Compare the2025 Cadillac LyriqVS 2025 Tesla Model Y

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

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 Lyriq 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 Lyriq’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Model Y doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Cadillac Lyriq achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Tesla Model Y has not been tested.

The Lyriq has a standard 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.

The Cadillac Lyriq comes with a standard HD Surround Vision and it also offers an optional rear camera washer to make backing always safe, regardless of road dirt or grime, while the Tesla Model Y doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

The Lyriq 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 Lyriq 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, rear cross-path warning and available driver alert monitors.

The Cadillac Lyriq weighs 1208 to 1684 pounds more than the Tesla Model Y. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

	Lyriq	Model Y
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	18.8%	25%
Neck Stress	180 lbs.	210 lbs.
Neck Compression	24 lbs.	68 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	96/127 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 Cadillac Lyriq is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	Lyriq	Model Y
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	118	358
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	355 lbs.	567 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	39 G’s

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

Warranty

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

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 52 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Cadillac 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 Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Tesla With 56 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Cadillac higher than Tesla.

Engine

The Lyriq has more powerful engines than the Model Y:

	Horsepower	Torque
Lyriq electric motor	365 HP	325 lbs.-ft.
Lyriq electric motors	515 HP	450 lbs.-ft.
Model Y Long Range RWD electric motor	295 HP	309 lbs.-ft.
Model Y Long Range AWD electric motors	425 HP	475 lbs.-ft.
Model Y Performance electric motors	455 HP	487 lbs.-ft.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Lyriq can travel longer on a full charge than the Model Y on a full charge:

			Miles
Lyriq
	RWD	Electric Motor	326 miles
	AWD	Electric Motors	319 miles
		w/19.2 kW charging Electric Motors	303 miles
Model Y
	RWD	20" Wheels Electric Motor	305 miles
	AWD	Long Range AWD Electric Motors	311 miles
		Long Range 20" Wheels Electric Motors	280 miles
		Performance Electric Motors	277 miles

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Lyriq has larger standard tires than the Model Y (265/50R20 vs. 255/45R19). The Lyriq’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 Lyriq has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Model Y. The Lyriq’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels on the Model Y Performance.

The Cadillac Lyriq’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.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the Lyriq can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Model Y doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

Suspension and Handling

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Lyriq’s wheelbase is 8 inches longer than on the Model Y (121.8 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Lyriq is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

For greater off-road capability the Lyriq has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (7 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Lyriq to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Lyriq offers available 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 Lyriq has 2.5 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 3.4 inches more rear hip room and 4.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model Y.

Cargo Capacity

The Lyriq has a much larger cargo volume than the Model Y with its rear seat up (28 vs. 16.9 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Lyriq’s available 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

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Lyriq 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.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Model Y, the Lyriq has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Lyriq has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Model Y doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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

The Lyriq 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 Lyriq is equipped with both FM and AM stereo radios, offering access to more content and better coverage than the Model Y, which solely provides FM radio. With AM radio, you can enjoy a wider variety of stations featuring news, talk shows, sports commentary, native language programing, automated traffic guidance, and emergency broadcasts. AM waves travel further and penetrate buildings and obstacles more effectively than FM signals, especially at night. Having both FM and AM stereo radios the Lyriq offers a more comprehensive listening experience compared to only FM in the Model Y.

HD Radio boasts several benefits over conventional radio: superior sound quality with clearer and consistent FM broadcasts, CD-quality audio, and Multicast Channels offering up to four streams from a single station, adding programming choices. Cars like the Lyriq equipped with available HD Radio provide an improved in-car entertainment experience. The Model Y, devoid of this technology, foregoes these benefits. Selecting the Cadillac Lyriq empowers drivers to enjoy a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience while on the go.

Compared to the Tesla Model Y’s traditional radio, the Cadillac Lyriq equipped with standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks.

The Lyriq 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.

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