2025 Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive review: Can the cheapest Model Y hold off the even cheaper Chinese competition?
If Tesla is going to climb its way back to the top of the sales charts in Australia (and the rest of the world, for that matter…) then this thing had better be good.
Actually, given just how much damage has been done to its reputation since Elon Musk decided to show the world who he really is, and the world collectively recoiled in horror, it needs to better than good.
And so this new Tesla Model Y improves the formula in every way it needed to, without massively changing the price. But has it done enough to keep models like the BYD Sealion 7 at bay?
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2025 Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive price and equipment
There are two models, so far, in this new Model Y family. We’re testing the cheapest one, the single motor Rear-Wheel Drive, which lists at $58,900 before on-road costs. The Long Range All-Wheel Drive is $10k more, at $68,900.
We’ve alreday tested the dual motor version and you can read that review here:
This time around you get heating and cooling for the front seats, as well as new 19-inch alloy wheel designs and adaptive LED headlights. But the best feature, both for kids on long road trips and the parents who would otherwise be tasked with entertaining them, is the new 8.0-inch rear screen that gives backseat riders access to games, YouTube and Netflix.
Up front, a new and even further stripped-back cabin experience still gets the 15.4-inch central screen to provide all driving and infotainment duties. There’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but it’s easy enough to connect your Spotify or Apple account to play tunes or podcasts, and you get a good nine-speaker stereo and an excellent wireless charging pad beneath it.
But I do think we’re taking minimalism just a little too far. While the indicator stalk has thankfully made a comeback in the Model Y Juniper, the driving controls are now on the screen, so to select Drive, Reverse or Park requires swiping the central screen. It’s something I’m sure people will get used to, but I found it slower and more annoying than manually selecting a gear.
Outside, there are new front and rear light bars, spanning the width of both the bonnet and the boot, as well as new headlights, a refreshed front bumper and a new look for the alloy wheels.
Tesla likes to maintain a little mystery when it comes to what’s powering its vehicles, which seems wilfully annoying, but reports we’ve seen points to this Tesla’s rear-mounted electric motor producing 255kW, up from 220kW on the model it replaces. Tesla does report a sprint to 100km/h time, which is 5.9s in the RWD.
Again we’re forced to rely on reports when it comes to what’s delivering the driving range, but it would appear to be a 75kW battery that Tesla says will deliver a 466km driving range. Charging is capped at a reported 220kW, while home charging is capped at 11kW.
No major change to the underwhelming warranty offer either, unfortunately. A four-year/80,000km warranty is standard (among the shortest coverage periods in Australia), and servicing is on a as-required basis.
2025 Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive: What we think
So, full disclosure: I was never all that keen on the outgoing Model Y. The battery tech was clever, and Tesla certainly did a lot of things differently, but I thought it felt cheap inside, rode far too harshly, and the steering felt like a video game dialled all the way up to its most sensitive setting.
This one, though, addresses all those issues. Interestingly, the cabin is actually more stripped-back this time, but it feels of a higher quality with nicer materials, and it immediately feels better put together. As before, the Model Y comes to Audstralia from Tesla’s huge factory in China.
But the big changes are in the drive experience. Tesla has clearly listened to the feedback, because the ride is now far more complacent in the city, and the steering is a little softer, meaning it’s far less darty. In the old car, you felt like you were making a million tiny corrections to counteract the sensitivity of the steering inputs, but in this new one, that’s not required.
The result is an EV that is way more liveable, and comfortable, than the car it replaces, and one that is genuine pleasure to drive in town. Tesla does have some unrealistic expectations about how sporty the Model Y can get on twisting roads – this is no Porsche EV – but on the fast flowing stuff it stays stable, free of body roll, and with enough punch from that single motor to power out of one corner and into the next one.
I do think the gear selector is stupid, and I personally hate having to look to the central screen to see my speed (just one more driver screen, please Elon), but there’s no denying the improvements that have been made across the board here.
Tesla reckons it doesn’t just want to take on the EV masses with the Rear-Wheel Drive, by the way. It says it has SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Santa Fe in its sights. And if they can convince hybrid drivers to take a chance on a BEV, the dimensions of the new Model Y will certainly help in that mission.
It stretches 4792mm long, 1982mm wide and 1624mm tall, and serves up a whole heap of room in the boot and backseat – far more spacious, in fact, than most any ICE-powered vehicle, in its segment.
2025 Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive: Verdict
Tesla has a mountain of its own making to climb to convince people to give the Model Y a chance, but those who do will find an EV vastly superior to the one it replaces.
Score: 3.7/5
Tesla Model Y Rear Wheel Drive specifications
Price: $58,900 plus on-road costs
Basics: Electric SUV, 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, RWD
Range: 466km (claim)
Battery capacity: 75kWh (approx)
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km
Powertrain: Electric
Motors: 1 rear, 255kW (est)
AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 220kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: 5.9s (claimed)
Yes the steering has improved markedly. I believe the turns from lock to lock has changed from 2 to 1 to 2.5 to 1 giving a little less sensitivity to steering.
The regen brakes have improved by way of 2 settings allowed by the fly by wire brake with hydraulics backup to maintain maximum regen, therefore energy efficiency, while coasting like a car. A nice addition for those traditionalists who don’t like one pedal driving.
I am not aware of any 220Kw charging limit on AWD battery chem its 250kW just like the Tesla chargers. It’s the RWD that has LFP chemistry that is limited to 195kW.
As for the gear selector oh my I have to disagree with your comment completely. Its notw automated like my Model 3 and it self selects 95% of the time correctly. The remaining 5% is left for you to select as the AI can’t pick which way you want to go. Eg in a car parking spot where you could go back or forwards as no one is in the spot in front of you.
As for the vehicle speed it’s just a matter of looking down slightly vs sideways slightly…same same just different.
As for EVs vs ICE cars, a no brainer. My wifes BMW x3 diesel series is a tractor in comparison in everyway. I now considered it so so old school, noisy , rough, low tech, poor & cheap finish in places.
Score of 3.7 out of 5 is a bit harsh unless you score most of the Chinese at 2+. There tech is still playing catchup but Tesla has to keep up as they have the pedal to the metal.