In August, I planned to drive from the Bay Area to Los Angeles County and back to help my friend move. The catch? We needed to drive two cars for the southward leg, as we’d be leaving his trusty Honda Civic behind in LA.
We needed a rental car that had sufficient storage space and wouldn’t rack up a big gas bill. My friend suggested a Tesla Model Y because its driver assistance technology would make the seven-hour trek south — my first long-distance drive — easier.
I don’t have my own vehicle, and before the trip, I had never driven a fully electric car. I have driven cars that belong to my partner and friends, as well as many different hybrid rentals over the years.
The Model Y was unlike any of those, and I found myself struggling with the vehicle for all of the reasons that make Teslas beloved.
The Model Y was equipped with Autopilot but not Full Self-Driving (supervised), which requires a $99 monthly subscription. Renting it for two days on Turo cost me $334, including taxes and standard insurance.
I was nervous about driving a car with an unfamiliar system and scared of being stranded on the side of the road with a dead battery, so I spent the week leading up to the trip binging Model Y tutorials on YouTube and plotting out a careful route with abundant Tesla Superchargers.
I brought my friend to pick it up with me at the location indicated on Turo, because I kept imagining scenarios where I couldn’t unlock the car, manage to start it, or somehow get stuck inside, since the doors are electric.
None of my dreaded scenarios manifested.
Once I slid inside the blue Model Y and the door clicked shut with a tiny buzz, I found the vehicle to be unlike anything I’ve driven before.
The gearbox is located next to the wheel at a lever where you would usually activate your windshield wipers, and it only took one lap around the parking lot for the car’s one-pedal mode to short-circuit my muscle memory. The interior also has no buttons, and although the sleek design is loved by many, it took a while to adjust the basics, such as airflow and the door mirrors.
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After changing the braking system to what Tesla calls “Creep” mode — a way to use both pedals — it was getting late, and we had to be on our way.
The driving experience
The first stretch of the drive was slow but smooth as we made our way south of San Jose for lunch. I mostly tailed behind my friend’s car, and my favorite Lana Del Rey album sounded especially good in the Model Y’s sound system, which emphasized bass.
The sushi we had at the strip mall was uninspiring, and it took me 15 minutes to wedge my car into the only charging port left — between a huge Cybertruck and a bush — but at least the vehicle charged quickly. I stopped it at 85% to protect its battery lifespan, and we made our way toward Highway 101.
That’s when the real troubles began.
I am not a great driver, and I’m sensitive to sudden sounds. It startled me every time the vehicle started to sound alarms and flash blue lights whenever I veered from the center lane or touched a white line. I understand it’s meant to be loud enough to wake up someone who may be falling asleep, but I swerved when startled by the sound.
On occasions when I turned on Autopilot, the car kept warning me to move the steering wheel a little, but if I moved just a hair too much, the function became disabled.
My biggest complaint is that the Tesla system didn’t allow me to use CarPlay to project Google or Apple Maps from my phone to the screen. The Tesla map does not pivot to orient itself in a way that mimics the driver’s directional perspective, and it can’t be zoomed in enough to display details, like a small traffic circle on the road.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Tesla has always had a proprietary infotainment system, and it is often considered the king of car software when it comes to its navigation and warning systems. The system is what many purchase the Tesla for, but it was not a good match for my need for no distractions and crystal clear directions.
I went the wrong way many times, and I had to pull over to the side of the 101 because the Tesla map did not immediately reroute me after I missed an exit. A driver in a pickup truck slowed down as he passed me and gestured to see if I needed help. I waved him away because the rescuer I really needed was Google Maps.
I ended up pulling it up on my phone instead as a supplement, and it showed me the way within seconds. I reached Oxnard in time to have dinner with my best friend.
By nighttime, as we drove our last stretch from Oxnard to Hacienda Heights, I decided that knowing where I was heading in the dark was far more important than comfort, and I swapped cars with my friend, driving his old Civic for the last 90 minutes of the drive.
The verdict
I would potentially choose a Tesla Model Y again for my next long-distance trip, mostly because of its cost efficiency.
It is not more expensive to rent a Tesla than a regular car or any other EV, but renting a Tesla would cut our gas costs in half and provide a decent range. On Saturday, I only spent $46 on charging, and that was after many unwanted detours. The charging time was reasonable, and it was healthy to stop every couple of hours to stretch my legs or grab a coffee.
If I were to plan a route to Southern California again, I would choose to stay on I-5 until I must get off, instead of going on the 101. The I-5 is pretty much a straight shot most of the way, and this would be a great time to engage Autopilot. I would also buy a clip-on phone holder to mount my phone on top of the touchscreen, so that I can see Google Maps.
The jury is still out on whether I would buy a Tesla, new or used. When or if Elon Musk decides to release what he calls a more affordable Model Y, I will revisit the question.
