Compare the2026 BMW iXVS 2026 Tesla Model Y

The iX’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Model Y doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the iX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model Y doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The iX’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Model Y doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the iX. But it costs extra on the Model Y.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the iX’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model Y doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The BMW iX’s optionalSurround View is available with washers for its front and rear cameras, ensuring crystal-clear visibility in any weather condition. Conversely, the Tesla Model Y only offers a front camera washer, which may not provide the same level of all-weather performance.

The iX has standard BMW Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model Y doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the iX and the Model Y have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The BMW iX weighs 1169 to 1665 pounds more than the Tesla Model Y. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the iX for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model Y.

There are over 69 percent more BMW dealers than there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the iX’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 9 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

The iX has more powerful engines than the Model Y:

The iX can travel longer on a full charge than the Model Y on a full charge:

The iX M70’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Model Y doesn’t offer launch control.

The iX stops much shorter than the Model Y:

For better traction, the iX’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model Y (275/40R22 vs. 255/35R21).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX xDrive45/60 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Model Y. The iX’s optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels on the Model Y Performance.

The iX has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the iX flat and controlled during cornering. The Model Y Performance suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The iX has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The iX’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Model Y doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the iX’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Model Y (118.1 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the iX is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

The iX M70 handles at .86 G’s, while the Model Y Long Range AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the iX has a 2.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (8.8 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The iX has .5 inches more front headroom, 7.9 inches more front hip room, 5.1 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 9.5 inches more rear hip room and 4.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model Y.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Model Y with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 34.3 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Model Y with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 76 cubic feet).

Maximum trailer towing in the Tesla Model Y is limited to 3500 pounds. The iX offers up to a 6834 lbs. towing capacity.

A Condition-Based Service Display is standard on the iX to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for vehicle inspections, vehicle inspection based on actual driving conditions. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model Y.

The iX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model Y doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the iX has a standard rear wiper. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Model Y’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

Consumer Reports rated the iX’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Model Y’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The iX’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model Y doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the iX has standard extendable sun visors. The Model Y doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The iX offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model Y.

Compared to the Tesla Model Y’s traditional radio, the BMW iX equipped with standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks.