Tesla launches new 466hp Model Y Performance

What with both Skoda Enyaq vRS and Ford Mustang Mach E Rally recently reviewed on PH, it’s a busy time for EV SUVs. Try as you might, there’s no escaping them. And no discussion of the class would be complete without mention of the Tesla Model Y. Thanks to a recent update that addressed a few annoyances, it remains a highly-rated EV family car. Plus there is now one of a more PH persuasion: this is the new Model Y Performance. 

As the name implies, this is usefully faster than the standard car, with power from a pair of ‘Performance 4DU’ motors rated at 466hp (the regular Y is 380hp strong). While not a remarkable figure for an EV these days – the MG4 XPower offers 435hp for not much more than £35k, it’s still enough, says Tesla, for 3.3 seconds to 62mph and 155mph. So faster than anyone, really, is ever going to need. There’s 360 miles of WLTP range, too, with efficiency rated at 3.84mi/kWh.

Adaptive dampers are pinched from the equivalent Model 3 Performance, with tweaks for the extra weight (though 2,108kg really doesn’t seem all that much these days). Tesla says the ‘wheels, tyres and brake calipers are designed to be maximally responsive, so you have more precise control at the wheel’, whatever that means. An extended rear spoiler promises additional stability at speed, with a few carbon goodies unique to the Performance to show off at the school gates. 

Inside the Y there’s a new 16-inch central screen that looks almost TV-quality; apparently it offers higher pixel density and ‘epic response times’. Additionally there’s an eight-inch display between the front row so that rear seat passengers don’t feel left out of the touchscreen fun. Sports seats feature in the front, and the rears recline – handy if for some reason there’s a queue at the Supercharger. Especially with ‘sound-damping materials and acoustic glass.. to keep your cabin quiet so you can relax.’

Sounds like a useful array of upgrades, then, the Performance theoretically offering up a Model Y that’s faster and better to drive without much penalty (a standard dual-motor Long Range claims 4.06mi/kWh). 

The newcomer is available to order now, priced from £61,990. Which, as is often the case with Teslas, looks competitive against alternatives – though discounts might not be so forthcoming. For reference, a Kia EV6 GT is from £59,930, a Mustang Mach E GT is £67,550, and a dual motor Cupra Tavascan is from £55,945. The Performance is £10,000 more than a Long Range AWD Y, though, or £400 a month more on a PCP, so best really need the extra speed. First European deliveries are due in October.