Lifestyle
Tesla Model Y hits a high note with Consumer Reports but with some criticism
The crew at Consumer Reports has been testing out Tesla’s Model Y, and while the all-electric crossover was pleasantly received, some mild criticisms were discussed in a recent Talking Cars podcast focused on their first impressions.
The Model Y being reviewed was a white, Dual Motor Long Range version of the vehicle with All-Wheel Drive and Full Self Driving option package, enabling a review of both the car’s driveability and currently available Autopilot features. Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ (CR) Auto Test Director, first noted the fun, sporty nature of the Model Y’s driving style, but all participants agreed that labeling the vehicle as an SUV was a misnomer.
“Big picture what you see is basically a Model 3 hatchback,” Fisher commented. The dispute over style classification, however, was put into a positive light. Specifically, adding the hatchback-type design features solved what the group characterized as “deficiencies” in Model 3. “The benefit is you get extra headroom and especially the rear seat room,” noted Mike Monticello, Autos Editor for CR. “It’s like it took all the good things about the Model 3, it kept them…but it took some of the bad things…and made them better… It’s an improved Model 3, if you think about it that way.”
Some deficiencies still carried over to the Model Y, though, according to the review. Fisher took issue with the center console screen carryover in particular. “They crammed everything into this one screen that is off-center,” he said, also noting that Tesla had “an opportunity” to improve the usability of the Model 3 features which were missed in the Model Y. In particular, the group wanted the ability to adjust the steering wheel, change the air vents without going through a screen menu, and add automatic rearview mirror adjustment a part of the driver profile functionality.
The actual road-handling and driving experience of the Model Y was also critiqued as failing to be improved from the Model 3 experience. Mike Monticello, also an Autos Editor with CR, noted the car’s stiff ride and wind noise in the cabin, both of which are not issues in the Model S or Model X. Monticello also noted the tire noise while traveling and encountering road bumps.
Tesla’s latest beta Autopilot feature made its way into the crosshairs during the talk as well, specifically the Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control function which can be toggled on and off. The feature previously caused the Model Y to stop at every red, yellow, and green light, but now only stops at a green light if there isn’t a car in front of the vehicle. “They keep on changing the behavior of how this car drives,” Fisher noted, also mentioning that the constant updates don’t add to the relaxation or sense of safety that Autopilot is supposed to provide.
Despite the noted criticisms from the Consumer Reports group, the review session still ended on a positive note for Tesla and the Model Y. They offered caution to consumers until the new crossover had been out on the market for about a year to judge first-run reliability issues, but they acknowledged that alternative electric vehicles were likely not up to par for those interested in Tesla specifically.
Although there are options when looking for a vehicle that supports environmental concerns, the mindset of a current Tesla owner likely won’t match the features offered by other automakers with electric vehicles such as the Hyundai Kona, Fisher summarized. “Other electric cars don’t have that ‘Tesla Mystique’ … [they don’t drive like] … a performance car.”
You can watch the Consumer Reports full Model Y podcast below:
Lifestyle
Tesla teases “Halloween Mode” update with Optimus rising from a graveyard
Tesla’s Halloween teaser hides a covered vehicle and an Optimus hand rising from the ground.
Tesla has started teasing a Halloween software update for its vehicles, with a short clip on X that reads, “Halloween is coming.” The clip opens on a glowing pumpkin before pulling back to the car’s center touchscreen, where the usual parked visualization has been replaced by a graveyard scene, and the vehicle draped with a white sheet so it reads as a cartoon ghost.
Halloween is coming pic.twitter.com/lM3ASUeOqX
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 1, 2026
The second detail is a robotic hand clawing its way out of the dirt like a zombie, which looks to be the hand of Tesla’s latest Optimus V3 humanoid robot. While Tesla still has not formally shown Optimus Gen 3 walking around in service, renders pulled from Tesla’s Android app last month gave the clearest look yet, including far more refined hands that Tesla has said carry 22 degrees of freedom. The hand has been the hardest part of the program. Musk has called it the majority of the robot’s engineering difficulty, and Tesla’s patents describe a design driven by tendons with the actuators moved into the forearm.
Tesla Optimus V3 hand and arm details revealed in new patents
Optimus also has a Halloween track record. Last October the robot handed out candy in Times Square, and a costumed “zombie” Optimus shuffled around the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles on Halloween night.
