Compare the2023 Chevrolet BlazerVS 2023 Tesla Model Y

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/04/29

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Blazer are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Tesla Model Y doesn’t offer comfort guides on its rear 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 Blazer 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 Blazer offers an optional HD Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model Y 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 Blazer’s optional Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Blazer has standard OnStar®, 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 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 Blazer and the Model Y have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and blind spot warning systems.

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

	Blazer	Model Y
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22%	25%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	210 lbs.
Neck Compression	25 lbs.	68 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	104/435 lbs.	298/427 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 Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	Blazer	Model Y
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	251	358
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	45 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	265	283

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

Warranty

There are over 19 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’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 Blazer’s reliability 26 points higher than the Model Y.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Model Y 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 Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is ranked 28th, below the industry average.

Brakes and Stopping

The Blazer stops shorter than the Model Y:

	Blazer	Model Y
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	118 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model Y (265/45R21 vs. 255/35R21).

The Chevrolet Blazer’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Tesla Model Y only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Blazer has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Model Y doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Blazer 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 Y; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

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

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Blazer is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

For better maneuverability, the Blazer’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Model Y’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Blazer LT has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (7.5 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Blazer to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Blazer RS/Premier’s minimum ground clearance is 1 inch higher than on the Model Y (7.6 vs. 6.6 inches).

Chassis

The Chevrolet Blazer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 450 pounds less than the Tesla Model Y.

The Blazer uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Model Y doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Blazer RS 4x4 is quieter than the Model Y Long Range (66 vs. 68 dB).

Passenger Space

The Blazer has 1.8 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 3.6 inches more rear hip room and 4.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model Y.

Cargo Capacity

The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume than the Model Y with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 16.9 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Blazer RS/Premier’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model Y doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Tesla Model Y is limited to 3500 pounds. The Blazer offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Blazer can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Blazer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Model Y can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Blazer uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Model Y doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Blazer to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes and air filter replacement 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.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Blazer LT/RS/Premier’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Model Y doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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

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

The Blazer’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 Blazer has standard extendable sun visors. The Model Y doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Blazer RS/Premier keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Model Y doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Blazer offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Model Y doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Blazer is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Model Y doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Blazer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Blazer will cost $2795 to $4270 less than the Model Y over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Blazer will be $6781 to $15802 less than for the Tesla Model Y.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Blazer, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Tesla Model Y isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Model Y isn’t in the top three.