At this point, why anyone would opt to buy a Tesla is beyond my understanding.
The fact that regulation is lacking to such an extent as to allow Tesla to wait for airbag deployment for something to count as a crash is kind of sad.
I don't understand it either. Anybody I know recently in the UK only got one for political reasons or to stick it to the system in some naive way. I wish I was joking. This is even more sad.
These are the same people who are staunchly opposed to regulating emissions in any way.
So in a way it’s great that they’ve been convinced to buy zero-emissions vehicles by giving them a reactionary edgelord option that’s just like every other EV. (Except for the suicide FSD mode which is more like a Darwin awards filter.)
It depends on the segment and time range and market. MotorEasy conducted a survey in 2024 in the U.K. with 29,967 respondents. (https://www.whatcar.com/news/most-reliable-cars/n27337) The Tesla Model Y was the 9th (equal) most reliable car. However Teslas tend to fare poorly in the Consumer Reports survey in the U.S. I suspect one of the reasons for the discrepancy between this market and the U.S. is that the U.K. received Tesla shipments a lot later for new models - years, in fact. This gave Tesla time to iron out first-model issues. Another is potentially the location of manufacture. Most Teslas sold in the U.K. come from China and Germany. Most Teslas sold in the U.S. come from Fremont, California. There were widespread reports of strange manufacturing practises at the Fremont plan during the covid outbreak, like spray-painting cars in makeshift tents.
Interestingly, MotorEasy found that gas and hybrids were the most reliable. Diesel were the least reliable.
I'd chalk up the low diesel reliability to all the emission systems. Before all the Mercedes D's would run forever, million miles. Even the heavy truck engines could reach a million miles. Now the emission systems including EGR, SCR, and DPF, add injectors, plumbing and electronics. The EGR and DPF systems clog up with soot or burn up from regen
These studies don't really show a decent comparison between EV's, just car makers in general. We aren't trying to argue whether Tesla's are better than ICE car makers, but whether they're consistent or better against other EV's of other car makers.
However, if you look at the latest press release by JDPower (https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2025-us-vehi...) you'll see that Tesla now ranks right near the average. Significantly better than in previous years and ahead of other common car makers.
The dependability study could do with a segment purely on EV's, given that EV's as a whole are improving by roughly 33 PP100 per year.
I used the same links as the commenter above, of which I cited a more recent study and shows that Tesla isn’t as bad as they perhaps used to be.
If they really wanted to exclude them they wouldn’t have included them all.
I cited the study, because it was the same study commented above where the most recent study wasn’t mentioned.
I’m not bragging at all, but they’re just not as bad of a car as some people are giving them a wrap for. Heck they had the same number of problem reported as Ford, does that mean Fords are bad cars? No.
What I'm saying is just that Tesla are not "excellent cars and are still ranked at the top compared to the rest of the market" as you said. The fact that they move from the bottom to average still don't support Tesla as excellent cars when compared to the rest of the market. Note that I'm not asserting that "Tesla are the worst cars".
> And even then you’re bragging about Tesla being … average?
If you think about issues this way, I think it's fully unproductive. No one was bragging. The fact you see this as either unthinking bragging or unthinking criticism makes it very hard to talk about what matters: the facts of the matter.
They absolutely were bragging when they said this:
> Tesla's are excellent cars and are still ranked at the top compared to the rest of the market.
The actual facts show otherwise, of course, so now he’s trying the squid ink approach of emitting a lot of verbiage trying to say that average and excellent mean the same thing, but that’s just a distraction from the fact that their first statement was based on brand loyalty, not data.
I wasn't bragging, I can't brag about them because I don't own a Tesla nor serve to gain any validation or benefit if they do well or not.
A study has found that perhaps I was wrong in the eyes of a dependability study, but I still think they're an excellent car. I still think that if a Ford owner said that they think their Ford Ranger is an excellent car people wouldn't disagree because a dependability study put them as average.
This is what I mean - my impression is you can't tell the difference between someone commenting on a product and someone boasting about something they made or did. The OP (as far as we know) is not in a position to brag about the general status of Tesla cars, unless they are a senior person at Tesla.
If I said "BMWs are excellent cars" would I be bragging?
