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Tesla Model S beats 70 years of motoring legends to win MotorTrend’s Ultimate Car of the Year award
After seven years in the market, multiple awards, and establishing itself as the undisputed king of premium electric sedans, the Tesla Model S has earned what could very well be its most impressive award to date. Just recently, the Model S, the first vehicle designed from the ground up by Tesla, was dubbed by MotorTrend as its Ultimate Car of the Year, beating 70 years worth of motoring legends in the process.
MotorTrend started its Car of the Year awards in 1949, which was won by Cadillac. Over the years, the publication’s Car of the Year award would expand to several segments such as Imports, Trucks, and SUVs. Despite this, each winner of the esteemed award had one thing in common: each vehicle scored very well under the publication’s six criteria — Advancement in Design, Engineering Excellence, Efficiency, Performance of Intended Function, Value, and Safety.
With MotorTrend celebrating its 70th anniversary, the publication opted to do something special this year. Ninety-two vehicles have received the Car of the Year award to date, but as mentioned by the publication in an announcement, one of these 92 vehicles is more significant than the others. From this 92, eight finalists were selected, corresponding to every decade that the publication has been active. These vehicles are the 1949 Cadillac lineup, the 1955 Chevrolet lineup, the 1968 Pontiac GTO, the 1972 Citroën SM, the 1986 Mazda RX-7, the 1996 Dodge Caravan, the 2004 Toyota Prius, and the 2013 Tesla Model S.
While the 2010-2020 decade is not over yet, it is difficult to argue that the most essential car of recent years is the Tesla Model S. Created as a successor to the original Tesla Roadster and designed to prove that all-electric cars can be viable (and even superior) alternatives to gas and diesel-powered sedans, the Model S was a groundbreaking vehicle from the inside out. The sedan’s production ramp experienced some delays considering Tesla’s inexperience (the company had only been producing the low-volume Roadsters when the Model S came out), but when it did, it shook the auto industry to its core.
MotorTrend calls the Model S as a “rolling manifesto,” a car that personifies CEO Elon Musk’s view of electric vehicles as tomorrow’s form of transportation. Even before its insanely quick configurations were released, the original Model S proved enough to disrupt the luxury sedan segment. Thanks to its rear-mounted electric motor, it was quick off the line, hitting 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds, it seated seven (two in jump seats), and it was also incredibly efficient. What’s more, it had 265 miles of range per charge, showing the auto industry that electric cars can go the distance too, literally. These, together with the vehicle’s never-before-seen tech, ultimately helped the Model S become MotorTrend’s 2013 Car of the Year.
The Model S is more than a great electric car. Rather, it is an excellent vehicle that just happens to be electric. Bold and progressive, Tesla’s flagship sedan still stands as the gold standard that competing EVs today are still benchmarked against. Constantly evolving thanks to free, over-the-air updates from Tesla, the Model S also stands as one of the only vehicles released this decade that actually becomes better with age. For MotorTrend, these characteristics make the Model S deserving of the Ultimate Car of the Year award, perhaps even more.
“No vehicle we’ve awarded, be it Car of the Year, Import Car of the Year, SUV of the Year, or Truck of the Year, can equal the impact, performance, and engineering excellence that is our Ultimate Car of the Year winner, the 2013 Tesla Model S,” the publication wrote.
MotorTrend’s feature on the Tesla Model S as a finalist in its Ultimate Car of the Year awards could be accessed here. The final results of the awards could be accessed here.
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The Tesla Model S’ Ultimate Car of the Year award comes just a day after its smaller sibling, the Model 3, was deemed as the 2019 Car of the Year and 2019 Premium Electric Car of the Year by AutoExpress UK. Just like its larger sibling, the Model 3 was granted the accolade for its perfect blend of technology and driving dynamics, making the car that a likely disruptor in the auto industry, but in a much bigger scale.
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
