The fact that the Tesla Model Y was the world’s best-selling vehicle for two years in a row is no accident. For a while now, it’s offered a nearly unbeatable combination of range, tech features, pricing, practicality and outright performance—always the top target in the electric vehicle space.
But times change. When the Model Y was launched almost five years ago in 2020, its rivals—if you could even call them that—were the likes of the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi E-Tron. These days Tesla no longer has the EV tech lead it once had over traditional automakers, which have not only caught up but also surpassed it in some areas.
We’re far beyond the point when buying a midsize electric crossover that wasn’t a Model Y incurred some kind of big compromise, be it range, price or both. Meanwhile, the Model Y has long been overdue for some upgrades to compete in a field that it helped create.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)
Now, it gets them. Enter the Model Y “Juniper.” This update addresses some of the old car’s biggest problems, improves the overall package in countless ways, and brings a new visual language to mark Tesla’s next era.
It packs more electric range, a dramatically improved interior and some clever new tech features that the rest of the pack isn’t even trying yet. It’s better equipped with things like standard heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and rear-seat entertainment. I tested it in Dual Motor Long Range and came away deeply impressed.
Yet even after almost 2.4 million units sold since launch, the Model Y is facing what is shaping up to be its most difficult year ever.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
(Full Disclosure: Tesla’s European arm loaned me a fully-charged Model Y Launch Series for 48 hours.)
Two things are objectively true right now. The first is that the Model Y is an incredibly important car to the entire auto industry. It is likely to remain the benchmark for electric crossovers—at least outside of China—for some years to come.
The second is that the new Model Y launches under a cloud. People all over the world are angry with Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk. I won’t recap why in this review; you’ve read the headlines, including here. My goal is to evaluate this EV solely on its own merits. What you do with this information is up to you.
But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that here because it does speak to the test facing the Model Y: is it good enough that it might make electric crossover buyers get over their averse feelings toward the company boss? Or will that alone keep the Model Y from being a best-seller yet again?
Purely on its own merits, it deserves to keep its crown—but whether it can is an open question.
Cyber Makeover
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
Whether you like the exterior makeover or not, the Juniper refresh makes the Model Y look more modern and easier on the eye. The front end now borrows the light bar design from the Cybercab, and the bumper is a bit more aggressive than before, featuring slats on the side that are open and serve an aerodynamic purpose.
The side profile looks almost the same as before, but the nose is a bit sharper and more aggressive-looking. You’ll also spot new wheel designs like the 19-inch set that was on my special Launch Series tester. You can also get 20-inch Helix 2.0 wheels, which look considerably sportier, but they make the range drop by around 20 miles.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
For the rear of the Juniper, Tesla reserved what is considered to be a premiere for the automotive industry: a full-width light bar that projects its light onto a panel below it. You don’t see the source of the light, which is hidden, but what you do see is the diffuse light it emits onto a panel below, and it looks really cool and unique—it paints with light. This reminded me of architectural lighting and how that has the power to transform and beautify a building facade, and it does the same for the Model Y’s rear fascia.
The rear also has a redesigned rear bumper, which has a bigger diffuser-type element on the bottom, making it look like a Performance model. The impression that you’re looking at the Performance could be further strengthened by the presence of the Launch Series badge on the rear, which is similar to what you find on the trunk lid of the hot variant of the Model 3.
Other improvements abound, like the self-cleaning camera feature that blasts the lens with liquid to clear away dirt or debris. Anyone who’s had to wipe down their backup cameras during winter to see anything will love this feature, but it’s equally important to Tesla’s camera-based autonomous driving goals. Even if Full Self-Driving isn’t your thing, it’s useful.
Great To Drive, Now More Comfortable Too
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)
The revamped interior also makes a very good impression. Both the build and assembly quality seem to have been improved, and it still retains the original’s roominess and airy feel. The ultra-minimalist approach still permeates throughout the cabin, but it doesn’t feel like it’s forced or the result of cost-cutting (even though in some places that may be the case.
You sit quite high in the Model Y, higher than I expected, and you really feel this through the corners where the revised model’s more pronounced body roll becomes apparent. It’s a suspension setup that, unlike in the pre-refresh model, prioritizes comfort above sportiness.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)
This approach works better in a crossover than it does in the lower-slung Model 3, whose sporty character has been partially lost with the Highland update. If you have a sporty electric car itch, stick with the Model 3 Performance instead; it’s nimble and light and it rewards good driving.
It still shares the revamped Model 3’s suspension, which is softer than before and uses clever frequency-selective dampers. It feels even more comfortable than the Model 3, and there also seems to be a bit more suspension travel, making it glide over road imperfections with remarkable ease. Being on 19-inch wheels surely helps here too.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
Power And Range Specs
The Model Y Dual Motor Long Range (which is what the Launch Series is based on) has a dual-motor powertrain that delivers around 370 horsepower and 363 lb-ft of torque, allowing for a 0-62 mph (100 kph) sprint time of 4.8 seconds, which is more than enough pace for any family crossover and it very quickly reaches its top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h.)