Isn’t Tesla Model S Plaid still ranked the fastest (maybe 1 or 2 $300k super cars are faster) while being the safest and have arguably the most advanced self drive available in the market?
I dislike Tesla as a brand; however, they're not particularly lacking considering their size and price point. JD Power's "ratings" are almost entirely based on surveys and are essentially worthless.
My Model Y is the most reliable car I've ever owned, except it eats tires quickly because it's so heavy. Just one anecdote of course.
I'll never buy another one as long as Elon Musk is associated with the company, but I'd be crazy to sell it now because it's paid for and it's a great car.
Bruh, JD Power is a joke, they said the Chevy Equinox is the most reliable compact SUV of 2024, look at any of their rankings, it’s all basically random, meaningless noise.
I assume they just create hundreds of oveRlapping categories to make sure everyone has something they will pay the license fee to talk about in a commercial
They're not actually that great of an EV anymore. The build quality is lackluster and the ride on the Model 3 in particular is quite harsh.
Some of the comments I hear almost universally from prior Model 3 owners when they switch to an Ioniq 5 is how much nicer the ride quality is and how nice it is to have buttons on the dash again.
I have a Model 3 2024 and the "ride quality" is beyond any other vehicle I've been in. I genuinely get a little excited every time I drive it. Best car I've ever been in or drove, and it's not close.
If you want to provide anything other than your isolated impression it'd be helpful to know what cars you're comparing it too. Civics? Audis? Ford F150s?
On the whole seems a little... over enthusiastic...
You should relax a bit. Model 3 ride was a bit 'sporty' compared to others. Some people like that, other prefer it softer. There really isn't a clear 'right' and 'wrong' here. But on avg. people seem to prefer it a bit softer, so they adjusted it slightly.
Successive version always do slight changes like that over time, that how car companies work. Old owners don't need to be happy about it, or think about it at all.
Supposedly. As far as I understand, whether it was fixed or not will be decided by a completely separate group of people. At some point, Tesla can just lie, and don't expect people will be able to verify.
I think Elon found a glitch it tech-bro reasoning: you promise a product, people believe you and buy it, then they realise that it is not what was advertised, but it is OK, because new version has it now, so you can't complain, it is your fault in the eyes of your peers, you should have made a better research or whatever.
Your FSD has almost got you killed? Don't worry, this is your fault, and anyway the bug was already fixed in the update. Probably. This time for sure.
Sorry but its clear you aren't thinking logically.
The changes in the new 2024 version, specifically changed the suspension setup and you can mechanically verify the difference between the models because there were mechanical changes.
You need to drop the FSD rhetoric, there are an enormous amount of Tesla drivers who couldn't care about FSD, but simply enjoying the car as an EV.
You are thinking logically only if you are a shareholder. Then it makes absolute sense to think like that to stay hopeful.
From the consumer POV who doesn't own shares in the brand, it makes no sense at all.
> enormous amount of Tesla drivers who couldn't care about FSD but simply enjoying the car as an EV
Are there an enormous amount of disappointed Tesla drivers as well who stuck with it because of a sunk cost fallacy?
Should, for example, CyberTruck owners who spend 150K on a bullet-proof car be happy that in the new 2026 version the panels finally will stop falling off?
Should the few million people who purchased Tesla Model 3 feel better that the new version finally drives like a car?
All cars have pain points and whilst people in an existing Model 3 might be annoyed ride quality has been improved in the new model, it is good that the specific pain point has been addressed. Afterall you wouldn't stop improving your car simply because you didn't want to annoy existing customers.
Either way, in prior comments you couldn't come to terms with them possibly fixing something like that in the first place.
No it's pretty good now. This isn't a software update. It's either softer or it's not. Of course it is subjective. There are plenty of cars with even softer rides, but they tend to feel a lot more floaty, especially in corners, and I personally don't like that.
Still ugly af. Wouldn't touch it. The only well designed car ever made was the model S, and even that is long in the tooth now and was due a refresh 5 years ago. But CYbeRtrUck ...
Combine that with FSD rubbish bait and switch, nutjob CEO, and the cratering of any brand goodwill ... I won't touch those cars if you paid me (seriously).
And honestly, I recognise the innate progression of the technology ... but others have caught and surpassed to the point that I don't have to worry about buying the lesser car anymore when I go elsewhere.
