Model Y Standard for young family in Toronto

We have one, it has lots of space for our family of 4! Biggest downside has been winter battery life. When it’s cold it’s almost half of what we were getting for mileage on a full battery. We live in the Finger Lakes in Ny about 1.5 hrs from your area so similar weather. You would def need the level 2 charger.

I have a 2024 Y “standard” RWD, and the 2 big considerations I have for you is: Get the home charger and winter tires. I went the first year with all seasons and it was anxiety inducing any time there was precipitation. We also lived in a condo where we had to rely on Supercharging and L2 GreenP lots. This (current) temp will reduce your range by 30% or more. On top of that, the warm ups are the biggest killer of the battery.

Thanks. I’ve used winter tires all my life so thats a certainty. Does the warm up feature work on a level 1 charger?

I'm in Mississauga and managed with L1 for 3 years despite putting on 40000km/yr with regular drives to Ottawa, Montreal and other long outings almost every weekend. But that's because I work from home so the car could sit plugged in on L1 all day, with minimal drives around town during weekdays means the battery is full again by the weekend... Would definitely be tougher losing range and plug time with a commute. If you can get the L2 it would totally make life easier since you'll be able to start out every day with a full charge if you need it. Definitely would not recommend an EV for anyone who needs to L3 charge it regularly, unless it's somewhere they can do something else they want to do while the car is charging.

Thanks. How is cargo space compared with other compact SUVs? Our 2013 ford escape has lots of space, we’re a little worried about having less storage.

How is cargo space compared with other compact SUVs? Our 2013 ford escape has lots of space, we’re a little worried about having less storage.

Thanks. Do you have the model y? How is cargo space compared with other compact SUVs? Our 2013 ford escape has lots of space, we’re a little worried about having less storage.

It has lots of space, I have a VW tiguan and two kids with tons of lacrosse gear and sticks. We have no problems fitting everything in the tesla too surprisingly. More space than I expected.

I can’t really say about L1 apart from the fact you can expect an ~1% per hour charge. A cold warm up (or precondition) would knock 3-5% off your battery in 20 min. Also, there’s a fair amount of cargo space. Just the rear hatch area is a wonky angle. Seems to be a tough spot to make boxes fit nice.

While you do lose some space to the slope of the rear hatch, you gain a lot in the frunk and sub trunk (ie the space the engine and gas tank usually take up) Personally I don't like keeping stuff visible in the trunk, but I do need to keep some things handy, and those spaces really help to hide that stuff away.

Get a level 2 home charger and you are all set! Don't need to worry about anything. it's pretty spacious. Dont forget the Frunk!

Book a test drive with Tesla and see for yourself. It’s free. I usually go to the Sherway Gardens location. They allow you almost an hour to test it out on the road and highway. And they allow you test it out by yourself. I’ve done it a few times with various model 3’s. You can also rent model Y’s from Hertz at the Etobicoke location, Pearson airport, or the downtown Brookfield location. Have a blast and see for yourself all the extra space and hidden space. Frunk can fit two small size luggage. The space underneath the trunk can fit about the same.

I have a 2024 model Y LR AWD, 2 rear facing child seats that are on the larger side of seat, can fit a double stroller, weekend bags and if we need to fit another person, my 5’1 wife can sit in the middle seat. I drive about 150-200km daily commute no problem and frequently drive long hauls on weekends. Rarely need anything more than our level 2 charger, but when I do I find supercharging really easy and not that expensive (still cheaper than gas).

Not when it is extremely cold, the level 1 is not enough especially if you're trying to defrost and not just run the heater. You should plan on a level 2 charger if you go with an EV.

Are there any other EVs you, as a Canadian, could be looking at, besides Tesla?

