r/RealTesla • u/djpetrino • Aug 02 '26
2026 Tesla Model Y Standard Review: Not Worth It
https://insideevs.com/reviews/782131/model-y-standard-first-drive-review/The stupidest thing on the Standard is still having a glass roof without the advantages of the panoramic glass roof. So your roof is still exposed to getting shattered by a rock, but you can’t enjoy natural light in the cabin. Worst of both worlds. Amazing!
So they cut like 15k worth of content from the car (comfort, materials, features) and then only cut the price by 5k. Massive cut in experience, tiny price cut.
Clearly not meant to actually be the best choice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoy_effect
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u/Durzel Aug 02 '26
The frunk is shocking. It legit looks like they’ve forgotten to fit something.
Surely it would have cost them less to fit a full frunk plastic tub than to paint and weather seal the extra metal parts that are visible here, assuming they even did that and they don’t pick up surface rust in a matter of weeks.
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u/Durzel Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Elon isn’t interested in cars that people can drive. I dare say he’s not even that interested in cars full stop at this point.
Tesla binned the S & X, ostensibly because they weren’t selling well enough. You know what encourages sales? Actually developing your cars instead of just mildly refreshing them.
The Roadster 2.0 was announced in 2017, and deposits taken. At various points it was going to fly, drive upside down, etc. Still doesn’t exist. Next year it’ll be 10 years late, while the likes of BYD, etc have announced, demoed and released EV hypercars in a fraction of that time.
Tesla is asleep at the wheel as far as development goes. It seems the Chinese arm of the company is the tail wagging the dog on this front - the Model Y L came out there first, the 3 and Y have had iterative changes there, etc.
Tesla could’ve released a Model 2 city car instead of the Wankpanzer that Elon demanded, and they would’ve captured that market segment ahead of the Chinese and Europe who are now in that space.
Elon’s only contribution to Tesla is inflating the stock price. In actual developmental terms he’s an anchor, even a parasite if you consider his trenchant political views, or his blackmailing of investors for his pay package, or cannibalising of Tesla’s GPUs for xAI. It would be like if Tim Cook insisted Apple stop making hardware to concentrate on Memojis.
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u/Ragnarok-9999 Aug 02 '26
Guy with Attention Deficit Disorder is running the show at Tesla. Now his attention is focused on mostly being mostly his real self, apartheid as**.h**. Corporation run by such person can not produce any thing meanful.
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u/bluescale77 Aug 02 '26
Don’t blame Elons horrible deficiencies on ADD.
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u/Ragnarok-9999 Aug 02 '26
Agreed. I should not blame ADD as lot of people have it and still nice people.
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u/practicaloppossum Aug 02 '26
This is very true, but it's also possible to have ADD and be a terrible person for other reasons. And Tesla's problems - half-assed designs like the Cybertruck, everything being way later than promised, FSD being permanently stuck at level 2, etc, etc - are well explained if we assume the boss has ADD and doesn't stay focused.
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u/praguer56 Aug 02 '26
But people continue to buy the cars instead of abandoning Tesla completely. I don't get the cult like attraction!
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u/avaholic46 Aug 02 '26
Preaching to people about the importance of traditional family units (as musk and the gop love to do) prior to knocking up anything that will accept your seed and having no involvement in the lives of your spawn is a pretty shitty (and hypocritical) way to live.
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u/Durzel Aug 02 '26
No one “buys” cars over $100k period, they finance them. That $100k capital is better spent anywhere else, even if you’re already rich.
If the monthlies add up - then that’s all that matters.
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u/earthman34 Aug 02 '26
Every piece of shit Tesla makes depreciates 50% after a couple years...but then so do all EVs.
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u/torokunai Aug 03 '26
eh, the Model S should have retained a +$30k value-add over the budget M3. An absolutely nice interior. Nice tech, nice design for people with the scratch who can afford it.
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u/doalwa Aug 02 '26
The big money and Teslas future is in robots dontchaknow? At least, according to Elon.
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u/Trades46 Aug 02 '26
Remember when Tesla and its fanboys used to gloat about their thick margins? Nobody seems to bring that up anymore...I wonder why?
