through the corners, with just enough to make the driver aware of what’s going on in the sweetly-balanced chassis. Grip is excellent and while the stability control system can be a little restrictive, a new ‘Reduced’ mode allows for a little more slip. This means that if you get greedy with the throttle at the exit of a corner, that 454bhp is not averse to pushing the car from its rear axle - even in the dry. 

We struggled to notice much of a difference between the two suspension settings, with the softer of the two very slightly less busy over all but the smoothest of surfaces. It's slightly less firm than the Ioniq 5 N, but also lacks some of that car’s body control over larger bumps. As in the standard Y, refinement is impressive - much improved since the mid-life updates.

While the motor regeneration is great for slowing down, the physical brake discs and pads don’t feel up to the task of slowing down something with so much straight line speed.

It’s a very effective tool at covering ground, then, but as before, it’s still a car which leaves a keen driver feeling rather detached from the action. The steering is the main point of blame here. The geometry changes are certainly positive - the Performance has lost much of the gloopy feeling that blights most other Teslas - but there’s little to no feedback on offer through the rim. This makes it very hard to judge the car’s limits of grip. The steering is too sensitive, too; it isn't really in sync with the response of the chassis. This level of feedback and driver involvement is something that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N gets very right, but Tesla still hasn’t got to grips with. 

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However, there’s one area where the Tesla is miles clear of the 5 N - literally. The Model Y boasts a claimed range of 360 miles. That’s 82 miles more than the Hyundai - though in the real world, we’ve struggled to achieve anywhere near the Hyundai’s claimed figure either. We’ll be putting the Model Y through a much more thorough range test soon, but before we started driving in a more spirited fashion, our efficiency was working out at an estimated range of just over 300 miles. 

But for all of this, the biggest stumbling block with the Model Y Performance is that the standard car is so compelling. A long Range Rear Wheel Drive might not have a 3.5-second 0-62mph time, but at 5.4 seconds, it’s hardly slow. It’s not as sharp to drive, but the Performance lacks that final sparkle that would make it a true driver’s car. Add in the fact that the lesser version goes 387 miles on a charge and - crucially - costs £14,000 less, and it’s where our money would go.