The 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid is the Usain Bolt of the car world. Line it up at a drag strip and it'll outsprint pretty much anything on the road today. The Model S' hatchback practicality and access to Tesla's Supercharger network are big pluses too. Unfortunately, the Model S also has some big drawbacks, such as a frustrating interface (the steering yoke, specifically) and disappointing fit and finish.
Power-swiveling capability for the center touchscreen added midway through model year
Previous Long Range trim is now simply known as Model S
Part of the first Model S generation introduced for 2012
What is the Model S?
If you don't take into account the low-production and short-lived Roadster, the Model S is Tesla's longest-running model as well as the automaker's flagship vehicle. It shattered the mold of what an EV could be, and it continues to be the preeminent luxury EV sedan on sale today. For 2021, Tesla gave the Model S a thorough refresh inside and out, so we're not expecting much to change on that front. Tesla originally claimed that it would make a Plaid+ version with a 520-mile range as well as 1,100 horsepower but has since walked that back. Apparently, the regular Plaid version is all you need.
Edmunds says
The 2022 Tesla Model S will continue to offer its unique mix of futuristic luxury and massive EV performance. Be sure to check out our real-world range tests on various electric vehicles and keep it locked on Edmunds for all the latest Tesla updates and our expert reviews.
382 milesThe range for a used 2022 Tesla Model S is estimated to be 382 miles because electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year, with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.
EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 382 miles.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.
Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Richmond, Virginia. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.
NACSNorth American Charging Standard (NACS). Supports Level 1, Level 2 and DC fast charging.
Plug Type
15 hrs
240V Home ChargingEstimated total charging time when using a 240V outlet. This is either a 3-prong or 4-prong outlet used for appliances, for example a clothes dryer.
EV batteries should be kept at 30-80% charged to extend battery life.
8 yrs or 150,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.
According to GeoTab’s data, if the observed degradation rates are maintained, the vast majority of batteries will outlast the usable life of the vehicle.
Estimated battery warranty remaining is 5 years or 108,000 miles for this car.Warranty remaining value is based on the vehicle year, and on driving 14,000 miles per year. Confirm exact warranty coverage for each vehicle with the dealers and the manufacturer before purchasing.
EV Tax Credits & Rebates
$125
Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.
Restrictions: Dominion Energy offers EV owners a rebate of up to $125 towards the cost of a Level 2 charging station.
To qualify for this rebate, the customer and/or charging station must meet the following requirements:
Receive electricity from Dominion Energy.
Have an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Networked/Smart charging capabilities to program the station to off-peak periods and respond to managed charging events
Additional Information:
You also earn a $40 e-gift card on the anniversary of your enrollment every year you remain enrolled.
EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.
If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.
Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.
#1 out of 1 among Luxury Alternative Fuel Vehicles
RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.
Cost
The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Tesla Model S from 2008-2022.
$823/yr
vs. $823/yr for Average Luxury Alternative Fuel Vehicle
Frequency
The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).
0.36x/yr
vs. 0.4x/yr for Average Luxury Alternative Fuel Vehicle
Severity
The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).
15.2%
vs. 15.2% for Average Luxury Alternative Fuel Vehicle
powered by RepairPal Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.
2021 Tesla Model S Plaid 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)
The car itself is amazing….BUT there are ALOTTT OF little things that need work.
The way Tesla delivers 145k cars/suvs is very very poor at best.
Service is worse in all auto industry, my plaid broke down on me 3rd day…yes 3rd day.
Took them 3 days to get it towed due to my location, and I didn’t have a car for 2 weeks.
Broke down for the 2nd time and when I was talking with the service … rep he stated that they have been having problems with the new plaid models!
If you have only One car (Tesla) I would recommend buying another random backup car or suv because you will 100 percent need it.
Great design horrible build
1 out of 5 stars
Adam in Colorado, 12/04/2021
2021 Tesla Model S Long Range 4dr Sedan AWD w/Prod. End 11/21 (electric DD)
The design of this car is amazing. Auto pilot is great on the highway though it requires that you jiggle the steering wheel (yoke) to know you are there which is kind of annoying as my hand is on the wheel just not torquing it enough. The build quality however is miserable. Panel gaps are all over the place, they actually have a tool to know if things are bad enough to fix so they … rehung my door but left the rest all a little crooked, unacceptable for the price. This of course leads to a loud whistling sound at higher speeds. They heard the sound when I took the service personnel for a drive but decided they can't find the cause so it isn't a problem. Service is so bad I told my father to cancel his order.
Update: whistling was a missing roof seal, finally found it after 3-4 visits, has to replace roof twice but now roof rattles and squeaks and they just gave up on fixing it and said it isn't a warranty issue of a brand new car. Also had 2 parking sensors fail. 14 service visits and out of service 5 weeks in the first 3 months of ownership.
Update: I was very excited when I finally got mine. Honestly the technology is quite impressive. The build quality, however, was so abysmal and the service even worse. When it was delivered it had a whistling sound at speed. For a while they refused to test it and fix it as they say that is above the speed limit where they are though not where I commute. Eventually they did find the problem and it was because the glass roof was installed incorrectly. They replaced that and the windshield but introduced a horrible rattling. After having it for a month they returned it to me still rattling and said that isn't covered by warranty. So my $100,000 luxury car rattles as I drive to work.
