Tesla Model Y Alternative

[CG2020UK]

We’ve been noseying at a few different cars as we’d like a bit more room with the baby and all being well likely another one in 2025. After much persuasion I convinced my wife to let me stop at a Tesla dealership.

She was seriously impressed enough that I managed to convince her to come on impromptu test drive. It was to be a long range model however ended up in the performance.

I’ve always been a fan but my wife loved it and a massive seal of approval. She would be cautious of a big car but had no problems and said she would happily drive it if I proceed. The 0% APR deal is great but to be honest I’ll probably just go a salary sacrifice.

I’m wondering if anyone has any alternative suggestions to the Model Y? I’m still trending more towards the LR as it has more than enough performance however would anyone recommend upgrading to the performance or is the RWD even enough?

Loads of waffle on alternatives:
New Model 3 Performance looked brilliant but too similar to the M2 and 330e and think I’d prefer extra size.
Taycan Sport Turismo (I find the normal Taycan smaller than a model 3 so would need to be a decent boot size increase)
New Porsche Macan (need a test drive and check lead times however expensive and find myself preferring the Model Y)
Hyundai Ioniq 5N (strong contender on paper but need to actually test drive)
EV6 and standard Ioniq I think the Model Y is better
BMW I5 thinking touring
Any of the BMW or Audi EVs.
Ford Mustang looks decent though some dodgey reliability stories puts me off
Wife hated the Merc offerings

[bennno]

Hyundai just released ionic 5 evolution for 2025.

84kwh battery for £43k, 2k deposit contribution plus 0%

Edited by bennno on Monday 22 July 07:52

[jonwm]

CG2020UK said:

We’ve been noseying at a few different cars as we’d like a bit more room with the baby and all being well likely another one in 2025. After much persuasion I convinced my wife to let me stop at a Tesla dealership.

She was seriously impressed enough that I managed to convince her to come on impromptu test drive. It was to be a long range model however ended up in the performance.

I’ve always been a fan but my wife loved it and a massive seal of approval. She would be cautious of a big car but had no problems and said she would happily drive it if I proceed. The 0% APR deal is great but to be honest I’ll probably just go a salary sacrifice.

I’m wondering if anyone has any alternative suggestions to the Model Y? I’m still trending more towards the LR as it has more than enough performance however would anyone recommend upgrading to the performance or is the RWD even enough?

Loads of waffle on alternatives:
New Model 3 Performance looked brilliant but too similar to the M2 and 330e and think I’d prefer extra size.
Taycan Sport Turismo (I find the normal Taycan smaller than a model 3 so would need to be a decent boot size increase)
New Porsche Macan (need a test drive and check lead times however expensive and find myself preferring the Model Y)
Hyundai Ioniq 5N (strong contender on paper but need to actually test drive)
EV6 and standard Ioniq I think the Model Y is better
BMW I5 thinking touring
Any of the BMW or Audi EVs.
Ford Mustang looks decent though some dodgey reliability stories puts me off
Wife hated the Merc offerings

I really like the Y as a replacement for my transporter T6. Can't help but want the performance model like you, it pushes the price out of my range then but feel for my driving profile the duel motor would probably be the one to have, problem is I like the wheels and shiny bits of the performance

[AyBee]

Whilst I would have loved the LR or Performance, for a family car, 0-60 in 7s is plenty and for the extra £100+ I was saving monthly (salary sacrifice) I decided it wasn't worth it (salary sacrifice). Range on the RWD is slightly less (200 winter, 250 summer) but because it's LFP, you're recommended to charge to 100% once a week at least (vs. 80% for the Performance or LR) so the delta isn't as much as it is on paper and I rarely do a journey where I wouldn't need to stop in the LR but would in the RWD.

[MattyD803]

BMW iX3? We have a 2023 model and it's been fantastic car thus far (our first EV).

Drives lovely, all the toys you could want, excellent spacious interior and good space plus super comfortable. 200-220mile winter range and 250-280 miles in summer. Sadly no 'frunk', RWD only and only 2 trim levels, but the M Sport Pro has never left us wanting in any department. Performance wise, 60 comes up in around 6.5s in reality, which is plenty.

You might even get a deal as I believe production is due to stop soon (maybe has already?) in prep for the new 2025 model.

Edited by MattyD803 on Monday 22 July 17:19

[bennno]

Ionic 5 just updated, 84kwh battery, heat pump standard, battery pre conditioning, rear wiper, heated seats, heated steering wheel.