Performance feels effortless in the dual-motor Model Y, and because Tesla doesn’t provide any piped-in acceleration sounds, you often don’t realize how quickly you’re going.
The Juniper update made the Model Y run around 10% more efficiently so it can stretch its battery capacity further—it gets the same 78.1-kilowatt-hour pack with around 75 kWh usable as before. The WLTP range for the Germany-built Model Y dual-motor that I drove is 386 miles (622 km), up from 372 miles (600 km) in the pre-refresh model.
The U.S.-spec Model Y has an EPA-rated range of 327 miles and we’ll be driving one soon to see how close we can get to matching it.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
With a fully charged battery, my tester indicated a range of 326 miles (525 km), which is good given the relatively low temperatures that dipped to around 41°F (5°C). One thing I noticed was that compared to the Model 3s that I’ve driven, the new Model Y’s battery thermal management system was much quieter than in the sedan, making it feel more refined and luxurious.
The Turn Signal Stalk Is Back, But…
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)
Not all of the minimalist touches feel natural. One that does seem forced is trying to put on your high beams by pulling on the turn signal stalk, which Tesla added back in after catching flak for removing it in the updated Model 3. It’s quite strange to have a stalk and not be able to have high beams on it too, and you put those on via a button on the steering wheel, just like in the Model 3.
It is a stalk that allows you to put on your blinkers, but it’s as if Tesla wanted to intentionally make it bad. It self-centers after each use, just like in my old BMW E90 3 Series. Unlike in my car, though, where it has two clicks either way to get it to flash three times or put it on fully, it only has one in the Model Y, making it a bit more awkward to use.
I also noticed that the self-cancel function is hit-or-miss sometimes, and I found myself moving it from one side to the other, struggling to get it to cancel. BMW did the self-centering stalk much better nearly 20 years ago, making it intuitive and easy to operate.
The steering wheel is the same design as in the Model 3, but since it doesn’t have buttons for the turn signals, it’s slightly simplified. What is just as good as in the Model 3 is how good the steering wheel feels in your hand while you’re driving the car. It’s on the small side, but with the quick steering ratio and direct feel, it was for me one of the defining driving characteristics of the refreshed Model Y.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
Software, Tech, Other Improvements
The front screen is still the main point of focus in a Model Y interior. It’s the same size, but it gets thinner bezels that make it look more modern and upmarket. It’s still one of the best infotainment screens on the market blending super-quick touch response with enough processing power to never stutter.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)
Driving the Model Y, it became even more apparent than in the Model 3 that these cars could use a head-up display to project important information in the center of the driver’s line of sight. Embedding a small (even monochrome) display in the upper part of the dashboard serving the same purpose would have been great. The big aftermarket scene for driver’s displays for these cars should have been a hint for Tesla to fit one from the factory.
I’m not a big fan of having to rely on cameras for parking in the Model Y, which doesn’t have any ultrasonic sensors. The camera-based system does a decent job most of the time but in low-light conditions when one or more of the cameras are dirty, relying on the system for parking isn’t very reassuring.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)
Tesla offers an Auto Shift feature that puts the car in either drive or reverse depending on the situation. This is meant to make the loss of the physical transmission stalk less noticeable and even though it’s still in Beta, it worked well enough 99% of the time in my experience. When it doesn’t work, swiping up or down in the corner of the screen isn’t bothersome and it quickly starts to feel natural.
The rear screen is also great exhibiting the same crisp graphics and smooth operation of the front display. It allows you to direct where the air flows or rear occupants and it works great in this role and it also serves an entertainment purpose too.
You can watch YouTube or Netflix in the back and the screen is just big enough to make it watchable. The only problem is that it’s placed way too low for comfortable watching—it needs to be 10 inches higher to properly work as a mini-TV in the back.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
A Better Model Y, No Matter Who’s At The Helm
Looking at the Model Y Juniper objectively, it’s hard to not take it into account when shopping around for a sporty electric crossover. Even though it now exists in a much more crowded and competitive market segment than ever, it’s still good enough to be mentioned among the best.
If you judge Tesla on the merits of its boss, then the Model Y may be a hard sell for many. If that’s a deal-breaker for you, there are plenty of other great electric crossovers out there, and we’ve tested most of them. You won’t go wrong with something like a Hyundai Ioniq 5, a Chevy Blazer EV or something fancier like a Genesis GV60 or a Cadillac Lyriq.
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)
However, the Model Y drives so well, it comes so well-equipped as standard and gives you access to the best charging network out there—although not the best charging performance since it’s only a 400-volt EV—that it’s hard to ignore.
There may be a world where Tesla’s CEO gets reined in or puts his focus back on cars. After all, plenty of brands have found ways to move past their own dark clouds. Maybe then, attention will shift back to the simple fact that the new Model Y is a good car.
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Andrei Nedelea
