New Tesla Model Y still doesn't have CarPlay

Car buyers love the Tesla Model Y, a late sales rush at the back end of 2024 seeing it hit the top of the sales charts for December and cementing its fifth place overall for the year. That’s in addition to you voting it Car of the Year in Auto Trader’s 2024 New Car Awards as well! But time stands still for nobody, even Tesla. And with increasingly competent alternatives landing from both established mainstream brands and newcomers from China an updated and improved Model Y is now available to order, with deliveries starting in June. Here’s what’s new.
• Like the Model 3 ‘Highland’ updates, the Model Y ‘Juniper’ gets sharper looks thanks to new lights front and back, along with improved ride and interior quality • ‘Second-generation’ suspension (whatever that means) and improved sound insulation claim improvements in ride quality and refinement • Some confusion on whether the new Model Y has, like the Model 3, dropped stalks for gear selection and indicators but, from what we can see, it looks like you’ll be fumbling for the latter via touch-controls on the steering wheel • Impressive acceleration has always been a Tesla selling point and while there isn’t a Performance Model Y at launch most models have trimmed a couple of tenths off their 0-62mph times, if that matters to you • £44,990 cash starting price for the base Rear-Wheel Drive is £1,700 cheaper than the existing version, which sounds like good news but any saving will be wiped out by the fact all Model Ys incur the Expensive Car Supplement now applied to all cars – including electric ones – over £40,000 • Orders for the new Model Y are already open for delivery in June, including the Launch Edition with various branded embellishments and extra kit

With the ‘Juniper’ Model Y now listed on Tesla’s UK customer site we have a better idea of the model range, which comprises the familiar Rear-Wheel Drive, Long-Range Rear-wheel Drive and Long-Range All-wheel Drive progression. There’s also a Launch Edition, featuring specific badges, puddle lights and branding on the door sills and interior trim. It also gets ‘vegan suede’ interior trim and a feature called ‘Acceleration Boost’ to trim another couple of tenths off the 0-62mph time but these bragging rights come at a pretty hefty cost, given the £9,000 premium over the Long-Range All-wheel Drive on which it is based. Visually the differences between the new Model Y and the previous one are more obvious than those applied to the ‘Highland’ Model 3 update of last year, the strip-like front and rear lights reminiscent of fresher rivals entering the space from China, the Xpeng G6 very obviously among those gunning for a slice of the Model Y pie.

Like the latest Model 3 the new Model Y appears to have had a further purge of physical switchgear and moved gear selection from a stalk to the screen and indicators to steering wheel touchpads. Whether you consider this progress or not will be up to you, the indicator controls proving somewhat infuriating on the Model 3 in situations like roundabouts where your hands are moving around the wheel. In terms of tech it’s the same 15.4-inch screen up front powered by what is vaguely described as ‘second-generation’ hardware and, like the Model 3, a new second screen between the front seats for those in the back. Still no CarPlay or Android Auto, though, if the Model 3 is anything to go by. Refinement and quality has been improved, though, with new ambient lighting, sound insulated glass on the side windows, power-operated vents, hands-free boot opening and a couple more speakers on higher grade models (even if the Long-Range RWD is downgraded here).

Evolution rather than revolution here, Tesla’s habit of keeping information on its powertrain figures close to its chest making it hard to identify exactly what, if anything, has changed. At least we now have official WLTP range figures so you can compare against the latest rivals, the RWD claiming 311 miles, the Long-Range RWD 387 miles while the Long-Range AWD and Launch Edition both do 353 miles.

As above what Tesla gives with one hand the taxman takes with the other, the cost saving on the base version of the new Model Y immediately swallowed up by increased Vehicle Excise Duty that now includes electric cars over £40,000. See the customer site for the latest pricing, the base cost increasing considerably if you go for the Launch Edition. Deliveries are due in June, meanwhile.

If you still hang on Elon Musk’s every word we’ll be getting chauffeured around in autonomous Tesla taxis before long, though as even the man himself admits he can sometimes get a bit carried away with his predictions.

Pretty much everything! Having enjoyed a formidable head start with its battery tech, range figures and infrastructure Tesla now faces a tougher challenge as the mainstream car industry gears up to compete and the influx of Chinese brands and products gets more competitive. Suffice to say, the easy ride the Model Y has had so far will be a lot tougher from now on.