Tesla Model Y 500-mile test demonstrates why it's still dominant in Europe

The Tesla Model Y is still a serious, heavyweight EV contender in Europe.

America’s premier EV brand has suffered repeated losses to its Chinese rivals.

But Tesla is far from out for the count – and its Model Y proves it.

And that is because the Tesla Model Y just completed a 500-mile test in Europe.

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Tesla is down against China – but not out

Tesla has not enjoyed a very enjoyable 2025 so far.

As a matter of fact, the American brand has been usurped by China.

Chinese brands – especially BYD – have ravaged Tesla’s dominance of the global EV market.

BYD itself actually outsold Tesla in Europe for the second time in four months in August.

Naturally, it doesn’t exactly make for joyous reading for Tesla fans.

It has led many to believe that the American brand could well be on the decline.

But the brand is far from out of the fight – in fact, it is very much still involved.

And that is because the flagship Tesla Model Y just completed a 500-mile test in Europe.

What Car? Magazine recently conducted the road test to compare three EVs.

The test in question pitted the Tesla Model Y against the BYD Sealion 7 and the MG IM6.

On paper, the Sealion 7 and IM6 should be extremely competitive against the Model Y.

The BYD had more estimated range, and the MG promised significantly faster charging.

Tesla Model Y dominates Chinese EV rivals

But when it came to real-world conditions, neither could touch the Tesla Model Y.

During the course of the 500-mile test, some interesting discoveries were made.

For one thing, the BYD Sealion 7 nearly failed to reach a charging stop.

The MG did reach a charging stop, but never came close to reaching its claimed 400kW charging speed.

On the other hand, the Tesla Model Y managed both with near-perfect ease.

Perhaps the most important factor during the testing was the charging times of each EV.

Charging times from 25 percent to 80 proved that the MG was the quickest.

It managed to do so in just 17 minutes, compared to the 28 minutes from the Tesla and 29 minutes from the BYD.

But the overall cost and efficiency told a completely different – and more realistic – story.

The Model Y consumed 19.4 kWh per 100 km, compared to 22.2 for MG and 23.9 for BYD.

Over the full test, Tesla’s charging costs totalled just £82, thanks to its supercharger network, well below MG’s £119 and BYD’s £130.

It very much appears that reports of Tesla’s demise were very much premature.