2023 Tesla Model S

Car and Driver (opens in a new tab) says Tesla reintroduced a Standard Range model with a cheaper price and a 320-mile range estimate, while the Long Range model offers up to 405 miles. It praises head-spinning acceleration, lithe handling and a big battery pack, and criticizes an interior that fails to meet a luxury price, a yoke steering wheel it calls gimmicky and too few interior storage bins. In its testing the Plaid managed 280 miles of its claimed 348 miles of range, and a 2020 Model S posted 222 miles in the 75-mph highway test against its 326-mile EPA rating, so plan on highway range well under the sticker figure. Its overall verdict is that the 2023 Model S falls behind newly developed rivals with more over-the-top features and longer driving ranges, though it continues to be competitive.

NHTSA lists 13 recalls on the 2023 model year, and several involve safety hardware. 23V488 covers 2021 to 2023 Model S and Model X vehicles where the front-row seat belts may not be connected properly to the pretensioner anchors. 23V862 covers 2021 to 2023 Model S and X vehicles where the cabin doors can be unlocked during a crash, so the vehicles fail to comply with the federal standard on door locks. 23V743 covers 2021 to 2024 Model S and X vehicles where an incorrect air bag may have been installed when the steering yoke or round wheel was fitted. 23V489 concerns a misaligned forward-facing camera that can affect active safety features. The remaining campaigns are software: two Autosteer and Full Self-Driving Beta recalls (23V838 and 23V085), a full-self-driving computer 4.0 rearview issue (24V035), and an instrument cluster fault (24V051).

Because several of these apply only to cars with a specific steering wheel or computer, look up the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Clunkered (opens in a new tab) also lists the model-year complaint and recall record in one place.

Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) puts the current resale value of a 2023 Model S at $48,500 and the trade-in value at $46,400, and ranks it in the 25th to 75th percentile for depreciation among 2023 sedans. KBB's page for the Plaid trim puts estimated trade-in values at about $61,730 to $66,230 depending on condition. The EPA rates the 2023 Model S at 120 MPGe combined and $650 a year in electricity on fueleconomy.gov (opens in a new tab), in the same range as the Lucid Air (111 to 140 MPGe, $550 to $700 a year) and well ahead of the Mercedes-Benz EQS (77 to 103 MPGe, $700 to $950 a year).