Price dropped, £2k deposit contribution, interest free credit....

[jonathan_roberts]

We have a long range Y. I’m open to other ideas but honestly the experience all my peers are having with other cars is far below that of the Tesla in terms of reliability, charging, updates needing to be done at the garage etc.

If you can hold out time wise for the update coming next year, I’d do that. If not then I can still recommend it as a family car. It’s perfect for the job.

[TheDrownedApe]

Paint on MY = 1300 or 2600

Now i know why I see so many white (goods)

[ZX10R NIN]

I have to say I prefer the EV6 GT, for me it's the better car & the fit/finish is a clear step ahead still.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402056...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407121...

One that gets forgotten about is the Mach e GT:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311113...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404238...

Of course there's the Ioniq5 N:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406030...

Now the EV that I see as good value is the Etron GT:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405019...

Etron S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407091...

[James-gbg1e]

ZX10R NIN said:

I have to say I prefer the EV6 GT, for me it's the better car & the fit/finish is a clear step ahead still.

The Kia interior is just awful by comparison IMO, it's too busy and too much textured racey plastics covering everything. The Y (you have to appreciate minimalist design) is so much calmer.

The Y is hard to beat as a packaged EV, with 800L of boot capacity, a frunk good enough for a weekend trip, double glazing up front, and something that rarely gets talked about in reviews a class leading audio system, the full pan roof... List goes on! I was considering a LR '22 model recently for the 32k it would cost there's nothing in any of the cars you picked that would make me choose otherwise. The efficiency and the infrastructure is just there. Oh and then there's the fact you do not have to service them, unlike these con job ex-ICE manufacturers that want you to spend £300 a year to fill your washer fluid.

OP, given your family situation one car I'd mention that is worth a peek might be the Mercedes EQB (7 seats standard) which you could jump into your £30k or £500pm SS.

I was in the same situation but actually ended up with a completely left field choice in a Skoda Enyaq 85, I posted the information on the Leasing thread but for me £410pm SS was too hard to pass over and I couldn't justify the extra £180 a month for the LR MY, Skoda also not 6.5 to 60mph with the new motor.

[omniflow]

James-gbg1e said:

The Kia interior is just awful by comparison IMO, it's too busy and too much textured racey plastics covering everything. The Y (you have to appreciate minimalist design) is so much calmer.

The Y is hard to beat as a packaged EV, with 800L of boot capacity, a frunk good enough for a weekend trip, double glazing up front, and something that rarely gets talked about in reviews a class leading audio system, the full pan roof... List goes on! I was considering a LR '22 model recently for the 32k it would cost there's nothing in any of the cars you picked that would make me choose otherwise. The efficiency and the infrastructure is just there. Oh and then there's the fact you do not have to service them, unlike these con job ex-ICE manufacturers that want you to spend £300 a year to fill your washer fluid.

OP, given your family situation one car I'd mention that is worth a peek might be the Mercedes EQB (7 seats standard) which you could jump into your £30k or £500pm SS.

I was in the same situation but actually ended up with a completely left field choice in a Skoda Enyaq 85, I posted the information on the Leasing thread but for me £410pm SS was too hard to pass over and I couldn't justify the extra £180 a month for the LR MY, Skoda also not 6.5 to 60mph with the new motor.

I wouldn't touch an EQB with a barge pole. Fully charged it won't even get from Heathrow to Cardiff.

[ZX10R NIN]

James-gbg1e said:

The Kia interior is just awful by comparison IMO, it's too busy and too much textured racey plastics covering everything. The Y (you have to appreciate minimalist design) is so much calmer.

The Y is hard to beat as a packaged EV, with 800L of boot capacity, a frunk good enough for a weekend trip, double glazing up front, and something that rarely gets talked about in reviews a class leading audio system, the full pan roof... List goes on! I was considering a LR '22 model recently for the 32k it would cost there's nothing in any of the cars you picked that would make me choose otherwise. The efficiency and the infrastructure is just there. Oh and then there's the fact you do not have to service them, unlike these con job ex-ICE manufacturers that want you to spend £300 a year to fill your washer fluid.

OP, given your family situation one car I'd mention that is worth a peek might be the Mercedes EQB (7 seats standard) which you could jump into your £30k or £500pm SS.

I was in the same situation but actually ended up with a completely left field choice in a Skoda Enyaq 85, I posted the information on the Leasing thread but for me £410pm SS was too hard to pass over and I couldn't justify the extra £180 a month for the LR MY, Skoda also not 6.5 to 60mph with the new motor.

