2022 Tesla Model S Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The 2022 Tesla Model S Is available in two trims for the 2022 model year, with two or three motors depending on trim.

The Tesla Model S is the brand’s best-known vehicle and the luxury electric sedan that drove the brand’s success. It’s been the premier luxury electric vehicle (EV) on the market for about a decade, with some of the best performance and efficiency specs that money can buy. That said, the Model S starts at well over six figures these days, and there are a number of great rivals that can be purchased for the same money, or even for considerably less.

The Model S can be cross-shopped against the Mercedes-Benz EQS, Lucid Air, and Porsche Taycan. You may also find a suitable alternative within the Tesla stable: The Tesla Model X starts at a similar price point, so it’s worth a look if you’d rather have a crossover than a sedan, and the Tesla Model 3 is a smaller and more affordable sedan with many of the same virtues.

For 2022, the Model S is available in two trim levels: Base (formerly known as Long Range) and Plaid. Both use a 100-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a single-speed transmission. The base Model S features two motors, one on each axle, providing standard all-wheel drive (AWD). It’s good for a range of up to 405 miles, EPA ratings of 124 miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (MPGe) city and 115 highway, and a 3.1-second zero-to-60-mph sprint. The Plaid model adds a third electric motor, improving performance with only a small impact to efficiency. It’s capable of 396 miles of range, 199 MPGe city and 112 highway, and an astounding 1.99-second run to 60 mph. Those numbers are for a Plaid on 19-inch wheels; upgrading to one of the 21-inch wheel design options sacrifices about 15 MPGe and about 30 to 40 miles from the range.

The Model S features a spare, upscale interior design, though actual build quality can be inconsistent and some materials don’t meet expectations for vehicles at this price point. Still, the solid list of standard features includes a 17-inch touchscreen infotainment display that consolidates all of the car’s functions and controls, synthetic leather upholstery, heated seats in both rows, a heated steering wheel, cooled front seats, a panoramic glass roof, wireless phone charging, Bluetooth, a premium audio system, heated washer nozzles and wiper blades, and a HEPA air filter. Apple and Android devotees should note that Tesla does not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have fully tested a Tesla Model S. However, Tesla loads on the advanced safety and driver-assistance technology via the standard Autopilot package. That includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automated lane centering. With the optional Full Self-Driving Capability system, the Model S can automatically navigate highway interchanges and ramps, change lanes, parallel and perpendicular park, interpret and comply with traffic signals, and come out of a parking spot to the driver using the Summon feature via smartphone.

The Tesla Model S provides one of the best combinations of power and efficiency available in a large luxury sedan, though it’s still worth taking a close look at rivals in the electric vehicle segment.