👆this…. Tesla allowed me an overnight loan. YMMV and only be able to get a short time with it but you can take it home. Load up things. It has a lot of space, the sub trunk and frunk are bigger than most people realize. HIGHLY recommend a level 2, you may be able to get away with lvl 1 as it seems you work mostly from home but in winter this can be a challenge. Trust me. I am in the prairies. I see you mentioned long road trips to visit family. Do NOT rely on being able to charge at their home. Lvl 1 is very slow. A 4 hour visit with the fam will only recover a few percent of charge, however, do not underestimate the convenience of superchargers. They are everywhere and a quick 10-15min charge will be more than enough to get you home and back on less expensive charging.

Make sure you know how to get your kids out of the backseat in the event the car loses 12V power. (The mechanical release is at the bottom of the door side pocket. I had to use a screwdriver to pry the cover off. Then I installed a pull cord so my young kids would have something they are capable of pulling in an emergency.) From the outside, you have to hope the car unlocked the doors before the loss of power. Also, mine started rusting in one small spot before it was 4 years old. Regarding range, you should be good with most EVs. 400km may require fast charging on the way (depending on weather, vehicle speed, and battery size).

Why not a used one? The first year or two teslas take a pretty big deprecation hit.  Yes you can save some with the incentive but the deprecation will absolutely wipe that out the day you drive it home.  You could also then get into an AWD car which is going to suit your climate much better. With Awd and good tires these things are monsters in the snow. Until the snow on the road gets deep enough that ground clearance becomes an issue I prefer my 23 Awd with a set of all weather tires to my f150 with brand new 3 peak snow rated all terrain tires.  Combine that with 8 year power train warranty and the ability to extend your factory warranty for a pretty reasonable price through Tesla when the time comes and a lightly used model makes better sense especially if your stretching your budget to buy a new one.

There is alot more space than the escape. Your family will love the comfort, safety and spaciousness. Don’t think twice. Get the Y.

Cars: 2019 M3 LR and 2024 MY LR. We bought the MY because the M3 was getting tight for the family. I have a family of 5 in Toronto area. kids age 3, 7 and 15 and we have a diono 3r car seat and a booster for the two younger kids. The diono at one point was rear facing with their wedge for better spacing. It’s on the tighter end of still comfortable for the kids but we’ve been on long road trips to Florida in the past. My drive to the office is 100km round trip including daycare when I am going into the office. In the cold weather we have right now my efficiency has dropped to 65-70% on the coldest days. A level 2 charger is a must to keep up if I’m in the office consecutive days. My M3 sits outside on a level 1 charger and it’s used primarily for daycare and kids activities like sports. Level 1 is able to keep up with this even if it’s outside. My advice to you is your weekend trips are doable but more comfortable with LR. 200km drive there plus maybe a level 1 charge at night will likely still require a SC stop on the way home especially if it’s cold. If this happens 1-2 times a year, no big deal don’t waste the extra money for LR. But if it’s every weekend, LR is worth it. Your situation is probably somewhere in the middle. Road trips are amazing with autopilot and even better with FSD.

Thanks. I’m looking at EVs which qualify for a new incentive program, where the vehicle must cost less than CAD$50k. So options are limited, and most vehicles are too small.

With the seats folded down I was pretty easily able to fit an entire set of 21 inch uber turbine wheels in the back with tires mounted. I was also able to find fit 4 tires in the back from a modle 3 without rims with the seats up well. The cargo space is pretty decent for most day to day activities.

Does the EV incentive apply only to brand new cars, or can you get a pre-owned EV? If you can go the pre-owned route, you may get more bang for your buck. In particular, you could potentially move up to an AWD Long Range.

Just not in snow

Thanks but it’s new cars only

The standard trim is missing a LOT of winter weather essentials. I would much rather recommended a used 2024 AWD model Y. Heated wipers, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel. You’ll be fine on an outlet during the summer but charging is dicey during the winter. If you live near a reliable fast charger it’s fine though

Sounds like our family. We got the Y LR three years ago and so happy with it. we even did a 10 hour road trip to Quebec City two summers ago and it was amazing experience. You’ll love the preconditioning and defrost. It helps sooo much when the cars parked outside and it’s all frosty. But like others said, get some snow tires and get the level 2 charger installed, get some nice mats and you’re pretty much set.