Not that it should matter but those downvoting your comments have high karma and long histories of making positive contributions here.
Please just make an effort to use HN as it's intended. It's only a place where people want to participate because so many people put effort into keeping it that way.
But they aren't. What Tesla has going for them primarily is the Supercharger network.
The Cybertruck is a complete disaster of a vehicle with so many issues (eg [1]) that the only reason people buy them is to make a political statement from a group that 3+ years ago wouldn't have been caught buying an EV.
Teslas are drivable iPads. Many people (myself included) not only hate this (because it's hard to use without looking) but it's also lazy design. By this I mean, it allows manufacturers to say "we'll fix it with a software update" (and then probably never get around to it) whereas haptic controls require more thought and effort to be put into the UI/UX during manufacturing.
For other Teslas, there have been a host of other issues, some small, some not. For example, the seats were unreliable if adjusted too often so Tesla made an OTA update to limit how much you can adjust the seats to avoid failure [2].
The only thing propping up Tesla sales now are trade restrictions on BYD.
As someone who recently bought a Tesla, nothing comes close for the price to the Model Y in terms of range, performance, trunk space, and software. If you want an EV and value those things, the Model Y is the clear choice.
I'll compare the top spec Ioniq 5 N line with the Model Y AWD Long Range as they're priced the same here in Denmark. The Ioniq has 520 liters of trunk space vs 854 in the Model Y. The Ioniq has 495km of range vs the Y's 586. Software isn't even close - I have tried both. The Tesla wins hands down on software. The only metric the Ioniq wins on is acceleration. Specifically when using special boost mode from stopped. It can do 0-100 in 3.4s vs the Y's 4.8s, which is fast.
For me this is a clear win for Tesla. Anything under 5s is crazy fast to me anyway, so the other things I mention are worth a lot more.
AFAIK, the whole industry is really inconsistent on this making comparison of factory #s nearly impossible. Things like Bjorn's banana box test are better as practical measures, IMO. The Ioniq 5 and Y are virtually the same, with the winner being decided by whether the seats can be down or not.
I just watched both videos. I think the difference is in the shape. The Y is very curved. The Ioniq is much more square. This is going to favour a test using very square and rigid boxes. It’s useful to understand that fact but most of the time I’m not hauling only very square suitcases.
That's my point, it isn't "63% extra space". Unless you measured everything yourself. Tesla measures it all the way to the ceiling, Hyundai doesn't. I don't know how much the Hyundai doesn't measure but fairly sure it isn't 63%.
Companies used to play these tricks in the 90s. I am NOT happy that Tesla is trying to bring them back.
That is a fair point. I own a Y and have had both sides to this. Sometimes I carry very irregular cargo that fits perfectly and the space is really incredible.
Other times, I have something that should fit, but can't readily fit through the oddly shaped rear hatch and it becomes a problem.
I'd agree with you with regard to luggage. That's a scenario that really hits the strength of the Y setup, especially with the relatively large frunk. I often end up with a few backpack sized items up there on longer trips.
The top spec actually has a smaller boot and a lower range due to using dual motors. If you care about such things, good news because you can pay less money, surrendering acceleration which you don't care about.
Subjectively, the boot of the Ioniq 5 on the normal models is huge, and I say that as someone for whom boot size was the primary requirement. Moving the seats forward creates epic amounts of space at the cost of reduced leg room for rear passengers.
According to their website the RWD long range (84kw battery) has the same 520L trunk space, 570km range, and only 7.5s 0-100. It’s cheaper but it’s a big downgrade on performance, trunk space, and software.
FWIW, Hyundai seem to totally hide the false floor in the boot, which turns the so-so boot space into a much more substantial and usable space. The AWD variant does not seem to have anything like as much space under the false floor. Perhaps they don't want to bring attention to the deficiencies of the more expensive variant.
>If I put all the seats down the boot is bigger in the Y than with the seats up in the Ioniq
That’s great but you’re missing the fact that the Ioniq has a HUD. What does the Tesla have? Everything you’ve mentioned is irrelevant. The Ioniq has CarPlay so you don’t touch the software.
