Why the Cheapest Model Y Might Be the Only Tesla You Need | Full Review

From InsideEVs.

Voices on the internet say the Tesla Model Y Standard is a variant to avoid. They argue that all the equipment it loses in the quest for improved affordability is enough to make it not worth considering. But is that really true?

Most of the criticism boils down to one idea: Tesla cut comfort and convenience features and that all adds up to make it feel cheap. So I treated the Standard like a normal car for almost two weeks, waiting for the moment it started to feel compromised and like a bad choice. It never came.

Sure, it’s not as nice as the Model Y Premium, whose suite of features does make it feel a cut above, but the Standard is still a lot of electric crossover for the money. Here in Romania, where I tested it, its €39,990 price tag before any incentives or discounts are applied makes it a very attractive buy.

(Note: In the U.S., Tesla no longer calls this the “Standard,” instead labeling it the Model Y, with the more typical version now called the Model Y Premium. For clarity, we refer to it as the Standard throughout.)

You can’t get another similar EV here for less, and even in Standard trim, the Model Y has more standard equipment than more expensive rivals like the very popular Skoda Enyaq, which you see a lot around here (starting at just under €43,000).

What €39,990 buys you is the same body, the same packaging, and the same core usability as the regular Model Y, including access to the vast network of Superchargers, a genuinely massive cargo area and more performance than other base models.

The only other electric crossover that starts around the same price point in Europe is the Ford Explorer EV (based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform), but it’s a foot shorter, smaller inside, and not particularly premium-feeling. Probably the best alternative here in Europe is a base Hyundai Ioniq 5, which has a larger battery and more range. It only costs from €41,000, delivering 354 miles (570 km) WLTP on one charge, while the Tesla can only reach 331 miles (534 km), albeit with a smaller battery pack.

It’s a slightly different story in the U.S., where you can get rivals for less than its $39,990 starting price. The Chevrolet Equinox EV, Toyota bZ and Ford Mustang Mach-E in base trim all undercut the Model Y Standard and offer comparable specs. The Standard, therefore, makes more sense in Europe than in the States, where more affordable options are available.

But even if it’s not as cheap as rivals and in the U.S., does that mean you should avoid the Model Y Standard?

Read more here:
Tesla Deleted Lots Of Features In The Model Y Standard, But It Didn’t Ruin It
https://insideevs.com/reviews/786933/tesla-model-y-standard-europe/

Follow InsideEVs at:
https://www.instagram.com/insideevscom/
https://www.facebook.com/InsideeVs
https://x.com/insideEVs
https://www.insideEVs.com/newsletter/