Good to disagree I am not a fan of the Y but the boot capacity quote is to the roof which most people don't do.

[James-gbg1e]

ZX10R NIN said:

Good to disagree I am not a fan of the Y but the boot capacity quote is to the roof which most people don't do.

Anybody needing more storage will be hard pushed to find a better car, ignoring the other obvious Tesla advantages.

That being said, even with 2 year old cars now "only" costing 30k ish, I don't think it makes any sense buying one as the residuals are still all over the place, until the government stop their stupid tax breaks EV used cars will still be massively impacted.

I've no idea what a '22/23 MY will be worth in 3 years with 60k on it. That E-Tron will keep dropping like a stone.

omniflow said:

I wouldn't touch an EQB with a barge pole. Fully charged it won't even get from Heathrow to Cardiff.

Whereas in the real world it does that journey easily, ABRP tells me you'd arrive with 25%+

Use case is everything, but if someone wants a 7 seat EV in compact form, it stands alone. RSEV did a good video on the older model, maybe helpful as your estimation is way off. The EQC I'd avoid for the cap issue though.

[RizzoTheRat]

Less range than the Model Y, but I had a go in a colleague's XC40 recharge the other day and its very nice. 400ish bhp AWD, all the electronic gizmos and really comfortable seats.

[CG2020UK]

jonwm said:

I really like the Y as a replacement for my transporter T6. Can't help but want the performance model like you, it pushes the price out of my range then but feel for my driving profile the duel motor would probably be the one to have, problem is I like the wheels and shiny bits of the performance

As silly as it sounds I don’t think I’ll be racing on the road so honestly don’t think it will be worth the extra. The bigger brakes on the performance and lowered suspension sound more tempting than the power in all honesty.

AyBee said:

Whilst I would have loved the LR or Performance, for a family car, 0-60 in 7s is plenty and for the extra £100+ I was saving monthly (salary sacrifice) I decided it wasn't worth it (salary sacrifice). Range on the RWD is slightly less (200 winter, 250 summer) but because it's LFP, you're recommended to charge to 100% once a week at least (vs. 80% for the Performance or LR) so the delta isn't as much as it is on paper and I rarely do a journey where I wouldn't need to stop in the LR but would in the RWD.

It's £80 or so between the RWD and LR. Totally agree with you on the performance because we are buying it more for its practicality.

The range is great as was worried in winter it would drop off a cliff.

Also wasn’t aware of the battery being different I’ll need to look into that.

MattyD803 said:

BMW iX3? We have a 2023 model and it's been fantastic car thus far (our first EV).

Drives lovely, all the toys you could want, excellent spacious interior and good space plus super comfortable. 200-220mile winter range and 250-280 miles in summer. Sadly no 'frunk', RWD only and only 2 trim levels, but the M Sport Pro has never left us wanting in any department. Performance wise, 60 comes up in around 6.5s in reality, which is plenty.

You might even get a deal as I believe production is due to stop soon (maybe has already?) in prep for the new 2025 model.

Really need a test drive in one and see how I get on with the electric.

I think the standard X3 is brilliant so makes this a very strong contender.

bennno said:

Ionic 5 just updated, 84kwh battery, heat pump standard, battery pre conditioning, rear wiper, heated seats, heated steering wheel.

Price dropped, £2k deposit contribution, interest free credit....

This is a great shout as these work out silly cheap.

77kWh works out at brilliant value so also need a test drive.

jonathan_roberts said:

We have a long range Y. I’m open to other ideas but honestly the experience all my peers are having with other cars is far below that of the Tesla in terms of reliability, charging, updates needing to be done at the garage etc.

If you can hold out time wise for the update coming next year, I’d do that. If not then I can still recommend it as a family car. It’s perfect for the job.

Yes by all accounts it just seems to slot in seamlessly and cheaply compared to its rivals.

Waiting to next year is an option as I’m in no rush.

TheDrownedApe said:

Paint on MY = 1300 or 2600

Now i know why I see so many white (goods)

I'll be going white exactly for this reason

[CG2020UK]

ZX10R NIN said:

I have to say I prefer the EV6 GT, for me it's the better car & the fit/finish is a clear step ahead still.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402056...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407121...

One that gets forgotten about is the Mach e GT:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311113...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404238...

Of course there's the Ioniq5 N:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406030...

Now the EV that I see as good value is the Etron GT:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405019...

Etron S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407091...