The quote you made is not from me. The Y has substantially more trunk space both with the back seats up and down. If you value a HUD more than range, trunk space, and software, more power to you. I don’t. CarPlay only controls the entertainment and navigation. There are many controls hidden behind a crappy UX in the Ioniq.
What do you want to sync?
I was able to use my phone book contacts and addresses. Use my phone's WiFi for data and play music or videos from any app on my phone.
I was able to send destination POI to the car GPS to navigate there. Ticked all my boxes.
Bidirectional charging would be great, everything else is already far up there.
I purchased a 2026 Model Y in April. I love it and it’s the best vehicle I’ve even owned. My Apple phone pairs with the car just fine. I can call my contacts, play audio from my phone etc.
Well TMY is really efficient for the size, while I've seen hilarious consumption figures for Ioniq 5. Doesn't matter if you charge from solar, but at European electricity prices, TMY is probably significantly cheaper to run.
Boot-space is literally all it has going for it, you can equal or surpass the other categories for less here in Europe, and if you buy used since used EV's are dirt cheap you could get something significantly better with far better badge-appeal for about the same price.
I have a family and a wife who doesn't pack light so it's a pretty important one for us. There are options if I'm willing to drop some of those things, but the Y gives me all of it for a reasonable price.
Do you mean I could get something significantly better if I choose not to get the things which are important to me? Because that would be worse for me, not better. I have never cared about the badge.
Out of interest, if I reduced the trunk space a little, which similarly priced EVs could you recommend with more range and better performance than the Model Y AWD Long Range?
What gets at least equal mileage and is also not tiny? A friend is looking to buy and EV, and his problem specifically is nothing comes close to Teslas range.
Nothing comes close to Tesla's published range because the numbers they post on their marketing aren't real. They're by far more inflated than any other automaker.
My Model 3 Performance is rated for I think 300 miles. In the real world, it can be as low as 230 miles if it's 30F outside and I'm going 75 mph. If it's warm, I'm still looking at ~270 miles at 75 mph. The colder it gets, the lower your range because cold air is denser (increasing drag) and higher usage of the heater drains the battery.
I'm the same. I loved my 2020 Model Y when I bought it new and I love my 2020 Model X that I bought used. Both are the best cars I've ever owned. I know that everyone likes to complain about fit and finish but honestly I never noticed a single thing wrong with either of them. They are performant, silent, efficient, and the MX doors make my grandkids giggle (that's worth quite a bit :).
I keep looking for the next EV to buy but every one that I test drive seems lacking, mostly in the software area. Tesla has the software nailed and nobody else can seem to figure it out. I recently drove a Rivian R1S and really liked it, but the software was not great (for a $100K car) and it really disappointing me.
I really feel like Tesla does great work but their leader needs to go. He's smeared the name so badly that I fear it might never recover.
Yeah I’m hoping the R2 is an option but FSD has become very critical.
I don’t see how Tesla could even dissociate with him, he owns the board and would have to divest also. I think the only path back is if people forget, conservatives suddenly like EVs, or they strike gold with the robots or something.
That sounds like unbelievable hyperbole but I'm not interested in getting into a culture war fight today. It's going to be hard to find a brand which hasn't been associated with bad things before but I wish you luck :)
But also it’s not hyperbole, though I agree it sounds like it.
Association comes in different strengths and forms. But currently owned and operated by a guy actively destroying my country is much more direct and urgent than most of these associations.
But the larger point is that it seems correct that the only people willing to buy a Tesla anymore have conservative politics.
Yes I think Musk is personally responsible for the cuts he did as part of the thing he loudly and proudly claimed to be in charge of, enabled by the president he claims to have gotten elected.
I’m not sure why you’re so easy to write off 1000s of deaths, but 300,000 so far is one model, but even if it’s very wrong it’s going to be hundreds of thousands sometime this year in all likelihood. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/28/rubio-aid...
That may have been true 4 years ago but it’s far from true now. The only feature Tesla has that no other car seems to have is that minimalist “dentist’s waiting room decorated in the 1990s to seem futuristic” energy from the interior, which definitely sets Tesla apart although not entirely in a good way.
I don’t think this discussion makes sense without pointing to specific models. And discussing specific models doesn’t make sense without establishing what are the set of required properties (which is different for everyone). I was just pointing out that for some people (including me) there are no other cars with similar properties that I need.