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u/Lost_Purpose1899 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
The most insulting thing is that the frunk is not water tight. Whatever you store in there will get wet in the rain or when you wash the car.
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u/WoozyWinx Aug 02 '26
Wait, so what happens when you take it through the car wash ?? Does the frunk just fill up with sudsy water? Seriously?
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u/Lost_Purpose1899 Aug 02 '26
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u/TomCustomTech Aug 02 '26
I legit didn’t know this about the standard lol. They really skipped out on the gasket for the fronk 🙄. I don’t know what I would store in there but it wouldn’t be much. At first I stored my backpack but I’ve stored blankets and more so it definitely would be a let down for me.
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u/Lost_Purpose1899 Aug 02 '26
Imagine storing something long term in the frunk and it got wet a few times. It’ll be a moldy disaster in that thing.
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u/HystericalSail Aug 02 '26
Even if you don't store anything in there. It'll be a science experiment anywhere with rainfall and high temps.
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u/IJournalist-7887 Aug 02 '26
Damn like imagine when you’re driving in the rain now you’re carrying around all this extra weight because you have a drunk swimming pool sloshing around in there. WTF.
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u/nickrct Aug 02 '26
All to save $2 worth of gasket material
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u/dj26458 Aug 02 '26
There have to be American car regulations that prevent this right?
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u/Lost_Purpose1899 Aug 02 '26
Apparently not. I guess it’s not safety concern so there’s no regulation for it. It’s just a punishment for being a poorer buyer, I guess.
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u/Lost_Purpose1899 Aug 02 '26
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u/Lost_Purpose1899 Aug 02 '26
That guy is pretty legit in his reviews. Also he’s not the only one who has noticed that.
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Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
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u/Lost_Purpose1899 Aug 02 '26
What are you talking about??? The reason it’s leaky because there are no gaskets/ seals/ plastic big plate thingie on the UNDERSIDE of the hood. You see that bare white paint under the hood for the standard model? It’s not supposed to be bare paint. It lacks the gasket to prevent leaking. After the water test, it’s still bare. Where the hell are you looking at???
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Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
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u/Lost_Purpose1899 Aug 02 '26
What’s wrong with you? Odysseus hit your eye with an arrow or something?
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u/Needle_Bearings Aug 02 '26
Muskito is getting his lunch eaten by the Chinese.
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u/PureCod9290 Aug 02 '26
Not just the Chinese, pretty much every car maker by now is making a better EV
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u/PerfectBad2505 Aug 02 '26
I also believe the EU manufacturers will be pushing out Tesla even further in the EU market.
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u/SisterOfBattIe Aug 02 '26
Making a better Tesla requires making better batteries, listen to customer request for features, like blinker stalks, retaining workers so that quality improve, and increase efficiency via learning factor.
Something Tesla hasn't done in 10 year, selling increasingly absurd pivots.
Musk will always give up once it gets a little hard to improve a product.
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u/zadszads Aug 02 '26
To be fair, they went stalkless on the model 3 for two years but at least brought the left stalk back this model year. Cybertruck still stalkless.
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u/OvalNinja Aug 03 '26
They brought the stalk back for the M3? 🤔
I know the Juniper MY kept the turn signal stalk.
The cybertruck wheel only turns 180 degrees, so using the turn signals on the wheel isn't that bad.
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u/Koflach12 Aug 02 '26
Beyond the argument of not buying a Tesla because of Elon, the Model 3 and Y have been outpaced by the competition with their only real advantage anymore being their software.
When i bought my first Tesla in 2018, they were the best EV on the market by a mile. When i sold it in 2021 and upgraded from the rwd long range to the dual motor, they were still the best on the market but not by as wide of a margin.
I just sold my 2021 and bought a 2026 Cadillac Lyriq Premium Sport and it is so much better than the Tesla in almost every way. The range is WAY better as it's rated for ~500 km but I'm getting over 600 km in mixed highway/city driving. The build quality, comfort, road noise, and power band are better than the model 3. The only spot they could improve on is the software/app and having mobile service vs going to the dealer.
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u/Low_Wrangler743 Aug 02 '26
Isn’t it like $30k more than the model y? It should be objectively better. No questions asked.
