Electric vehicles seemed more like something from a Sci-Fi movie for many years, until Elon Musk made it a reality. Now the EV industry is blowing up, and other automakers are jumping on board with both EVs and hybrid models. In spite of all the competition, Tesla still remains the undisputed lord of the EVs thanks to the Model S.

Tesla’s Model S is reshaping the auto industry

For far too many years, oil dictated what happened in the auto realm. Gas prices left many car owners sitting at the house when they couldn’t afford the excessive prices, and many people had to choose road trips that kept them close to home. Then Elon Musk debuted the Tesla Model S in 2012. 

To be fair, it wasn’t the first electric vehicle. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy gives the credit to Robert Anderson, who created an electric vehicle in 1832. It wasn’t that reliable and didn’t gain traction, so most people don’t remember it.

Electric vehicles continued to be built over the following years, although none developed much of a following until GM released the EV1 in 1996. Things still didn’t pick up enough to create much interest, however. 

In 2006, Tesla announced it was going to create an EV that could travel over 200 miles. In 2008, the Roadster was released, and the auto-world was turned on its head.

There was now an electric car that could keep up with a gasoline-powered car. Then in 2012, the Model S was released to the sales floor, and the EV world exploded.

Even great cars have downsides

In spite of its popularity, the Tesla Model S is not perfect. The biggest problem with it is probably the incredibly hefty $81,190 price tag. This makes it impossible for the majority of consumers to purchase one.

Another downside to the Model S is that the interior isn’t as nice as one would expect. Car and Driver stated,

“The cabin’s atmosphere is nice enough, but it’s not nearly as plush as those of our favorites such as the Mercedes-Benz E-class and the Volvo S90. A few missteps, such as poorly aligned interior panels, remind us that Tesla is still working through some growing pains as a new carmaker.”

The infotainment screen is also huge, which should be a plus, but in this case, it isn’t. The problem is that it’s fitted into the dashboard. This can require some drivers to have to lean forward in order to push the buttons, making it both annoying and potentially dangerous.

There’s a reason the Tesla Model S is the best luxury EV

The Tesla Model S has increasing competition from the Nissan Leaf and the Porsche Taycan, but Car and Driver has made the decision to give the Model S the title of Best Luxury Electric Vehicle. So what’s so great about it? A lot, actually.

The Model S continues to make waves in the auto world eight years after it debuted. It can get an astonishing 402 miles of range in its Long Range Plus variant. Tesla also claims that it can go from zero-to-60-mph in a mere 2.4 seconds. If that’s the case, then the Tesla S is one of the fastest vehicles in the world, and the $81,190 price tag suddenly doesn’t seem that high.

There’s also a surprising amount of space inside. Car and Driver reported that they were able to store eight carry-on cases in the trunk without having to lower the seats. For a car that has both speed and space, that’s astonishing.

Very few owners on CarComplaints.com have anything to complain about. In fact, the most severe problems, like a door handle that got hot and a bad transmission had only one complaint a piece.

It says a lot about a vehicle that has so few complaints from owners who have nothing to lose by speaking out. That’s also why the Model S will probably be around for many years to come.