I've driven every Tesla model ever created and this is where I rank each one

Tesla has produced six passenger models to date, ranging from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck.

The four Models (S, X, 3, Y) are ‘normal’ cars, whereas the Roadster really wasn’t, and the Cybertruck certainly isn’t.

We drove all six to analyze their similarities, map their differences, and crown a ultimate winner.

Roadster – the very first Tesla

The original Tesla Roadster delivered a collective ‘what the heck is that?’ moment to the automotive world.

I don’t necessarily want to rely on anecdotes but when I first tested it in London – a very EV-centric city today – everyone was like ‘Come on, let’s hear the engine!’

“It doesn’t have an engine. It’s electric. It has an electric motor,” I had to explain.

If I had a dollar for every time I repeated that phrase back in 2010, I could have bought a Roadster right then and there.

Despite being much heavier than the Lotus Elise on which it was based, it still felt relatively lightweight and nimble.

It also felt just as rough as a Lotus Elise – I remember that very clearly.

Tesla added thicker seats, cruise control, and a small infotainment screen for comfort, but it was like dressing a Muay Thai fighter in a tie and brogues and calling it ‘smart casual’.

But it was great to drive and, my two cents, great to look at.

Tesla Model S was a game-changer

While the Roadster was an experiment, the Model S was Tesla’s first ground-up production car.

It looked like a normal four-door sedan, but it was electric – and brutally fast.

It forced everyone to take EVs seriously.

The Model S was also super smooth to drive, and, apologies for the repetition, very fast.

Every car has a ‘natural’ cruising speed: you’re driving down the highway – not thinking anything, not doing anything – and when you glance at the speedometer, that’s the car’s natural pace.

In fragile supercars, that speed is often lower than you’d expect because they feel brittle and dangerous.

In economy cars, it’s low because the cabin rattles, forcing you to slow down.

But in a Tesla Model S, that natural cruise speed feels like a million miles per hour.

In iterations like the old P100D or the Plaid, you have to actively concentrate on keeping your speed down to save your license

In addition to being exceptionally fast, it also pioneered things we take for granted: it had built-in Spotify as an optional extra, it was connected to the internet, and it came with self-parking.

It all sounds normal today, but remember this is a car that first came out in 2012, and those features were already present in 2015.

Tesla Model X – those doors…

The Model X was like a Model S, but in SUV form.

It was pretty big and chunky, and it had gullwing doors (Tesla calls them ‘Falcon Wings’) at the back for absolutely no reason other than fun.

And they were great.

It was also supremely comfortable, and just as fast as the Model S in real-world terms.

For reasons I can’t really explain, this was probably my second favorite Tesla to drive.

Tesla Model 3 and Y unlocked a new world of possibilities

The Model S was impressive, but it was big and expensive, and the same went for the Model X.

But with the Model 3 and Y, the American automaker finally had two vehicles that checked the most important box of them all: all-roundness.

Both the Model 3 and especially the Model Y were fantastic all-rounders.

They could do anything.

In fact, they still can, because unlike the now-discontinued Model S and Model X, they remain in active production.

They’re practical, compact but not tiny, efficient, fast, unremarkable and yet somehow elegant, and packed with technology.

With these models, Tesla conquered the world of EVs and made history, in a way.

In 2023, for the first time ever, the best-selling car in the world – of any powertrain or shape – was electric: the Model Y.

These two cars also served as a testbed to refine existing technologies that were made better.

FSD was fine-tuned using the massive Model 3 and Y fleet, while the infotainment setup underwent a major visual overhaul.

Model 3 was the first Tesla to come with a horizontal display, which is now standard.

The odd one out: Cybertruck

What a bizzarre and yet exciting vehicle this is.

The Cybertruck is one of the strangest vehicles I’ve ever driven.

It felt like driving a boat.

First, it feels absolutely massive – which is saying a lot in the US, where 5-meter (16.4-foot) vehicles are the norm.

It looks crazy, obviously, and it feels incredibly heavy.

Yet it remains incredibly easy to handle, partly due to build quality, but mostly thanks to the steer-by-wire system.

Critics of this system (the steering wheel connects to the wheels digitally rather than physically) should drive it before passing judgment, because it is amazing.

This is a vehicle the size of an aircraft carrier that drives like a nimble sedan.

It’s also incredibly fast despite being heavy, and FSD works like clockwork.

The Cybertruck certainly has presence, which is a double-edged sword.

If you own and drive this vehicle, people will have opinions about that, but that’s part of the package.

Honorable mentions

I couldn’t include Cybercab because technically that’s not out yet, or the Roadster for pretty much the same reason.

The Semi is, but that’s not a passenger vehicle, so it sort of it doesn’t count.

Mind you, if you’re a Tesla PR person and reading this and would like to invite us for a drive: we wouldn’t say no.

The verdict: the ‘best’ Tesla ever made is…

…the Model Y.

There are always two ways to define what ‘best’ actually means.

You can do it subjectively or objectively.

Subjectively, anybody can think what they want.

It’s like the weather: some people complain about feeling ‘chilly’ in Death Valley, while others wear shorts and flip-flops during an Alaskan winter.

By that token, the ‘best’ Tesla was the Roadster, because it was fun to drive, revolutionary, and great to look at.

But that’s just an opinion, and you can argue with opinions.

But you can’t argue with data.

And the data show that, by every measurable metric, the Model Y is the best Tesla built.

It is certainly the best-selling.

Automakers are not NGOs.

At the end of the day, whether a vehicle actually sells is the ultimate metric of success.

Ranking based on pure personal preference:

1. Tesla Roadster
2. Tesla Model X
3. Tesla Model S
4. Tesla Cybertruck
5. Tesla Model Y
6. Tesla Model 3

Ranking based on a combination of personal preference and objective data

1. Tesla Model Y
2. Tesla Model S
3. Tesla Roadster
4. Tesla Model X
5. Tesla Cybertruck
6. Tesla Model 3