On the software side, Tesla’s 2025 Holiday Update expanded Santa Mode with a Santa sleigh, snowmen, snow effects, and a festive lock chime, so it wouldn’t be too far fetched if we saw something similar but themed for a Halloween Mode.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s newest feature lets you floor it out of a Supercharger while plugged in
Tesla’s new Emergency Drive Away feature lets owners flee a Supercharger while still plugged in.
Tesla has given drivers a way to escape while a vehicle is plugged-in at a Supercharger, in the event of an emergency. The company’s charging team announced a new feature on X called Emergency Drive Away, which lets a driver shift into Drive and pull away while the charging cable is still connected to the car.
Until now, a Tesla would not leave Park with a charge cable plugged in. Drivers had to release the latch from the touchscreen, the Tesla app, or the button on the charge handle, then wait for the port to let go. Emergency Drive Away removes that lockout, but Tesla is clear that it comes at a cost. “Use of this feature will damage your vehicle and the Supercharger,” the company wrote, adding that the function is meant for emergencies only and that deliberate misuse will lead to “additional penalties.” Tesla did not say what those penalties are.
Emergency Drive Away lets you shift into Drive while still plugged into a Supercharger pic.twitter.com/40GSzyP4lG
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) October 1, 2026
The in-car prompt is just as direct, with the warning reading: “Driving with the cable connected will cause damage to your vehicle and the Supercharger. Short camera recordings will be shared with Tesla.” That footage gives Tesla a way to separate a real emergency from someone who simply did not want to wait for the latch.
The feature requires software update 2026.38.3, and Tesla said in replies to owners that it works at every Supercharger in the United States without new stall hardware. Model S and Model X vehicles built before 2021 are not supported, and the company says the feature applies to U.S. Superchargers “for now,” leaving Canada and other markets out at launch.
Tesla Supercharger argument leads to tragic shooting incident
Tesla did not tie the announcement to any specific event, but it arrives two months after a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1, targeting three people in two Teslas at the neighboring Supercharger. One of them, a 66 year old man from Salt Lake City, was killed. Superchargers have been the scene of violence before, including a fatal shooting at a station near Denver in 2023.
In the weeks after Twin Falls, owners pushed Tesla for a native way to escape a stall, and many pointed back to EVject, the aftermarket breakaway connector Tesla sued in 2024 over claims it lacked overtemperature protection. The two companies later reached an agreement that led EVject to recall its earlier connectors in favor of a version with thermal sensors.
Our mission has always been about providing peace of mind and eliminating sitting duck scenarios.
We patented the built-in breakaway charger tip on Feb 15, 2023. Awarded Jan 30, 2024. Then shared the designs with @TeslaCharging
Thank you @Tesla for rolling out a solution. This… https://t.co/djOzswLw9N
— EVject (@EVject) October 2, 2026
Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature can be seen in one of the first owner videos of it in action.
Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08) posted on Monday that the feature “worked flawlessly,” saying FSD reengaged itself just as he was about to hit a curb. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s AI team, shared the clip and wrote, “A guardian angel always looking out for you.”
The video arrives in the middle of a staged rollout. Tesla first shipped Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 in software update 2026.27.6 earlier this month, which Teslarati covered as it reached cars. Update 2026.27.10, which began going out on September 19, carried the feature improvements with FSD v14.3.10, according to release notes tracked by Not a Tesla App. The newer 2026.27.11 build is now reaching another wave of vehicles.
The new Automatic Collision Evasion feature worked flawlessly! FSD reengaged itself just as I was about to hit a curb.
Kudos @Tesla_AI team! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Fbp15HhpL2
— Spencer (@scotsrule08) September 28, 2026
The feature only runs on HW4 vehicles, and it requires an active FSD purchase or subscription with both FSD (Supervised) and Automatic Emergency Braking enabled. HW3 owners receive FSD v14.2 Lite in the same updates, but that build does not include collision evasion.
Tesla’s release notes describe two triggers. The first is an imminent frontal collision that braking alone may not prevent, in which case the car can activate FSD to steer, brake or accelerate around the hazard. That scenario is limited to highways below 85 mph, with no pedestrians or cyclists detected and no slippery road surface. The second covers a driver who appears inattentive, such as reaching into the back seat, or who seems to have switched off FSD by accident. Spencer’s curb clip appears to fall into that second category.
Tesla plans big safety improvements for Full Self-Driving v15
Once the system takes over, the accelerator is muted and light brake input will not cancel the maneuver. Drivers need to apply firm, deliberate steering force to take back control, and the car chimes to hand control back once the danger has passed.
Elluswamy recently noted that earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction time and better collision avoidance would arrive with FSD v15, the next major version.
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