The Tesla Model Y is a battery electric compact crossover SUV produced by Tesla, Inc. since 2020. Presented in March 2019 as the company's fifth production model, the Model Y is the best-selling electric vehicle of all time, having sold more than 2.16 million units worldwide.
After its 2019 introduction, the Model Y started production at the Tesla Fremont Factory in California in January 2020. Production at Giga Shanghai, China was added in December 2020, and at Gigafactory Texas since late 2021. Deliveries from Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany started in March 2022. The Model Y is based on the Model 3 sedan and serves as a larger variant, with around 76 percent of parts being shared between the two and identical exterior and interior styling. While most Model Y are configured with two-row seating, in the US the Model Y offered optional third-row seats for a seven-passenger seating capacity until the 2025 refresh.
In 2023, Tesla delivered 1.2 million Model Ys, making it the world's best-selling vehicle that year, surpassing the Toyota Corolla and becoming the first electric vehicle to claim that title. In 2024 sales were second to the Toyota RAV4. A refreshed version of the Model Y was revealed in January 2025, with upgrades similar to the upgraded Model 3. In mid-2025, Tesla introduced the Model Y L, a long-wheelbase, six-seat variant of the Model Y.
History
Pre-launch
In 2013, Tesla Motors filed to trademark the name "Model Y". Later in 2015, CEO Elon Musk teased a Model 3-based Model Y with falcon-wing doors. In 2017, a Model Y silhouette was teased to Tesla shareholders at the annual general meeting in June. Musk also announced that the Model Y would be produced in a new factory, as the Fremont plant would not have room to accommodate another production line.
In June 2018, a new silhouette was revealed by Musk. He stated that the Model Y would be formally announced in March 2019. The Model Y announcement had been planned for 2018; however, production problems with the Model 3 resulted in it being pushed to 2019. In October 2018, Elon Musk revealed that he had approved the finalized design for the first production version of the Model Y, however production would not start until 2020. On March 3, 2019, Elon Musk published multiple tweets, announcing the unveiling event and confirming some specifications. Musk confirmed the vehicle would use standard doors, as opposed to the falcon-wing doors used on the Model X.
Production
Tesla originally announced plans at the unveil to assemble the Model Y at Giga Nevada (in Sparks, Nevada), along with the battery and drivetrain for the vehicles, unlike the Model 3, where drivetrains and batteries are assembled at Giga Nevada, with final assembly completed at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California. Two months later, in May 2019, Tesla said that they instead planned to shuffle production lines at the Tesla Fremont Factory to make space for Model Y production.
On January 29, 2020, Tesla reported in its Q4 2019 earnings report that Model Y production had already started in the Fremont factory, that one can now place an order for their premium versions with all-wheel drive, and that delivery of Model Y would begin in Q1 2020.
In November 2019, Tesla announced that the Tesla Model Y would be the first vehicle to be assembled at the first European Gigafactory, Giga Berlin. Tesla started deliveries of the Berlin-made Model Y since March 2022, mainly for European markets.
United States deliveries started in March 2020 for the Long Range AWD version and the Performance version. Later in 2020, Tesla began shipping cars to the Canadian and Mexican markets.
Initial production of the made-in-China Model Y began in mid-December 2020 with 250,000 Model Y expected to be produced in 2021 in China alone. In November 2020, Tesla signed an agreement with LG Chem to supply battery cells for Model Y production in China.
On October 7, 2020, Musk tweeted that Giga Berlin Model Y would get single-piece rear and front frame cast, structural battery pack, and new 4680 battery cells.
Vehicles manufactured from April 2021 no longer include radar for adaptive cruise control, and those from May the same year lack lumbar support on passenger seats.
Model Y vehicles produced from October 2022 no longer include ultrasonic sensors. As a result, the vehicles now rely solely on cameras to provide driver assistance features.
Design
The Tesla Model Y featured a streamlined crossover design derived from the Model 3 sedan, adopting similar proportions and surface treatment while integrating a higher roofline and hatchback-style tailgate. The overall form emphasized aerodynamics, achieving a drag coefficient of 0.23, with smooth body surfacing and mechanical flush door handles.
At the front, the Model Y retained the brand's grilleless fascia, with narrow LED headlamps and a sculpted bumper forming a continuous curve into the front fenders. The roofline followed a fastback silhouette tapering toward a short rear overhang, visually aligning the Model Y closer to a coupe SUV profile rather than a traditional SUV. The rear design incorporated a full-width tailgate with integrated LED taillights and a discreet lip spoiler on the liftgate edge. A black plastic lower diffuser contrasted the body color was added to reduce perceived height.
The Model Y shares approximately 75% of its components with the Model 3 sedan, enabling streamlined production and reduced manufacturing costs. CEO Elon Musk stated that the high degree of component commonality with the Model 3 facilitates faster production scaling.
