We have reached the end of the series ‘Sales Top 20 of 2024’, where the twenty most important new cars in the Netherlands were reviewed again. Sometimes that led to an interesting piece of background or gave a special insight, but not this week. After all, everything has already been written about the Tesla Model Y. Logical: 19,094 units were added last year.
Anyone who has followed the series knows that the Kia Niro occupied second place last year with 10,914 units, divided over three different powertrains. Not that we want to detract from that number, it mainly shows how successful this family Tesla is again. Again, because it was also the most popular car in the Netherlands in 2023. Of course, we also look ahead: will the success continue or will it fade away?
Why the Model Y?
But we start with the most important question: why did so many people choose the Tesla Model Y last year? That will be a combination of factors. First of all, Tesla simply offers a lot of car for your money, especially after it lowered prices again at the beginning of 2024. As a result, you could get in from €43,993, which includes a theoretical range of 455 kilometers. The Long Range version with a 533 kilometer range costs just over €50,000. The Model Y is now slightly more expensive again: from €45,990. But then you also get a different look and more refined finish.
Model Y wins most tests
Curious as we are, the Tesla Model Y is allowed to compete against competitors several times. We start with another model that scores well in Dutch sales, the Volvo XC40 Recharge, which now goes by the name Volvo EX40. The Volvo scores on finish, material selection and seating comfort, but the Tesla wins convincingly. “The Model Y is much more practical to use. Not only is it more spacious in all directions, Tesla understands like no other the art of maximizing the concept of ‘electric car’.” However, the Tesla is currently still considerably more expensive. In a more recent test against the Peugeot e-5008, the Tesla loses out in practical terms, although it remains the better electric car. And later today you can read how the updated Tesla Model Y compares to the already impressive newcomer Xpeng G6 from last year.
After Tesla introduces a basic model at the beginning of 2023 and lowers prices considerably, the picture looks very different. High time to let this Model Y RWD compete against an EV from an established manufacturer: the ID5 from Volkswagen. Even though the Volkswagen, with its much larger battery – 82 kWh versus 60 kWh – actually goes a little further in practice, the Tesla wins hands down. “The Tesla seems unbeatable on paper and is in practice too. The car is spacious, efficient, very generously equipped, fast and high-tech,” is the conclusion. Although the Autopilot does not function as well as hoped and the interior is not to everyone’s taste, the Tesla gets 35 points, against 30 for the Volkswagen. “That feels a bit more normal, which can be an advantage. But that is mainly a matter of taste, and in the ‘bargain corner’ we choose based on hard facts.”
Fast, but not a sports car
The superlative of Model Y is called Model Y Performance. With no less than 462 hp, this top version sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in – measured – 4 seconds and even pushes through to 250 km/h. Yet it must tolerate competition, Ford even supplies the slightly more powerful Mustang Mach-E GT. It is the first car that seriously answers the Tesla, although in this test we mainly look at the sporty features. “The Mach-E feels more alive, bounces less on bad road surfaces and the seats hold you better in place. You also get a little more freedom, in the Model Y you have to do it the way Tesla prescribes it,” is the experience. “The fact that the Ford is more expensive both to purchase and use and charges less quickly with direct current cannot prevent it from winning.”
Nevertheless, the difference between the two cars is only half a point on the total sum and ultimately the same applies to both cars: they are large, heavy, electric SUVs and not sports cars. “The feeling that it is actually smarter in both cases to choose the less sporty version predominates, since both the Ford and the Tesla come into their own better with a more moderate driving style.”
Less popular in 2025
Despite the qualities of the model, Tesla’s worldwide sales will take a major hit in early 2025. There appears to be a connection with the political activities of Tesla figurehead Elon Musk, who has since withdrawn from politics. Sales of the brand in the Netherlands have also roughly halved compared to last year, although the Model Y is still the fourth most popular new car in our country.
Partly as a result, we are not yet daring to say definitively that Tesla sales are suffering from Musk’s antics. Actually, we only know one thing for sure: Tesla sales figures have always been erratic. Just under 30,000 of the immensely popular Model 3 were registered in 2019, while the counter remained at just 827 units in 2022. So it seems too early for hard conclusions about the Model Y. Although everything seems to have already been written about the car, the book cannot yet be closed.