Tesla’s Model Y electric crossover SUV became the world’s best-selling car of 2023. Not just the best-selling EV, but the best-selling vehicle, even outselling the Toyota Corolla, making the Model Y a key player in EV adoption. Now we get to see what’s new in the 2025 version.
Only yesterday, Tesla China’s website quietly revealed the 2025 Model Y, which is codenamed “Juniper.”
Tesla is doubling down in 2025 on its success and gave the EV – known for its performance, range and versatility – a refresh by adding new features and design improvements.
Starting with what everyone sees first, the exterior has a completely new look. The front bumper and headlights have been redesigned giving it a sleeker, more modern look. The rear, also redesigned, still screams “TESLA!” when you look at it, but now has a full-width rear tail light, reminiscent of a Cylon in Battlestar Galactica. Knowing Elon Musk’s quirky antics, that very well may have been the goal.
“By your command,” the full-width tail light when you tap those brakes will be sure to get everyone’s attention
The 19-inch wheels have gotten an update as well. And what you can’t see behind them are suspension tweaks for a smoother ride and better handling.
Another nifty feature is the ability of the “frunk” and trunk to open up for you when you’re nearby, making it easy to toss in your groceries or luggage as you approach the SUV without having to open any latches. We’re not sure if the Tentsla is still compatible with the new design yet.
The newly updated Tesla Model Y “Juniper” sure looks sleek
Once you hop inside, you’ll notice right away that gone are the 2023-24 touch-sensitive turn signal buttons, replaced with the return of the beloved physical stalk to indicate your turns – thus proving the point, “If it ain’t broke, fix it ’til it is” … then just go back to what worked best in the first place.
You’ll also notice improvements in the quality and feel of the interior, such as sleek ambient lighting. The interior has also been upgraded with more advanced acoustic materials – including those in the windshield – to make for a quieter, more luxurious ride.
The 2025 Model Y Juniper also gets the full self-driving (FSD) suite found on many other Tesla models. Active safety features include a pre-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, plus lane deviation and avoidance.
Your passengers in the back can play games or set their desired climate with the new 8-inch touchscreen in the back
Passengers in the rear now get an 8-inch touchscreen for zone climate control as well as entertainment options. That screen might be tough to reach with a seatbelt on, so Tesla allows passengers to connect to entertainment functions via Bluetooth, making it easy to play some games or click on some Bluey for the kids on a long drive.
If you have pets, the Model Y also has a pet-safe mode to keep the interior at a comfortable temperature, should you need to leave your puppers alone in the car.
Quite a few other aspects of the new dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Model Y caught an upgrade as well.
There’s price, for one. The 2025 model comes in at US$41,390, down about $7,600 from the 2023 version.
The new Model Y Juniper has a CLTC estimated 446-mile (718-km) range over the 2023 EPA 330-mile (531 km) range. To be fair, the CLTC (China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle) leans towards the optimistic side of EV range, to say the least. Usually 15-20% higher than real-world estimates like the EPA. So we’ll call the range of the new Model Y something more like 350-360 miles (563-579 km) on a single charge.
The Tesla Model Y Juniper can DC fast-charge at 250 kW at one of the 60,000 Tesla Superchargers world-wide – 15 minutes should be good enough for another 155 miles (250 km)
The outgoing 2023 model has around 346 hp and a 3,500-lb (1,588-kg) towing capacity. Specs for the Juniper are likely to be similar, but haven’t been disclosed publicly yet. Battery pack size also isn’t disclosed publicly for the Model Y, but it’s estimated that the 2023 version was around 75 kWh.
Of Tesla’s range of vehicles – the Model S, 3, X, and Y – the Y has been the best-selling with 1.2 million sold worldwide in 2023, roughly 200,000 more than the next best-selling compact SUV – EV or otherwise – the Toyota Rav4.
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Source: Tesla China
