2020 Tesla Model S

The 2020 headline is range. InsideEVs (opens in a new tab) reports the 2020 Model S Long Range Plus is rated at up to 402 miles by the EPA, making Tesla the first maker of a series-produced electric car over 400 miles, nearly 20 percent more than a 2019 Model S 100D with the same battery pack design. Carscoops (opens in a new tab) adds that the gains came from new aerodynamic wheels paired with a custom low-rolling-resistance tire, and that every Model S built since late January 2020 carries the 402-mile capability.

TechCrunch (opens in a new tab) notes the rating followed an earlier EPA figure of 391 miles that Elon Musk disputed. TSLAblog (opens in a new tab) lists the rating at 117 MPGe. The 2020 car is still the pre-refresh Model S with the original dashboard; the horizontal screen, redesigned pack and Plaid trim arrive with the 2021 model year.

NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns that apply to the 2020 Model S, most of them shared across Tesla models. The ones that involve hardware are 21V00B000, where the front trunk latch may be misaligned so the secondary hood latch does not engage, and 22V818000, where the electronic power-assist steering on 2017 to 2021 Model S and Model X cars may lose steering assist on rough roads or after a pothole. The rest are largely software: 21V846000 fixes false forward-collision warnings, 22V063000 and 22V235000 restrict the Boombox external-speaker feature, and 24V153000 restores the muted pedestrian warning sounds.

Owners have filed 80 complaints with NHTSA on this model year. By component, forward collision avoidance leads with 23, followed by suspension and unknown or other with 14 each, steering with 10, vehicle speed control with 8 and electrical system with 7. Consumer Reports (opens in a new tab) says the 2020 Model S is less reliable than other cars from the same model year, and Autojunket (opens in a new tab) points to expensive parts such as air suspension, the media control unit and the charging system as the source of unpredictable ownership costs.

Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) puts used 2020 Model S prices at $31,400 for the Long Range Plus sedan to $34,600 for the Performance sedan from a dealership, with trade-in values of about $24,900 to $30,300 and private-party values of about $30,200 to $33,300. The Long Range Plus is the trim to shop for if range matters, since it is the one carrying the 402-mile rating.

EPA rates the 2020 Model S at 97 to 117 MPGe with 287 to 402 miles of range and $650 to $800 a year in fuel. The 2020 Porsche Taycan, the closest luxury electric rival that year, is rated 68 to 69 MPGe with 192 to 203 miles and about $1,100 a year. On EPA figures the Model S goes roughly twice as far and costs less to run than the Taycan.