Compare the2024 Ford BroncoVS 2023 Tesla Model Y

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

Safety

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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 Bronco 4-Door 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 Bronco has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Model Y doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

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

The Bronco (except Big Bend/Black Diamond/Everglades) offers an optional 360-Degree Camera 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 Bronco’s optional 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 Bronco’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Model Y doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Bronco has standard 911 Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions 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 Bronco and the Model Y have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems 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 Ford Bronco is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	Bronco	Model Y
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Stress	158 lbs.	165 lbs.
Neck Compression	98 lbs.	189 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are almost 20 times as many Ford dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 56 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Ford higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 1 place higher in reliability than Tesla.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Bronco Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model Y (37 x 12.5R17 vs. 255/35R21).

The Ford Bronco’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 Bronco has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare 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 Bronco Badlands/Raptor has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Model Y doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Bronco offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco 4-Door’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the Model Y (116.1 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco is 3.8 inches wider in the front and 4.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

For better maneuverability, the Bronco 2-Door’s turning circle is 4.3 feet tighter than the Model Y’s (35.5 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco 4-Door has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (8.3 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Bronco to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Bronco 4-Door has 2.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Model Y (108.2 vs. 106).

Cargo Capacity

The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Model Y with its rear seat up (38.3 vs. 16.9 cubic feet). The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Model Y with its rear seat folded (83 vs. 76.2 cubic feet).

The Bronco 4-Door’s optional sliding cargo floor makes loading and unloading cargo easier and safer. The Model Y doesn’t offer a sliding load floor.

The Bronco’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the right swing out door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Model Y’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

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

The Bronco 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 Bronco can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Model Y can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Bronco uses the AdvanceTrac® 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.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco’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 Bronco has a standard rear wiper. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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

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

The Bronco 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 Ford Bronco comes in four door and soft top bodystyles; the Tesla Model Y isn’t available as a soft top.

Recommendations

The Bronco was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 2022. The Model Y has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Bronco as the 2022 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Model Y has never been chosen.