Kinda crazy that the cargo specs and range are online but you still come here to ask as if the answer is going to be different on Reddit.

We got the AWD Y when our dodge journey died… two small kids. It was our family car until last month as my commuter car was a bolt. It is an amazing family car. A few reasons why I upgraded to the R1t… Both kids are now in hockey and line goalie… four hockey bags in a couple situations leave very little room in the Y for other things…. But I did get it all to fit (but definitely not as they get bigger). My wife hates roof racks so skis were stuffed through the middle and hockey plus ski gear was just a no…. Stuffing Christmas gifts in the Y was hard as the tear drop back is annoying And lastly traveling with 2 60+ pounds dogs and kids leave very little room for bags which is problematic. During the summer and winter months we took the Y on several 800km each way road trips to visit family… and if we don’t take the dogs, aren’t going to hockey, camping, or aren’t skiing the Y is still our go to vehicle…. And it did all that before the Rivian just a little tight. The Y is an amazing family car. Definitely worth installing the level 2 at home. Just because of where we live with mountains we went with AWD but I’ve seen some videos of RWD teslas in the snow and as long as you have good tires and can get over having a lead foot they are amazing in the snow.

Thanks. Comparing the size of the Model Y with my 2013 Ford Escape, the Tesla is longer but has the tapered trunk, whereas the Ford is taller right to the back of the vehicle. The Ford is always full of baby gear whenever we go away on a trip, and I'm worried about not being able to fit as much into the Tesla. But the Tesla has the frunk and hidden cargo space.

Thanks this is good advice so that we can actually pack some bigger items (large strollers etc) into the trunk to see how it really fits

Thanks. Used doesn't qualify for the upcoming EV incentive, and used Teslas in Canada do not seem to be as cheap as in the US.

Thanks

Thanks. Funny we were also looking at the new 2026 VW Tiguan, very nice looking car.

Thanks

Thanks

How was L1 during the cold winter months? I've read that during winter L1 will not even manage to charge the car if it is parked outside, just slow down the battery draining. Is that true?

Thanks. Does your stroller fit in the trunk straight in, or sideways or upright?

Thanks

Yes my car also lives outside, I don't have a garage. How was L1 during the cold winter months? I've read that during winter L1 will not even manage to charge, just slow down the battery draining. Is that true?

More information is coming out. It looks like these EVs will qualify for the incentive [https://motorillustrated.com/canada-ev-rebate-2026-full-list-qualifying-models/175183/#google\_vignette](https://motorillustrated.com/canada-ev-rebate-2026-full-list-qualifying-models/175183/#google_vignette)

You mean the RWD will not be great in snow?

Thanks

Thanks but used doesn't qualify for this EV incentive. But I believe the Model Y Standard has a heated steering wheel and wiper deicer? But no heated rear seats. Are you in a cold climate? My car lives outside, I don't have a garage. How was L1 during the cold winter months? I've read that during winter L1 will not even manage to charge, just slow down the battery draining. Is that true?

The battery needs to be warm enough to accept charge. If you plug in a car that's been sitting around it might be a while before the charge rate increases to a reasonable rate. But if you plug in immediately after arriving it will be able to charge. So you just have to make sure to always plug it in on L1 and it's not so bad. I'd still prefer L2 just so I can do all my charging at night time electricity rates. Also on L2 it charges fast enough that defrost won't drain the battery. I was parked outside when I was using L1 and could lose several percent if there was a lot of snow to clear off.

Thanks

Yes I would also prefer to charge at night for the lower electricity rates, but I guess on L1 I wouldn’t be able to do so

Right, you'd need to be plugged in 24/7

Yesterday and last night was really cold. I had it plugged in at 30% yesterday morning (approx 10am) and right now (8:40am) it’s at 40%. It’s definitely slower. If I really needed to drive that car I would need to plug it into my L2.

Thanks that's a really helpful example

The frunk and under trunk make a giant difference… you can fit a ton of stuff in it including all the baby stuff…. Diaper bag, stroller, playpen… etc, sometimes it’s a little bit like playing Tetris but it fits it all.

I think you’ll still be able to find a used one cheaper than new + credit. It’s worth a look anyway. The heated wipers are the biggest thing to me because the automatic wipers are really bad and you’ll need to replace them. Depends on temperature, but below 0C expect 4km an hour with the same electricity bill as you would pay to get 8km an hour. You can live with it thanks to overall range/capacity, but you need to plug in almost every night. Essentially, if you only drive 32km in a day you’ll be just fine. 4km x 8 hours =32 km Outlet needs to be on a dedicated circuit, no lights or other idle devices plugged in. The car will tell you if it doesn’t want to pull the full 12A. The outlet I wanted to use is shared with my laundry room and an outdoor light and was only getting me 4km per hour in the summer so I have to use one at the back of the house, so just annoying for me to have to pull all the way up the driveway. Still beats going to a gas station. I’m in no rush to install a high wattage charger.

Yes

Do you use an extension cable for that? I see lots of people saying to never use an extension, and others saying they use an extension any it's fine.

I'm really not sure about this. My 2013 Ford Escape almost never activates the AWD, even when there's lots of snow.

Tesla activates awd very frequently because they are two separate motors

OK thanks, good to know. For me it's this RWD or nothing, my budget can't stretch to the AWD.

I don’t and never have. It’s more or less Tesla saying “if you have a crap extension cable and your house burns down it’s not our fault”. But you can buy a thicker cable like a 14AWG or 12AWG, and then also a SHTW rating for water resistance. Don’t get one over 15 meters.

May not be the place but maybe consider a mach E. Ford will cover the home charger install and is offering huge discounts on MSRP in Canada. They might dial some of those back with the government incentives but you can get an AWD one with the extended range for under $50K that will qualify.

Everyone else has given great advice. The only thing that I would add it to call your insurance provider to see how much it will cost. You mentioned that you were at your max budget, just don’t want you to get a big surprise. Teslas can be extremely expensive for insurance

I owned rear wheel MY since May 2024. This is my second winter. It took me some time to get adjusted to regen braking system and only one big display to see but it’s a great car. I drive to work 100 km both ways 3 times a week. When I’m not driving my wife and kids drive them. In a week it’s driven about 500 km a week and cost me around 55 to 60 dollars of per month. When I had the Passat it costed me 350 dollars of gas a month. I drove it through the winter last year without winter tires and was just fine for a RW drive but got winter tires this winter for more safety. One thing to note, when it’s cold like -10c it loses efficiency by 40 to 50 percent. The charge that lets you drive 100km during the summer will allow you to drive only around 50 to 60 km in cold winters. So a rule of thumb for me is 394 km total range in summer but only 200 km range on cold winter. I charge with level 2 charger every night in the winter and every other night in the summer. I schedule my charging to start at midnight to get the best rate and it’s fully charge by around 5am.

Yes 200km range in cold weather is already making me anxious and I don't even own one yet lol. During winter we only do such longer drives maybe 2-3 times maximum, but it's not ideal.

Thanks. Yes I would consider a Mach E. Where did you find this offer?

Thanks. We pay CAD$1924 / year for our 2013 Ford Escape in Toronto, and our insurer quoted CAD$3340 / year for the 2026 Model Y Standard. That includes comprehensive, all perils etc, that we don't have on our old Ford.

I just browse on auto trader but dealerships were quite up front about offers in person as well.

Model Y Standard does not qualify for the upcoming EV incentives in Canada. Only the EVs that were built in Canada are qualified.