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Used 2021 Tesla Model S Consumer Reviews

3.2 out of 5 stars
30 reviews

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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Model S, so we've included reviews for other years of the Model S since its last redesign.

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Pros
Cons
3 out of 5 stars

Great car, terrible service and buggy software

Venky, 06/07/2021
2021 Tesla Model S Long Range 4dr Sedan AWD w/Prod. End 11/21 (electric DD)
65 of 78 people found this review helpful

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.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
3 out of 5 stars
Value
2 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

Electrical piece of JUNK!!

Rene Rodriguez, 09/16/2022
2021 Tesla Model S Long Range 4dr Sedan AWD w/Prod. End 11/21 (electric DD)
26 of 32 people found this review helpful

I bought a 2021 Tesla Model S for almost $120,000... that's right, at least you expect some respect from such a "respected" company.. WORSTT WORRSSSTTT customer service I have had in my life!!! It has been even a year and the yoke wheel is peeling off, plastic parts are broken and doors getting jammed. Worst thing is they do not provide a customer telephone number because they know they will get bombed with poor reviews!! That's why everything is though the app.... Tesla basically do not care about their customers because they know most of the customers are not satisfied with the cheap interior material they fabricate!! Hey guys, it is a $120,000 which not a lot of people can afford tgT nowadays.. They just while their...... with your concerns, trust me... I should have never left Mercedes for this piece of junk, but that is how life is, you learn from your mistakes.....

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2 out of 5 stars

Think twice when buying used Tesla

Carlos, 03/29/2022
2021 Tesla Model S Long Range 4dr Sedan AWD w/Prod. End 11/21 (electric DD)
10 of 12 people found this review helpful

I bought my 2013 Model S from its 2nd owner at 98k miles after lots of research reaffirming that maintenance cost was low and reliability was high. I actually loved my car, drove smoothly and quietly, but then I didn’t even reached 120k miles on it when the high voltage battery completely died on me. I parked one day at work with 80% charge and got out from work to find the battery completely drained to the point of not even starting or being able to put into neutral to push it to a charging stall. I left the car plugged in using 3 extension cords for the entire weekend (still at my job’s parking lot) and it didn’t take any charge at all and never turned back on again. I towed it to the nearest Tesla service center and after over a week they told me the battery had completely died and it needed full replacement to the tune of $23k (the car’s average value in the best condition possible and long range trim is ~$26k). I asked about warranty coverage and they told me I was out (over 100k miles and just at the 8 year mark). I asked hypothetically if I had the money for the repair what their warranty would be and they said 50k miles on the battery only. The message is: DON’T BUY USED TESLAS but if you do make sure you’re still within the warranty period. GET RID OF THE CAR BEFORE THE FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRES, after that all bets are off, it may very well become a bottomless money pit. DON’T EVER BUY A TESLA WITH NEW BATTERY thinking that it’s like buying a new car - it isn’t, you’re only covered for 50k miles on a fresh battery - completely wasteful and senseless. It’s a great, fun, and classy car while the warranty lasts (service is great and at no cost for warranty covered items, no questions asked). But once out of warranty you’re all on your own. They wouldn’t even buy it back from me for parts - terrible customer service (when things went south) that leaves much to be desired from such reputable brand.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

Worst car manufacturer ever!

Troy Stortz, 01/27/2022
2021 Tesla Model S 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)
21 of 28 people found this review helpful

Our Model S has needed service once a month for as many months as we’ve owned it. Would be more often but it takes forever to get it in for service. Tesla is fooling the world! Amazing how many you see on the road. Garbage car that looks good. You couldn’t pay me to ride in self driving mode!

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4 out of 5 stars

truth on the refresh model S long range 2021

michael Yeandle, 09/03/2021
2021 Tesla Model S Long Range 4dr Sedan AWD w/Prod. End 11/21 (electric DD)
18 of 24 people found this review helpful

I got the Model s REFRESHED Long range jun 29 th 2021 it looking insane and the car looks really sharp. Pros 1. looks great 2. handles amazing 3. smooth smooth ride like skating on glass 4. Technology is crazy awesome 5. acceleration is stupid fast even on the refresh Long Range 6. screen in back kids watch reflex or other streaming platforms 7. center console I perfect and super well designed im 5'6" 8. back seats ton of room have put some 6'3" in the back and person fit great 9. screen is huge well designed of apps and maps. 10. much more luxurious than previous model s, old model S is Childs play on the interior compared to the refresh. 11. feels like the car is gliding at 140mph don't recommend driving like that at all 12. maps learns time of day and what your typical route like work in the morning and when you start it up after work it like guess to help you with navigation home. 13. the A/C ducts are seamless 14. cooled seats in TEXAS are amazing 15. the touch screen super responsive 16. seats way nicer than the old model s and way way better than model 3 seats. 17. cock pit of the car is super quit it does have noise cancelling speakers built in the driver and front passenger seats. not currently activated it will be coming in a Tesla update one day (car is still super super quit) 18. seats super comfortable CONS 1. says it gets 375 mph for full charge because I have the upgraded rims from Tesla truth is the car gets 330-345 miles per so kinda of a lie ( charges 0-75% super fast but goes super slow after 75% charged so last 25% is the time killer 2. the car takes longer to charge at super charger than they kind make it out unless you got to a 250kwh super charge than its stupid stupid fast. 3. paint behind back wheels got dinged up from rocks and stuff at only 1500 miles, I live in the city and drive highway and city streets not a gravel road or anything of that nature. 4. summons with full self driving kind of a gimmick not that great. (kinda scary a 90K+ driving it self bad stuff could happen. 5. full self driving not auto pilot only really works on highways city streets nope. still super helpful totally not worth the 10k I spend for It 6. auto guess direction is kinda okay not the best kind of a gimmick 7. surprising no side mirror car alert when getting over, shows on the screen but could be better 8. A/C has to be at like speed 6 to really cool off car fast in hot weather. 9. charging usb-c port and power mat charge iPhone slow 10. so streaming music from iPhone to car great but when the song changes the highlighted song doesn't go down so you can see what song is next it like doesn't move with the songs as they have been listened to. 11. sound system is stellar 12. steering wheel buttons are hard to push and I have small hands . pretty much awesome car great value and I would have bought this car again after owning It

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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