Compare the2023 Genesis G80VS 2023 Tesla Model S

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The G80’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Model S doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Genesis G80 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Tesla Model S doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 G80 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model S doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The G80 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Model S doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The G80 has standard Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Model S doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The G80 Sport Prestige has standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist-Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Model S doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The G80 Sport/Sport Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model S only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the G80’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model S doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The G80 has standard Connected Care, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, 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 S 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 G80 and the Model S have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Genesis G80 is safer than the Tesla Model S:

	G80	Model S
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	137	362
Neck Compression	43 lbs.	49 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	28/23 lbs.	292/295 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Genesis G80 is safer than the Tesla Model S:

	G80	Model S
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	101	160
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Hip Force	290 lbs.	339 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	94	197
Spine Acceleration	24 G’s	47 G’s
Hip Force	242 lbs.	480 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	198	449
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	46 G’s
Hip Force	676 lbs.	785 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the G80 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Model S is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

The G80 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The Model S’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Genesis’ powertrain warranty covers the G80 2 years longer than Tesla covers the Model S. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Model S ends after only 8 years.

Genesis pays for scheduled maintenance on the G80 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Genesis will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model S.

There are over 2 times as many Genesis dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the G80’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the G80’s reliability 42 points higher than the Model S.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the G80 first among upper midsize premium cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Model S isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Genesis vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Genesis fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 70 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is ranked 28th, below the industry average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Genesis vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Genesis 7 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

Tires and Wheels

The G80 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Model S; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the G80’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Model S (118.5 inches vs. 116.5 inches).

The G80 handles at .91 G’s, while the Model S pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The G80 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Model S (25.9 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 26.5 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the G80’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Model S’ (38.1 feet vs. 40.3 feet).

Chassis

The Genesis G80 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 600 pounds less than the Tesla Model S.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the G80 is quieter than the Model S Plaid (66 vs. 67 dB).

Passenger Space

The G80 has 9.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Model S (103.8 vs. 94).

The G80 has 1.4 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, 3.2 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model S.

Cargo Capacity

With its sedan body style and remote trunk release lockout, the G80 offers cargo security. The Model S’ hatchback body style and non-lockable folding seat defeat cargo security.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the G80’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model S doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

The G80’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model S has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

The G80 3.5T offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model S doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The G80’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Model S’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Consumer Reports rated the G80’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Model S’ headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The G80’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Model S’ headlights are rated “Poor.”

The G80’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model S 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 G80 has standard extendable sun visors. The Model S doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the G80 Advanced/Sport/Sport Prestige to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Model S doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The G80 Sport/Sport Prestige has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model S.

Model Availability

The G80 is available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Model S doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the G80 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the G80 will cost $2745 to $9455 less than the Model S over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Genesis G80 will be $34849 to $59109 less than for the Tesla Model S.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Genesis G80, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Tesla Model S isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the G80 first among upper midsize premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Model S isn’t in the top three.

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