The new TÜV report 2026 certifies that the Tesla Model Y has the worst result of all tested vehicles in the two to three year age group. With a high defect rate, almost every fifth electric SUV fails the general inspection. A negative record that highlights the US manufacturer’s quality problems.
• Model Y ranks 110th out of 110 in the TÜV ranking
• Model 3 and Model Y both in the worst three
• Design defect allows water to flow into the ball joint
Negative record for Tesla’s bestseller
The current TÜV report 2026 reveals a shocking picture for Tesla vehicles. With a defect rate of 17.3 percent, the Model Y comes in last place of all 110 vehicle models examined in the two to three year age group, as the TÜV association reports. This is the highest level of deficiencies in this age group in ten years. The evaluation is based on more than 9.4 million general inspections.
The result is particularly dramatic when compared with other electric vehicles. While German premium manufacturers such as Mini Cooper SE shine with only a 3.5 percent defect rate, Tesla is far behind. The world’s best-selling at times Electric car performed so poorly that even the examiners were surprised.
Big problems
The TÜV experts particularly criticized three central areas of the Model Y. “The main complaints about the Model Y are the axle suspensions, the brake discs and the lighting,” says the official statement from the TÜV association. Auto Motor und Sport describes the technical causes in detail: Poorly constructed upper wishbones with inadequately protected ball joints are constantly showered by the water drain above the windshield. The water cannot drain away and inevitably causes corrosion in the ball joint. Recuperation plays a role in the brakes, which means that mechanical brakes are used less often and therefore rust more quickly.
Model 3 confirms the quality problem
The Model Y’s poor performance is not an isolated case. The Tesla Model 3 occupies third-to-last place in the same age group with a defect rate of 13.1 percent. “The Model 3 is only two places further ahead with an EM quota of 13.1 percent,” says the TÜV association. The Model 3 had already taken last place in the ranking of two to three-year-old vehicles in the TÜV reports for the two previous years.
Dr. Joachim Bühler, managing director of the TÜV association, puts it diplomatically: “The Tesla vehicles prove that electric cars are fully suitable for long distances.” The models have above-average mileage of 55,000 to 56,000 kilometers during the first general inspection. At the same time, Bühler emphasizes: “Nevertheless, the Tesla models disappoint in the TÜV report. Other vehicles with similar or even higher mileage perform significantly better.”
Editorial team finanzen.net
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