Tesla Model Y Named Autos Community’s Best Electric Vehicle of 2022

Autos Community’s first award for the best electric vehicle comes at a time when the availability of electric cars for the mass market is closer than ever to a tipping point. 

Widespread adoption is still a long way off because challenges limiting accessibility – such as affordability, high-speed public charging, a range education and more – have yet to be resolved, but new e-vehicles are popping up left and right, including some stragglers that were not available for this year’s vote. Dozens more models are waiting in the wings.

What is Eligible

 Any model year 2022 battery electric vehicle, whether it was introduced or last updated.

The Criteria

 In addition to general excellence, we pay particular attention to the aspects where many electric cars falter, such as ride quality and charging speed.

Of the models available, we choose the Tesla Model Y as our Best Electric Vehicle of 2022. The Model Y is not only a consumer-friendly electric vehicle but also a roomy SUV with a towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds. 

It is one of the most effective vehicles for alleviating range anxiety through the excess range – EPA – 326 miles for the Long Range All-Wheel Drive version – and efficiency information that tells drivers how to maximise the remaining range. 

Tesla‘s network of Supercharger DC fast-charging stations is also more extensive and, in our experience, has been more reliable – and more reliably fast – than others.

When charging, the Model Y’s efficiency means more range per hour at a given power level than many other electric cars, and the Model Y can finely throttle charging to work with a variety of circuits. 

It comes standard with a 120- and 240-volt mobile charger for respectable charging speeds, and Tesla includes a J1772 adapter to connect its proprietary connector to third-party chargers.

Driving the Model Y is perhaps even more polarising: it does not have a traditional instrument panel but a 15-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard that displays everything, including the speedometer. 

The handling is more like that of a sports car, but so are the driving dynamics – it’s entertaining to drive, so the hard-driving is at least worth it. Faster acceleration can even be unlocked at the touch of a button (and for $2,000), as the Model Y can be significantly modified with over-the-air updates.

We have praised some newer electric cars for keeping up with what Tesla has been doing for years, selling in all 50 states – a requirement we do not meet for this new Autoscommunity.com EV award. 

Even though some states do not allow direct-to-consumer sales, that does not stop Tesla buyers, and we suspect the same is true for similar EV brands that may be eligible for this award in the coming years. 

Tesla sold about as many Model Ys as Subaru Foresters in the first nine months of 2021 – 130,000 vehicles – kicking off electric vehicle adoption faster than any other model. 

Most newcomer electric cars have the technical capabilities for over-the-air updates and much that requires an immediate overhaul, but we have yet to see anything that even comes close to Tesla’s track record of using these capabilities to improve and evolve its products. 

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