Technical details
Powertrain and battery The Model Y is offered in rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) configurations. RWD variants use a single rear-mounted internal permanent-magnet synchronous reluctance motor, while AWD variants add a front induction motor, allowing the vehicle to disengage the less-efficient front motor when its output is not needed.
Battery chemistry and capacity vary by market and trim. Standard-range variants use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, while Long Range and Performance variants use nickel-based (NMC) cells, with usable capacities ranging from approximately 60 to 81kWh. Model Y vehicles have been produced with several cell formats over the vehicle's life, including 2170 cells, prismatic LFP cells in China-built standard-range cars, and structural battery packs using 4680 cells in some Texas-built vehicles. All variants support up to 11.5kW AC charging and DC fast charging at up to 250kW (225kW on the Standard trim) via Tesla's Supercharger network and, in most markets, the Combined Charging System or North American Charging Standard.
Heat pump The Model Y is Tesla's first vehicle to use a heat pump instead of electric resistance for interior cabin heating. Electric cars using electric resistance heating can lose 40% or more of their range in ambient temperatures below . The heat pump can be up to 300% more efficient than electric resistance heating.
Some electric vehicles from other manufacturers, including the Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe, BMW i3, Jaguar I-Pace, Audi Q8 e-tron, and Kia Niro, had already implemented heat pumps. Tesla's heat pump has been praised for using far fewer parts.
Tesla's heat pump system includes unique features including the "Super Manifold" and the "Octovalve". Inside the Super Manifold two systems meet: one for water-glycol coolant (used for managing the temperature of the battery, computers and powertrain) and the other for R1234YF refrigerant (used for cabin temperature control). The two systems share a liquid cooled condenser and a chiller. The Octovalve has eight ports that move the coolant around the different systems of the vehicle. The system allows the vehicle to remove waste heat from the vehicle's systems and use it to warm the cabin.
Musk has said that the new heat pump system is one of the two most significant changes in the Model Y over the Model 3 (which included it too in 2021), the other being the new single-piece castings.
Radar Vehicles produced since May 2021 lack radar for adaptive cruise control. In February 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation over phantom braking in these new vehicles. As of May 2024, the investigation is still ongoing.
Software update 2022.20.9 transitioned radar equipped Model Ys (and Model 3s) to Tesla Vision. Steering assist is limited to , down from on vehicles with radar and minimum following distance has been increased to two car lengths from one.
Single-piece castings
In August 2020, it was reported that the Tesla Factory in Fremont would soon activate the world's largest unibody casting machine for Model Y production, switching to casting the rear body in a single piece. Elon Musk told an interviewer that the Berlin-made Model Y is "not just a copy of the Model Y. It's actually a radical redesign of the core technology of building a car." With this new design and production method, rear and front portions of the frame will be a single-cast design. Injecting molten aluminum into a cast and having robots pull out the molded metal allowed Tesla to combine several manufacturing steps. This manufacturing process is expected to result in significant cost savings, reducing a complex structural frame of dozens of parts, requiring many hours of welding to be reduced to just 1 part. Other savings include lower tool investments, reduced production time, lower number of robots, and a smaller production area.
In August 2020, Tesla started assembling the world's biggest casting machine for this purpose, which the company called the Giga Press. The machine was supplied by Italian company Idra.
Production of the Model Y with single-piece rear casting was reported to have started in late December 2020. The new process unified 70 different metal parts into two large parts.
In May 2024, Reuters reported that Tesla had abandoned its plans to adopt the one-piece gigacasting process, due to large upfront investment costs and a larger strategic realignment towards autonomous driving and the Tesla Robotaxi.
2025 refresh
Model Y Premium (originally Long Range)
On January 10, 2025, Tesla launched a refreshed Long Range version of the Model Y. Internally codenamed "Juniper", the new Model Y features a full-width light bar as its daytime running lights and tail light, as well as a touchscreen for passengers in the rear seat. Top speed of the non-performance versions was reduced from . The long range version also increased the range from . As customers of other models complained about the lack of the turn signal stalk, the 2025 Model Y refresh keeps the traditional turn signal stalk.
Changes to the exterior of the new Model Y include a sleeker front design with a more streamlined nose and a thin light bar across the hood. Technical revisions include redesigned wheels and rear diffuser to reduce drag and to "optimise lift balance" between the front and rear wheels for less noise and improved stability at high speeds. The hood no longer includes a "T" badge in most markets for a minimalist aesthetic.
Its cabin adopts design cues from the updated Model 3, including wraparound ambient lighting, a 15.4-inch central touchscreen, ventilated seats, and an 8-inch rear touchscreen for second-row passengers. It also received upgrades such as powered rear seats and improved suspension for a more comfortable ride. Cabin refinement has also been improved with double-layer acoustic glass applied to all windows, while the panoramic glass roof features a silver coating that limits UV and heat transmission into the interior.