Tesla Model X Review 2023

If you’re looking for a luxury electric vehicle (EV) that has the ability to seat seven people, then yes. It’s about the only car on earth that has the ability to do that (the Nissan NV200 Evalia isn’t exactly what you’d call ‘luxurious’, is it?), provided that the seven-seat option box has been ticked. 

That’s not the only reason to buy one, though. You might like the visual drama of those Falcon Wing doors, or you might like the high-tech-feel you get from the car’s powerful electric drivetrain and enormous 17.0-inch touchscreen. Heck, you might just want to drive a Tesla. The brand has managed to cultivate an image of desirability and progressive thinking that seems to really resonate with tech-heads and early-adopters everywhere.

True, the Model X can’t match its newer rivals in areas like interior quality, ride comfort or refinement, and it’s considerably pricier. But if practicality is your priority, it’s a great choice.

Being more of a technology company rather than a conventional car manufacturer, Tesla doesn’t do things the way everybody else does, and that can lead to some confusion. You see, depending on the age of the car you’re looking at, it’ll have one of a variety of model names, and these chopped and changed pretty much constantly throughout the car’s life. It’d take all day to take you through all the various minuscule iterations, so it’s easier to just take you through how the naming convention works. 

The most basic is the 60D. The D referred to the fact it is a dual-motor car (as all Model Xs are) while the 60 referred to the battery capacity in kW. Other models available included the 70D, 75D, 90D and 100D, and broadly speaking, the bigger the number, the longer the range and the higher the power output. See a model name with a ‘P’ on the front (P100D, for example), and that signifies that the model is a ‘Performance’ model that’s as quick as Model Xs get at that particular point in time. Then later, just for good measure, Tesla abandoned that naming convention altogether, and the models available were called ‘Performance’ or ‘Long Range’. Still with us? Hope so…

The usual convention of having different trim levels isn't really a thing with Teslas, either, as the amount of kit you get increases with the power/range of your car. Basically, all Model Xs are very quick, and all have driving ranges that lie somewhere between the good and the great. In short, we’d pick the one that gives you the range you need. From the bottom of the range to the top, that could be anywhere between 200 miles (not accounting for battery degradation) and 350 miles, according to official figures.

If you’re looking for alternative all-electric luxury SUVs that have the ability to seat seven, then quite simply,  there aren’t any: on that score the Model X really is in a class of one.

If seven seats aren’t a deal-breaker for you, though, the competition gets much, much tougher. The Audi e-tron is the closest of the current crop of prestige-badged electric SUVs in terms of size, but the Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz EQC also have to be considered rivals.

In truth, this is an area in which the Tesla Model X really should do better. Judged in isolation, the interior looks fine. The minimalist design looks smart and progressive, while many of the materials have a pleasing finish. Many others, however, don’t, and with panel gaps that are often large and inconsistent, there’s a distinctly flimsy feel to the cabin. Well, to the whole car, actually, because you’ll find these iffy panel gaps on the exterior bodywork, too.

This is especially disappointing given the lofty price of the car, and it becomes even more noticeable when you compare the Tesla directly with impeccably built rivals like the Audi E-Tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC, both of which are considerably cheaper to buy.

The Tesla Model X's cabin is dominated by the huge portrait-orientated 17-inch touchscreen, partly because of its size, and partly because there’s so little other stuff to look at: everything is incorporated into the touchscreen system.

Considering how complex it is and the sheer number of functions it has to deal with, it’s actually pretty easy to find your way through the menus without getting too lost. One or two functions are tucked away in some odd places, but overall, the system is fairly intuitive. 

Like all touchscreens, though, it’s not as easy to use on the move because you have to concentrate on pressing exactly the right bit of the screen, and that can be distracting. Some of the icons are a bit small, too, but there’s no faulting the speed and responsiveness of the system, and the graphics look really smart. The same goes for the configurable digital instrument display - which replaces traditional dials - because it’s clear and easy to read.

Most of the functionality you’d expect is covered, including Bluetooth, DAB radio and Google maps navigation. If you're a fan of Apple Carplay/Android Auto, though, you’ll be disappointed, because Tesla refuses to support it.

In terms of outright dimensions, the Tesla Model X is one of the biggest (and therefore most practical) electric cars you can buy. It measures 5052mm in length, 1999mm in width and 1684mm in height.b

As standard, the car comes with five seats, and all of those get a generous amount of head and legroom, allowing all occupants - even tall ones - to get comfy. What’s more, all of these seats slide and recline electrically, allowing passengers to easily play with their seating position until they get comfortable.

As an optional extra, the Tesla Model X can be specified with six seats (three rows of two) or seven seats (three in the middle row and two behind). This gives it an immediate practicality edge over rivals like the E-Tron, I-Pace and EQC, which all have five seats only. It was a very popular option, too, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding a used example with the option fitted. Adults will fit in the rearmost chairs, but headroom and legroom are limited, so you’d only want to stay there for short hops.

Access to the rear is made easy by those theatrical Falcon Wing doors. The massive openings mean it’s easy to clamber into any of the rear seats, and the cutout in the roof also means you don’t have to stoop when fitting a child seat, or strapping your offspring into it. 

