Compare the2025 Lincoln AviatorVS 2024 Tesla Model Y

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

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 Aviator 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 Aviator 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 Aviator’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model Y doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Aviator has a standard 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 Aviator’s standard Cross-Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Aviator’s 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 Aviator has standard 911 Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 Aviator and the Model Y have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras 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 Lincoln Aviator is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	Aviator	Model Y
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	167 lbs.	210 lbs.
Neck Compression	26 lbs.	68 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/210 lbs.	298/427 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Compression	129 lbs.	189 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 Lincoln Aviator is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	Aviator	Model Y
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	86	358
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	45 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	573 lbs.	682 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are almost 3 times as many Lincoln dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Aviator’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 42 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Lincoln higher than Tesla.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Tesla With 1 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Lincoln higher than Tesla.

Engine

The Aviator’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 105 more horsepower (400 vs. 295) and 106 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 309) than the Model Y RWD’s standard electric motor.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Aviator’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model Y (275/40R22 vs. 255/35R21).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Aviator has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Model Y. The Aviator’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels on the Model Y Performance.

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

The Aviator has a standard 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.

The Aviator has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Aviator’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Model Y doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Aviator’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the Model Y (119.1 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Aviator is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

For better maneuverability, the Aviator’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Model Y’s (39.2 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Aviator has a 2.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (8.7 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Aviator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Aviator Reserve/Black Label 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.

Passenger Space

The Aviator has 34.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Model Y (140.6 vs. 106).

The Aviator has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 4.7 inches more front hip room, 5.1 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 7.7 inches more rear hip room, 7.3 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.3 inches more third row headroom, 2.7 inches more third row legroom, 4.4 inches more third row hip room and 13 inches more third row shoulder room than the Model Y.

Cargo Capacity

The Aviator’s cargo area provides more volume than the Model Y.

	Aviator	Model Y
Behind Third Seat	18.3 cubic feet	16.9 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	41.8 cubic feet	30.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	77.7 cubic feet	76.2 cubic feet

Both the Aviator and the Model Y have standard second row automatic folding seats. The Aviator’s third row seats also fold up or down at the press of a button. The Model Y doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

Towing

The Aviator’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Model Y’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Aviator 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

The Aviator offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, certain gauge, warning, turn signal 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 Y doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Aviator has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Model Y doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Aviator also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

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

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Aviator to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Model Y doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Aviator has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Model Y doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Aviator (except Premiere) offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model Y.

The Aviator has a 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.

Economic Advantages

The Aviator will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Aviator will retain 50.49% to 57.9% of its original price after five years, while the Model Y only retains 45.72%.