WHO’S IN CHARGE?
Tesla’s popular electric SUV takes on a streamlined new Skoda and a well-proven Hyundai to find out who’s boss
Hyundai Ioniq 5
77kWh RWD Premium
List price £46,945 Target Price £45,906
It’s debatable whether Hyundai’s striking
Ioniq 5 is an SUV or just a regular hatchback, but recent updates, including a bigger battery, should make it tough to beat
Photography: John Bradshaw
Tesla Model Y
RWD
List price £44,990 Target Price £44,990 Early UK versions of Tesla’s smallest SUV suffered from a shonky ride. Has this issue been resolved? And does the entry-level rear-wheel-drive version make sense, particularly following a recent price cut?
NEW Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV
80 Suite
List price £46,205 Target Price £45,636 The Enyaq has long been one of our favourite electric SUVs, and now there’s a sleeker Coupé version for those who think the regular car is a bit boxy
We had high hopes for the Tesla Model Y ahead of its 2021 arrival in the UK. Its lowerriding sibling, the Model 3, was well established as our favourite electric car, and the Model Y promised a big boost in practicality without a big price hike. What wasn’t to like?
Well, quite a lot, as it turned out. The ride was uncomfortably bumpy, for starters, and there was enough road and suspension noise to give you earache. It just generally felt like a rushed rehash of the Model 3 to turn it into an SUV, rather than a product honed with proper care and attention.
However, more recent experience of the Model Y indicates that Tesla has belatedly spent time giving it a bit more polish, and this is our first chance to try the entry-level RWD version. RWD stands for ‘rear-wheel drive’; the more expensive Long Range and Performance versions also have a second electric motor to drive the front wheels. The RWD sacrifices some performance and its battery is smaller, but then it is quite a lot cheaper to buy.
Indeed, it’s cheaper than an equivalent version of the new Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV. As the name suggests, this is a swoopierroofed version of the excellent Enyaq iV, which was also launched in 2021. It comes with a bigger battery than its American rival and promises a healthily longer range between charges.
Our final contender is the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Like the other two cars in this test, it has a single motor driving its rear wheels, and a refresh late last year endowed it with a bigger battery and an official range almost as long as the Enyaq’s. It can charge up quicker than its rivals here, too.
DRIVING
Performance, ride, handling, refinement
If you know anything about Tesla, you probably know its cars have a reputation for being ludicrously fast. Well, not this one. Okay, you could never describe this entrylevel Model Y as sluggish, but it doesn’t throw you back in your seat like a proper sports car might.