Things aren’t perfect, though. The doors can be rather slow to operate, and they stop moving automatically when they come too close to another car’s bodywork, leaving the door hanging only half-open. If the parking space you’re in is particularly tight, this might mean you need to limbo into your seat.

The boot is pretty big in five-seat mode, on par with its competitors, but it’s pretty minuscule with seven seats in place: only a handful of shopping bags will fit. You can’t fold the middle row down flat like you can in rivals, either, which limits your capacity when carrying big loads.

If you haven’t already, we’d strongly urge you to read the ‘What’s the best Tesla Model X to choose’ section, because it explains how the naming conventions of the various versions works, and what it means for their power/range. Because Tesla doesn’t do things in the way that every other car company does, and because the model structure is so transient, figuring out which version is which is enormously complex and catastrophically confusing.

All versions do have a few things in common, though. All of them have two electric motors (one powering the front wheels and one driving the rears to give four-wheel drive), all have a single-gear transmission and all of them are fast. Even the slowest of them will smash from 0-62mph in around six seconds, and because electric motors deliver their full torque from the moment they begin spinning, there’s barely any delay between pushing the go pedal with your foot, and the rest of your body being pushed back in your seat.

The quick ones, meanwhile, are among the fastest cars on the planet. Find an example of one of the later Performance models, and it’ll catapult you from 0-62mph in just 2.6 seconds, quicker than most Ferraris or Lamborghinis. If anything, that level of acceleration, plus the explosive nature with which it’s delivered, is such an assault on the organs that it’s actually quite unpleasant. No beating it for bragging rights, though.

Compared with a regular petrol or diesel car, you’ll be impressed by how quiet the Tesla Model X is. With no combustion engine clattering away, and only a faint whirr from the motors when you put your foot down, your progress along any type of road, at any speed, will be comparatively quiet.

Compare the Model X with its premium electric SUV rivals, though, and it’s not as impressive. The motors are more audible when doing their thing - although they’re still a million miles away from being annoying - and there’s a good deal more wind-and road noise to be heard at a steady cruise on the motorway.

The Tesla Model X has achieved the full five-star score in Euro NCAP crash tests, which should give you peace of mind that you’ll be well protected if you become embroiled in a smash. 

However, the car will do its very best to help you avoid a smash in the first place. All cars come with automatic emergency braking and blind spot assistance as standard, along with the capability to support two different levels of semi-autonomous driving. The first - known as Autopilot - will keep you a set distance from the car in front by speeding the car up or slowing it down accordingly, while the steering keeps you centred in your lane. The higher grade system also lets you change lanes automatically or summon your car out of a tight parking space using your smartphone.

Yet another area of confusion, unfortunately. Not only has Tesla been changing things constantly since the Model X was launched, but the way ranges (and fuel consumption and CO2 emissions) are tested has also changed during that time. 

For example, compare the old P100D’s range of 351 miles with the latest Long Range version’s figure of 314 miles, and you’d think that the older car goes further in the real world. It doesn’t, though, it’s just that it was tested under the older NEDC standard rather than the later - and more stringent - WLTP one.

Compared with other electric cars, though the official range figures (even the Performance version manages 301 miles) are significantly higher than those of most rivals. Like with any of them, though, you shouldn’t bank on matching that figure in the real world. Assume a figure of around 280 miles is more realistic in good conditions, and that’ll drop significantly in cold weather.

Tesla doesn't have the best build quality record – to put it simply, all its budget goes towards launching disruptives EVs with impressive performance. Screwing the cars together doesn't seem to be a priority. Common issues with the Tesla Model X include poor paintwork, damaged trim and even doors that get stuck open (or open when they feel like it).

Choosing an electric car offers buyers savings in a lot of areas, but insurance isn’t one of them: it seems our friends in the underwriting world are less keen to encourage motorists into eco-friendly cars, and are more keen to get their cut. 

As such, the Tesla Model X sits in insurance group 50, the most expensive group there is, which is hardly surprising given the astronomical cost of the car. That said, if you can afford to buy a Model X, you’ll be wealthy enough that a steep insurance premium isn’t going to put you off, and bills will be just as steep on the Model X’s rivals.

There’s no first-year VED tax payment for the Tesla Model X. Electric cars are also exempt from the £325 'premium car' road tax rate, which means you pay nothing from the second year onwards. Company car drivers, meanwhile, will pay little or no Benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax until 2023 at the earliest.

Tesla doesn’t really do trim levels as such. The amount of standard kit your car gets varies slightly version to version, but the bigger differences between versions come in the form of how much power and range they give you. And like with so many other things, Tesla makes changes to the spec of its cars on such a regular basis that the precise amount of kit you get will also depend greatly on exactly what point in time your car was built.

Most versions are well-equipped as standard and include climate control, cruise control, keyless entry, the funky Falcon Wing doors, a powered tailgate and all the infotainment and safety kit we’ve already talked about. The Performance has a few bits of spangly trim, but hardly anything in the way of extra luxury kit.