As usual great choices.

To be honest salary sacrifice just works out so much cheaper for me.

Mainly because still being under 30 insurance for me and the wife can easily hit £150 a month on these if we go private.

I drove an EV6 GT before and was a fan. However now it has come to buying myself I haven’t strongly considered it and think I prefer the Model Y.

I really like the Ford but its pricey for a not premium badge and so of the reliability stories seem a bit worrying to me. Might test drive and see.

Ioniq 5 N is a right up there until I accidently showed the wife in bed and first thing she seen was 650hp. Very strong contender in blue but need to be honest if I want a performance car or something more practical as will cost about £250 extra vs the model Y not to mention worse efficiency.

Etron S the Audi dealer near enough advised to go the Q4 or Q6 as the tech has moved on quite a bit.

Etron GT/Taycan is just too pricey for me and the M2 would probably have to go as too much overlap.

[CG2020UK]

James-gbg1e said:

The Kia interior is just awful by comparison IMO, it's too busy and too much textured racey plastics covering everything. The Y (you have to appreciate minimalist design) is so much calmer.

The Y is hard to beat as a packaged EV, with 800L of boot capacity, a frunk good enough for a weekend trip, double glazing up front, and something that rarely gets talked about in reviews a class leading audio system, the full pan roof... List goes on! I was considering a LR '22 model recently for the 32k it would cost there's nothing in any of the cars you picked that would make me choose otherwise. The efficiency and the infrastructure is just there. Oh and then there's the fact you do not have to service them, unlike these con job ex-ICE manufacturers that want you to spend £300 a year to fill your washer fluid.

OP, given your family situation one car I'd mention that is worth a peek might be the Mercedes EQB (7 seats standard) which you could jump into your £30k or £500pm SS.

I was in the same situation but actually ended up with a completely left field choice in a Skoda Enyaq 85, I posted the information on the Leasing thread but for me £410pm SS was too hard to pass over and I couldn't justify the extra £180 a month for the LR MY, Skoda also not 6.5 to 60mph with the new motor.

Agree on very strong package with everything included. Should fit into our lives seamlessly.

I like the Skoda but the wife wasn’t too keen. Bright green and VRS would suit me.

Only 3 of us now so aren’t really size limited but the EQB was a big no when we looked on Saturday. Didn’t like the look or the interior. Much preferred the EQA.

omniflow said:

I wouldn't touch an EQB with a barge pole. Fully charged it won't even get from Heathrow to Cardiff.

The looks just rule it out for us.

RizzoTheRat said:

Less range than the Model Y, but I had a go in a colleague's XC40 recharge the other day and its very nice. 400ish bhp AWD, all the electronic gizmos and really comfortable seats.

We stopped at Volvo for a look but they only have the EX30 which is too small.

Might have a nosey as I quite like the XC90.

Love the look of a Polestar but the word on the new Polestar 4 is that it bang average unfortunately and the price doesn't help it.

[MattyD803]

CG2020UK said:

MattyD803 said:

BMW iX3? We have a 2023 model and it's been fantastic car thus far (our first EV).

Drives lovely, all the toys you could want, excellent spacious interior and good space plus super comfortable. 200-220mile winter range and 250-280 miles in summer. Sadly no 'frunk', RWD only and only 2 trim levels, but the M Sport Pro has never left us wanting in any department. Performance wise, 60 comes up in around 6.5s in reality, which is plenty.

You might even get a deal as I believe production is due to stop soon (maybe has already?) in prep for the new 2025 model.

Really need a test drive in one and see how I get on with the electric.

I think the standard X3 is brilliant so makes this a very strong contender.

I'm unable to offer any real world experience against our iX3 against other EV's (except the Cupra Born which I borrowed for a few days), but the drive train is ultra smooth, refined and immediate - possibly the car's best attribute. I'd say efficiency is really very good for it's size, currently seeing 4.0-4.2mi/kWh this time of year with climate on etc.

Also being based on the previous (current) generation X3 interior, whilst there is a TFT for the cluster and a large touch screen infotainment display, the bulk of all day to day functionality remains as physical buttons (ICE, AC, Cruise, iDrive, drive modes etc. etc.). Coming out of my Formentor, this was a much needed breath of fresh air....just something to bare in mind. Searching through menu's for HVAC controls gets very boring very quickly.

If your anywhere near Reading/Wokingham, your welcome to have a poke about and have a drive out in ours.

Edited by MattyD803 on Tuesday 23 July 17:23