2023 Tesla Model Y

MotorTrend (opens in a new tab) points out that Tesla does not update its vehicles on a model-year cadence, instead making incremental changes throughout a vehicle's life, so a 2023 Model Y can differ from another 2023 by build date. The clearest change was the pricing. Carsforsale.com (opens in a new tab) says the new-for-2023 base Model Y All-Wheel-Drive stickered for under $50,000 thanks to the revised federal EV tax credit structure and ran on so-called 4680 battery cells. Car and Driver (opens in a new tab) adds that Tesla quietly sold a base Model Y with 279 miles of range and all-wheel drive during the first half of 2023, but that trim did not make it to the end of the year.

On the road, Car and Driver says the Model Y is more popular with buyers than the Model 3 sedan on which it is based, but an altogether less satisfying offering, while MotorTrend reports it won a comparison test against the Ioniq 5, its 2023 SUV of the Year.

NHTSA lists 17 recall campaigns and Consumer Reports (opens in a new tab) confirms the model year has been recalled 17 times. The ones that involve a physical part include 22V895, where the front suspension lateral link fasteners may not have been properly attached to the sub-frame; 23V130, where bolts securing the second-row seat back frames may not have been tightened; 23V385, a loose steering wheel fastener; 23V434, a defective pyrotechnic battery disconnect; and 22V844, taillights that may intermittently fail to illuminate. Software and camera recalls include 23V489 (a misaligned forward-facing camera that affects active safety features) and two over-the-air recalls for Autosteer and Full Self-Driving Beta software (23V838 and 23V085).

Most of the over-the-air recalls are fixed with a free software update Tesla releases to the car, but the fastener recalls need a service visit, so ask for both the VIN's recall status and the service records.

Complaint totals depend on when a tracker last pulled NHTSA's data. RecallGazette (opens in a new tab) counts 1,162 owner complaints and 17 recall campaigns; VinItel (opens in a new tab) counts 1,822 complaints, 280 of them crash-related, calls the count above average, and says the most common issue is forward collision avoidance with adaptive cruise control at 283 complaints. Either way the model year has far more complaints than a typical 2023 vehicle, and they cluster in driver assistance. On a test drive, use the adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking on an ordinary road.

CarBuzz (opens in a new tab) lists the Long Range AWD at a $48,990 MSRP and the Performance AWD at $52,490, and puts the current average used price at $31,913 across 84 listings. Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) says a 2023 Model Y has depreciated $19,609, or 39 percent, in three years, leaving a resale value of $30,200 and a trade-in value of $28,600, and ranks it in the top 10 to 25 percent for depreciation among 2023 SUVs.

The Model Y rates 111 to 123 MPGe combined and $600 to $700 a year in electricity on fueleconomy.gov (opens in a new tab), against 82 to 103 MPGe and $750 to $900 for the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E, so the Model Y is markedly cheaper to run. That efficiency is the Model Y's edge over the Mach-E; the trade-off is its recall count and complaint volume, and Car and Driver's verdict that it is a less satisfying offering than the Model 3 it is based on. Choose the Model Y for running cost and charging convenience, and check the recall record before you sign.