The Drive Report: Tesla Model Y

Tesla Model Y

• Tesla Model Y sales in India remain low, with around 200 units sold in CY2025
• Discounts up to Rs 3 lakh offered, especially for buyers trading in ICE vehicles
• Model Y lauded for efficiency, tech, storage, but faces tough competition

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Nearly seven months after its India-debut Tesla India’s Model Y - the only Tesla currently retailing in India has seen a rather tepid response. Sales for CY2025 remained in triple digits, with roughly 200 units sold leading to the company offering discounts up to Rs 2 lakh on unsold inventory. The discount can also be as high as Rs 3 lakh, provided you show a certificate of sale/transfer of your previous ICE vehicle.

The Tesla Model Y is a curious proposition. There’s something noticeably distinct about it – an anodyne quality that’s inoffensive and wholly unsensational yet pleasing to the eye. You have to really buy into the mythos of the brand to really buy into the appeal. There are no unnecessary flourishes, no forced aggression, just smooth surfaces, a tapered roofline and a silhouette that speaks more to efficiency than to muscle. The flush door handles and minimalist front fascia might look unremarkable to some, but their simplicity is intentional; Tesla trades ornamentation for aerodynamic efficiency.

Once you step inside, the minimalistic approach can really test you. The material finish, the space and the clutter-free design is certainly soothing to the eye but the absence of any other stalk or lever other than the indicator can take some getting used to. One thing you don’t get used to is the swiping function on the top-right corner of the 15.4-inch screen to engage drive. The screen is everything. It’s got a very smooth interface without any haptic feedback. Hi-res visuals ranging from nearby traffic to an in-built Google Maps SatNav that doesn’t require an Apple CarPlay connection. Shifting into parking also conjured a large 3D rendering of the car which allows you to open the boot or the frunk without fumbling around for buttons.

But make no mistake, buttons are missed. Buttons aren’t relics of a bygone, technologically inferior age as many modern carmakers would have you believe. They’re an essential, tactile part of the driving experience. Since our opposable thumbs haven’t changed, the need for buttons shouldn’t change either and rendering a cabin button-free points towards cost-cutting which does seem apparent here. I do like the buttons on the armrests, though.

Driving the Model Y

In India, Tesla has chosen to keep the Model Y lineup simple, offering it in two rear-wheel-drive configurations rather than a confusing spread of variants. The standard RWD version draws power from a 63kWh battery pack and carries a WLTP-rated range of 500km, while the RWD Long Range ups the ante with a larger 83kWh battery and a claimed 622km on the same cycle. Battery optimisation has always been one of Tesla’s strengths and it's clearly on display with its long-range model.

Tap the throttle and the performance on the single motor, Long Range version isn’t explosive but reassuringly quick. The limited button-count on the steering wheel means you can’t toggle driving modes (Standard and Chill) or the Regen setting (Reduced and Standard) on the fly, but they do make a considerable difference, as expected. With the level of competition available, and the general homogeneity of the EV driving experience, the driving aspect itself isn’t particularly novel, but familiarising yourself with the fairly impressive software suite does make it special. Storage remains a USP of this Tesla with a sizable frunk and ample rear storage. Utility quotient is further enhanced with higher ground clearance making this ideally proportioned for our boulder-sized potholes.

With a constant series of over-the-air updates, remote diagnostics, low running cost ( Tesla believes that a third of the Model Y’s cost can be recovered in four to five years) and no service intervals – the Tesla experience hinges upon seamless, hassle-free ownership and novelty appeal which does not fade soon. With price ranging between Rs 60 to Rs 68 lakh, the Model Y certainly faces intense competition. But few can match its iconic status.

Verdict

Much like Apple’s products, the appeal of owning a Tesla is closely tied to its robust ecosystem. An ecosystem that includes a widespread Supercharger network, access to the full FSD suite. While Tesla India has installed Superchargers at its dedicated centres in Delhi and Mumbai, scaling-up the network could take some time. And with the global discontinuation of the Model S and the X, to say nothing of the brand’s seemingly hard pivot to robotics, the future line-up of Teslas in India will most likely include derivatives of the Y and possibly the Model 3.