As a side issue, the range isn't nearly what they say it is, more like 300 miles on a long range with 19-in wheels. That is however still enough for me. It does use about 10% of the battery with sentry mode turned on while parked at work.
I am one of the idiots who did pay for full self-drive. The only value I get out of that currently is that it will change lanes for me on the highway. It is like very good cruise control but nothing like what was promised.
Overall, some of the best engineering but worst build quality I have ever seen.
Chicago Model S Longrange
5 out of 5 stars
Vince D, 07/06/2023
2022 Tesla Model S 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)
I purchased this Model S in August 2022. The Model S is white with cream interior looks very nice. The white which is free has sparkles in paint and looks great. The cream interior looks so good and the vegan leather feels and looks good and clean easily. The 19" standard tires run well and with the plastic covers off the rims look very good I get many complements. I added caps and … a center cap to clean up the mags. The Model S is so fast I but I prefer the vehicle on standard which a bit slower but still fast and I set the drive to comfort for a nice smooth ride vs the sport ride. The electronics takes a bit of time to get comfortable with but eventually I'm fine with making custom changes to fit my driving needs. The yoke steering takes a while to get comfortable with and some won't like that. I'm good with it as I like the look and the handling is acceptable to me. Making turns can be an issue if you buy you might be better off with the round standard wheel. I like the navigation and voice system and the sound system all work well. I also think the a/c settings for the air direction works very well although there should be the ability to shutdown passenger air if desired. All the controls on the yoke are fine except the horn needs some improvement, way to small an area. I like the idea of all the controls on the yoke and no stalks or other buttons except for what you can do on the screen electronically. The space in this model S is tremendous, the trunk lower level is deep and stores huge amounts of stuff the trunk itself is large and if you drop the 2 back seats it's incredible what you fit in the back area. The fronk is nice but I don't use it much but it's there. This model S long-range is so fast and the regenerative breaks work well and once you get into them you can drive very long distances and never use the break pad. The technolgy in the Model S takes some time to get comfortable with but if you're a techy you will love it and if not you won't. The battery is close to capacity ratings as long as you're not in cold weather (freezing), speeds above 70, and stop and go traffic. Cold weather really drops the range by 10-20%. If you run heaters, heated seats and drive hard the model S battery is easily down 20% in range. This is not Tesla but EV's. But the model S does get up to 405 miles and that range is accurate before driving experience delivers actual. I've charged on Tesla charging at super high speeds and it is very fast charging maybe 1/2 hour to 200 + miles. They need to continue to work on build quality mine had 2 small issues and I've not had the model S back to Tesla but that one time for the fixes. Tesla maintenance did a great job I have no issue with their technical people and they were very friendly and helpful. I like the look I like the drive, I like the technology and I like the saving fuel costs as well as the environment. Great EV and vehicle the latest pricing seems more in line should be below $90,000.
Great car, terrible service and buggy software
3 out of 5 stars
Venky, 06/07/2021
2021 Tesla Model S Long Range 4dr Sedan AWD w/Prod. End 11/21 (electric DD)
I bought a Tesla Model S long range in December 2020 to replace an old but trusty Lexus. I can say with confidence that this is the best car I have ever driven. It accelerates faster than a Porsche, handles curves better than a BMW, rides smoother than a Lexus. Of course, the benefits of an all-electric car that can be charged at home are well known by now.
However, once the thrill of … driving wore off and the reality of owning a car that cost nearly $90k set in, the defects started to appear. Firstly, it lacks storage space. The cup holders are too close to each other, and placed very inconveniently, so my elbows often knock against my water bottle. The doors lack any storage space, so all my stuff is packed into a small compartment in the middle. The user interface of the massive screen is not well designed, especially for someone that needs reading glasses. The icons are all monochrome, often used buttons are at the bottom of the screen, and the scroll buttons on the steering column are not intuitive. The autopilot feature is truly in beta - even though they charge $10k for it. It works well on highways but is not ready for city driving at all.
The biggest problem is their service. I have a problem with the car but it has taken over 3 weeks to get an appointment with their service center. It is impossible to get anyone on the phone to even find out if my car is safe to drive. When I reached out to them to get an earlier appointment, I got a curt one line reply that they are fully booked. Makes me wonder why an electric car has so many service needs - lends credence to the complaints about build quality. Any other premium car maker that charges $90 k would not treat their customers like this. Clearly, Tesla has a long way to go to become a customer centric company.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2022 Tesla Model S, so we've included reviews for other years of the Model S since its last redesign.
The 10 EVs With the Most Range | These Are the Longest Range EVs Available | Top EVs With the Best Range
Got range anxiety? We're here to help! There are many EVs on sale today that have plenty of range — the distance you can travel on a single charge — to alleviate even the most intense range anxiety. We've compiled our top 10 range-leading EVs, based on Edmunds' real-world testing. From affordable to high luxury, Edmunds' Lauren McCay takes you through the top 10 EVs with… the longest range!