Tested: 2026 Tesla Model X Still Wows
The Model X continues to impress, and while 2026 brings some small updates, the best changes over the past decade are the ones you can’t see.Published: Nov 18, 2025
Reviewed by Dave VanderWerpDirector, Vehicle Testing
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View exterior photosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
Although the Model X launched a decade ago and hasn’t had a major overhaul since, it continues to make a great first impression, and for many of the same reasons. It’s still wowing to see the gullwing doors power themselves open into their towering raised position, and the unobstructed view forward through the massive forward glass that extends up into the roof remains captivating. And, unlike other cars that have since mimicked this windshield-into-roof approach (like Lucid), the Model X’s sun visors are parked vertically against the A-pillars when not in use, which improves the view considerably. Although, when you need them, the small visors are fairly ineffective against the expansive glass. It’s good that the Model X has its dramatic door and glass flair, because its standard blob-like SUV shape would struggle to stand out otherwise.
view exterior photosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
For 2026, Tesla upgraded the Model X’s interior materials and added more sound deadening, among other small changes. The wood trim and stark white seats on our test vehicle also helped to seal the positive-first-impression vibes. Model Xs also now come with the “Full Self-Driving” option that costs $8000 on some models, and lifetime free charging at Tesla’s extensive Supercharger network is also included.
HIGHS: Gullwing doors and cinematic forward view still impress; quicker, cheaper, more range, and 400 pounds lighter than before; “Full Self-Driving” and lifetime free Supercharging come standard.
The X still steers and handles well, too, although we found the default steering setting to be excessively light. But, despite active noise canceling and additional noise abatement for 2026, there’s more tire and road noise than a six-figure luxury SUV should have. Our interior noise measurement at 70 mph was 23 sones. That’s not horrible, but plenty of other luxury SUVs (electric and gas) are quieter, including a Lucid Gravity Grand Touring and Lincoln Navigator—both 21 sones, or nearly 10 percent quieter. The Model X also is no more serene in our interior sound-level testing than the much less expensive Model Y.
view exterior photosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
A decade ago, there were a couple different battery-capacity options, and the P90D we tested also needed a $10,000 Ludicrous Speed option to unlock its full performance potential. For 2026, there’s only a 670-hp dual-motor all-wheel-drive model like our test car or the 1020-hp, tri-motor Plaid. That makes our entry-level model, which hammered 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and dispensed with the quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds—the same as an Audi RS Q8 Performance—at 126 mph the slowest Model X you can buy. Wow. That’s also 0.3 second quicker and 10 mph faster through the quarter-mile than the 2016 P90D. Further sweetening the deal: Its $101,630 base price is $15,070 cheaper than a P90D from a decade ago.
Over that decade, EPA-estimated range has risen by just over 100 miles, currently sitting at 352. We saw 300 miles of range in our 75-mph highway test, which puts the Model X’s range just outside the top five for SUVs we’ve tested. That’s some impressive, inflation-busting evolution.
More on the Model X
Even more impressive is the X’s reduction in curb weight. While it’s a fair criticism that Tesla’s vehicles tend to look nearly identical for a decade or more, the company is making plenty of substantial changes under the skin. This latest Model X was so much lighter than the one we had on our scales a decade ago that we weighed it a second time to be sure. But, unlike the trend of almost every other car getting heavier over time, the Model X has shed nearly 400 pounds since it launched.
view interior PhotosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
We got a detailed rundown of the weight savings from Tesla, and they come from nearly everywhere. The Big T shed pounds from the battery pack, motors, and driveline, along with the structure, as well as a switch to a lighter lithium-ion unit for the 12-volt battery—the list goes on and on. Even the interior trim, which looks much more high-end than what the X started with, is nearly 80 pounds lighter. We go into all the nitty-gritty detail in a separate story.
LOWS: Second-row seat space no larger than Model Y’s; some build-quality issues, including a front wheel that nearly fell off.
Although the gullwing doors are cool, the same reservations remain. They take way longer to open and close than traditional doors, and those standing roughly six feet four and above need to be careful not to bang their head on the underside of the open doors. The second-row seats—our Model X had the $6500 Six Seat Interior option—power fore and aft to ease third-row access, but they don’t fold flat, preventing the hauling of large items in back, though you can slide something long and narrow between them. But the bench-seat option now folds flat, a change that also saved weight.
view interior PhotosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
Second-row room is okay but not huge. Even with the seats as far back as they’ll go, the space doesn’t feel any larger than the Model Y’s back seat. The third row is a kid-only zone, with headroom under the rear glass especially cramped.
We love Tesla’s latest nerdy-cool efficiency screen, which will give you intel on what’s affecting the vehicle’s range. This includes factors such as speed, elevation change, ambient temperatures, wind speed and direction, and tire pressures. For example, it might tell you that the wind on your drive cost you 2.4 percent of range and the tire pressures, which are a couple psi low, cost you another percent.
view interior PhotosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
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The Model X we drove for three weeks had a few issues, including a significant rattle from the rearview mirror/forward camera area, and some of the gaps between the gullwing door panels and the body were uneven. During testing, after the Model X had crouched down into its “Cheetah” stance during a launch-control start, we got an air-suspension error and it refused to crouch on subsequent launches. But, even worse, the right front wheel on our test car—which arrived with fewer than 500 miles on the odometer—worked itself loose after roughly a week of driving. After stopping to inspect what was causing a cyclical noise and what felt like a wheel-imbalance vibration, we found the lug nuts to be no more than finger tight. Thankfully, they held on a few days earlier during testing when we confirmed the Model X’s 149-mph top speed.
Ten years on, while plenty has changed and much has been improved, the Model X is still a few tweaks short of finished.
VERDICT: Although it looks largely the same, the Model X is quite different and much improved since its launch a decade ago.
view exterior photosMarc Urbano|Car and Driver
Specifications
2026 Tesla Model X
Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 6-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $101,630/$112,630
Options: six-seat interior, $6500; Frost Blue metallic paint, $2500; white and black interior with walnut trim, $2000
POWERTRAIN
Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC; 335 hp, 322 lb-ft
Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC; 335 hp, 322 lb-ft
Combined Power: 670 hp
Combined Torque: 644 lb-ft
Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 100 kWh
Peak Charge Rate, AC/DC: 11.5/250 kW
Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.6-in vented disc/14.4-in vented disc
Tires: Continental CrossContact RX
F: 265/45R-20 108V M+S T0
R: 275/45R-20 110V M+S T0
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 116.7 in
Length: 199.1 in
Width: 78.9 in
Height: 65.4–67.7 in
Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 60/54/28 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 88/35/15 ft3
Front Trunk Volume: 6 ft3
Curb Weight: 5219 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 3.6 sec
100 mph: 7.3 sec
1/4-Mile: 11.5 sec @ 126 mph
130 mph: 12.1 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.1 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.7 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 1.9 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 149 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 177 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 353 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.85 g
Interior Sound
Idle: 35 dBA/2 sone
Full Throttle: 73 dBA
70-mph Cruising: 68 dBA/23 sone
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 54 MPGe
75-mph Highway Range: 300 mi
Average DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 118 kW
DC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 37 min
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 105/110/99 MPGe
Range: 352 mi
Reviewed byDave VanderWerp
Director, Vehicle Testing
Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver‘s vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.