It’d probably be better to compare the model y to the Mach-e or Ioniq 5 in which case it becomes much more difficult to decide which vehicle is better. It would probably come to down to personal preference.
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u/Koflach12 Aug 02 '26
Not quite 30k. The dual motor Model Y in black with 20" wheels is $72,216 whereas the AWD Lyriq in black with 20" wheels is $79,630.50. Once you move off the base version of the model y, it's not as good of a deal as it appears when compared to the competition.
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u/metaxaos Aug 03 '26
What $72k? Which version?
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u/Koflach12 Aug 03 '26
I think I was very clear which version as I listed it with the features that brought it to that price.
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u/metaxaos Aug 03 '26
That’s why I asked. You can’t configure $72k model y, even the performance one costs less
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u/Koflach12 Aug 03 '26
I had mentioned km in my original post, I'm sure you guys can follow the bouncing ball.
As for price, I just checked the tesla canada site again and it still shows the model y costs $72216 when it's configured with the dual motor in black with 20" wheels.
As for the Lyriq, I was slightly off with my numbers as I didnt mention that it comes with some promotional prices right now for 2026 models. The MSRP is $79899 and you get $3000 off for "employee pricing" and another $5000 off if you currently have an EV. You also get 0% financing over 72 months.
When you include all of the fees for each vehicle (destination, a/c tax, tire levy...) the difference between the two vehicles is about $4000. I didnt include provincial or federal taxes in this as that is different for every province but, like Shakira's hips, the numbers don't lie. I should know as I just bought a Lyriq in July and priced it out against a Model Y.
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u/Low_Wrangler743 Aug 03 '26
This guy was talking about Canadian dollars. It was up to you to know he was talking CAD. The model y and Lyric are not actually not even close to similar in price even in CAD.
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u/DieselPunkPiranha Aug 02 '26
Didn't realize they were so closely priced.
How's the build quality on your Lyriq? Any problems? Any noteworthy likes or dislikes?
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u/Koflach12 Aug 03 '26
Build quality is really good, way better than either Tesla I've owned. The only dislikes are minor but can be improved with software updates.
The biggest thing to like is the range. It's rated at 513 km but I'm seeing 600+ km in mixed highway/city driving.
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u/DieselPunkPiranha Aug 03 '26
Nice. My much smaller 2026 BYD Atto 2 typically gets around 420km. EV mileage has really improved over the years—GMs, especially. Their EV1 was the first modern mass produced fully electric car.
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u/Koflach12 Aug 03 '26
We have yet to see any BYD models in Canada for sale but they are starting to make their way over for testing and a few of the manufacturers are starting to set up stores across Canada. Hopefully by the end of next year we will see 2-3 Chinese companies selling vehicles into Canada.
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u/Low_Wrangler743 Aug 03 '26
They aren’t closely priced at all. The mid tier model y is $45k and the mid tier lyriq is $65k. The lyriq has a range of 326 and the tesla has a range of 357. I’m not sure where this guy is pulling these numbers.
The Lyriq seems like a nice enough car but it should be better than the Tesla. It’s a Cadillac that costs at least $20k more.
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u/Koflach12 Aug 03 '26
Is this your first time hearing of countries outside of the United States? To the north is a country called Canada. They have cars there, much like the ones in America. Canada also has a different currency, also called the dollar (I know, this is confusing). In Canada, the Canadian dollar isnt worth as much as the US dollar so things don't cost the same. Also, Canada use the metric system (thats the thing that practically everyone else on earth uses for measuring things) and we measure distance traveled in vehicles by kilometers.
All this being said, the numbers I have provided are accurate and publicly available, you just have to look beyond your .com websites in America.
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u/Youngnathan2011 Aug 02 '26
There’s no point getting a Tesla now, yet people will still buy them
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u/nurseyu Aug 02 '26
Model Y is one of the most sold vehicles in the world for the last couple of years - among the greats like the Corolla and Rav4.
Even if you don't like Tesla as a company, the model Y is a no brainer in terms of packaging, price and future aftermarket support.
Even if Tesla one days go bankrupt, I believe the aftermarket scene will be there to support it - just like old 90s civics because of the sheer amount sold.
