Image: Tesla
Tesla’s refreshed Model Y has just earned another major accolade, with Edmunds naming it the best car of 2025 so far. The publication praised Tesla’s crossover for its vastly improved ride quality and interior, putting it ahead of more than 200 vehicles tested this year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to Edmunds’ announcement on X, simply saying, “It is a great car.”
According to Edmunds, the updated Model Y, codenamed “Juniper,” has undergone a massive improvement over the previous generation. The ride quality has gone from what the publication once considered “insufferable” to among the best in its class, while interior build quality and materials have seen a “much-needed leap forward.”
Edmunds highlighted the Model Y’s spacious cargo capacity, quick acceleration, over 300 miles of range, and retained turn signal stalks — something missing from Tesla’s Cybertruck and latest “Highland” Model 3. Tesla recently reintroduced turn signal stalks on the Model 3 in China, offering existing owners a retrofit for the change.
This recognition adds to a growing list of accolades for the Model Y. Earlier this summer, the all-electric SUV earned the 2025 Top Safety Pick+ award from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It also topped U.S. EV sales during the first half of the year, underscoring its position as Tesla’s best-selling model worldwide.
Tesla continues to build on this momentum with the rollout of the refreshed Model Y Performance in Europe, which just entered production at the company’s Giga Berlin factory. The new Performance variant joins a lineup that has not only dominated sales but is now also stacking up critical acclaim.