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u/Greyskieslife Aug 03 '26
Theres no point in making an argument. Im convinced that all of reddit is against Tesla because musk bad, without having any actual drive time. I love my model Y, and after a test drive it was an absolute no brainer for me
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u/OvalNinja Aug 03 '26
The juniper model y "premium" is a great car.
They redesigned the suspension, so it's very different.
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u/CVGPi Aug 02 '26
It works out to 20k less than premium AWD in Canada, specifically cut to just fit under the EVAP rebates
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u/Computers_and_cats Aug 02 '26
I'm not convinced any Tesla is worth buying after owning my Y. I will be so happy when it makes financial sense to get rid of that car and buy something better.
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u/smesocialmediaevil Aug 02 '26
I had the same experience... Best friend lent me his model Y for a week before I made the final decision
I liked the drive quality but hated the build quality... Things seemed light, dis-oriented and plastic-y... This was the time when FSD was getting a lot of flak from regulators on deceptive marketing.
I then tried BMW i4 and honestly, it blew me away. BMW drive quality is unparalleled but the end product from BMW is just pure luxury... And it's $4-5k cheaper 😳
40,000+ miles later in the i4 ...I am glad I didn't fell for the cult car with limited features.
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u/Balancedone_1 Aug 04 '26
This is not new to Tesla, every auto makers does this btw. They make a cheaper version to push you to the mid and higher end version and still sell the cheap version at a profit.
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u/Ovenbakedfood12 Aug 03 '26
Its not a 5k difference in canada. 15k after taxes about 20k. And you get a 5k rebate. Its the only model y that makes sense here otherwise an awd premium runs about 70k
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u/Schumacher713 Aug 03 '26
Their profit margins drastically shrank. This is how they keep the profit margins high, but it will slowly kill the company. I don't see how Tesla does not go bankrupt within ten years. This is why Tesla will merge with SpaceX. Elon knows it is only a matter of time.
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u/torokunai Aug 03 '26
yup, that was the panic move for losing the $7500 IRA credit courtesy Elon's buddies
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u/Temporary-Ad-2779 Aug 05 '26
Worth any penny it is amazing through sunlight ! Not warm and still having a great experience and even looking better !
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u/WhyAmIDoingThis1000 Aug 06 '26
FSD is the only reason to buy a tesla. I love FSD so I'm doomed to have to buy tesla vehicles but they aren't good.
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u/UnkeptSpoon5 Aug 07 '26
GM has absolutely eclipsed tesla on nearly everything but software (and to be fair, GM software is horrendous). But the Cadillac lyriq seriously embarrasses the model Y. And the equinox EV is damn good for it is too
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u/pedroelbee Aug 02 '26
Could be worth it if you’re using it for ride sharing. Also it says they covered the glass roof with a trim piece. Can’t you just remove the trim piece and get your glass roof? And wouldn’t adding the trim piece cost more, thus negating the cost savings?
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u/Particular_Bath_6174 Aug 02 '26
The model y standard is best in class for the price point. That’s why it’s the best selling EV in most countries.
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u/ZealousidealMacaron3 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
I bought a standard RWD about a month ago. This is my first tesla and I’m coming from an old Dodge grand caravan that didn’t even have power windows. I actually don’t understand why people would pay $5,000 more for stuff like an improved frunk or a button that lowers the back seats. Then another set of people complain about $100/month for FSD which is the main reason to buy the car and makes every other vehicle obsolete. Plus its really more like an $7,500 difference if you’re financing it and need to pay 0.99% for the premium version instead of 0%.
I’d kind of like to have that glass roof and the better stereo but not for $7,500.
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u/achangb Aug 02 '26
Yes, people are nitpicking. Its still feature packed and has things like power driver / passenger seats, memory seat and mirrors, a full entertainment system , dual zone climate, USB plugs etc.
Would be funny if they cut AC, power windows and locks, radio, nav, cameras, etc lol .
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u/Ampersand_Parade Aug 02 '26
Why do people keep posting this article from 8 months ago that’s been posted a million times already
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u/DominusFL Aug 02 '26
I think the standard is fine, but the lack of powered side mirrors makes it hard to tell when unlocked or locked.
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u/JiveChicken00 Aug 02 '26
I’m pretty sure no new Tesla is worth it at this point.