This aging Tesla sedan has more cargo space than most electric SUVs
Just the latest indication that we should all be driving hatchbacks.
Key Takeaways
- The majority of electric cars are actually compact SUVs.
- Cargo space is a key factor in their popularity.
- Surprisingly, most electric SUVs have less maximum cargo space than Tesla's OG electric sedan.
Tesla catches a lot of flak for, well, a number of things these days, but let's focus on the products. Specifically, you'll often hear it said that the EV pioneer doesn't redesign its models frequently enough.
There's no better example than the Tesla Model S, which debuted for the 2013 model year and remains essentially the same car more than a decade later.
But why redesign a car if it's still at the top of its game? That would probably be Tesla's rejoinder if it hadn't canned its PR team years ago, and there's something to it. On the powertrain front, the 2025 Model S is the envy of all rivals save Lucid, delivering an incredible one-two punch of supercar acceleration (0-60 in 3.1 seconds) and extended range (402 miles) that puts EVs from legacy automakers to shame.
Ah, but it's only a sedan, right? So aren't you're giving up the extra cargo space of an SUV?
Yes and no.
The Model S is indeed a sedan, but it has a well-concealed hatchback trunk lid. Lift it up and you can flip down the rear seatbacks to create a truly SUV-grade cargo hold.
In fact, we ran the numbers, and it's not easy to find electric SUVs that can match this Tesla's maximum cargo capacity. Not only is the Model S still one of the very best electric sedans, then — it's also a legitimate SUV substitute, unlike its Lucid Air nemesis, which has an ordinary sedan trunk.
The more you dig into the details of the Model S, the easier it is to understand why Tesla has been leaving well enough alone for all these years.
But the notion that it has more cargo space than most EV SUVs may seem far-fetched, so let's take a closer look at what we found.
How much cargo space does the 2025 Tesla Model S have?
Despite not being a huge car — the BMW 5 Series is 1.5 inches longer — the Model S can really pack in the cargo, even with the rear seatbacks in place. There's a 25-cubic-foot area behind those seatbacks, making it easy to drop in a couple of golf bags or what have you.
For reference, Lucid says the Air's trunk measures 22.1 cubic feet, but since it's not a hatchback and the trunk opening is relatively shallow, it's really not in the same league. As for the BMW i5, the electrified version of the 5 Series, its trunk maxes out at 17.3 cubic feet.
But the Model S is just getting started. Fold the rear seatbacks flat and it offers 61.4 cubic feet of space, which is frankly bonkers by sedan standards.
It's even impressive by electric SUV standards, as we're about to see.
Cargo capacity throwdown: Model S vs. electric SUVs
To be clear, the Model S doesn't beat every single compact electric SUV when it comes to max cargo capacity. Its own Model Y stablemate is comfortably ahead at 72 cubic feet, while the Volkswagen ID.4 (64.2 cu ft), Subaru Solterra (63.5 cu ft) and Mercedes-Benz EQB (61.8 cu ft) also edge out the Tesla sedan.
But the S does beat the rest of them, as well as some midsize SUVs for good measure. Here's the full list, courtesy of MotorDonkey's own vehicle data.
Electric SUVs with less max cargo space than the Tesla Model S
Vehicle Maximum Cargo Capacity Tesla Model S 61.4 cu ft Jeep Wagoneer S 61.0 cu ft Cadillac Lyriq 60.8 cu ft Audi Q6 e-tron 60.4 cu ft Ford Mustang Mach-E 59.7 cu ft Nissan Ariya 59.7 cu ft Hyundai Ioniq 5 59.3 cu ft Chevrolet Blazer EV 59.1 cu ft Honda Prologue 57.7 cu ft Volvo EX40 57.5 cu ft Chevrolet Equinox EV 57.2 cu ft Toyota bZ4X 56.9 cu ft Cadillac Optiq 56.7 cu ft Genesis Electrified GV70 56.5 cu ft Audi Q8 e-tron 56.4 cu ft Mini Countryman SE 56.2 cu ft Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV 55.0 cu ft Genesis GV60 54.7 cu ft Audi Q4 e-tron 53.1 cu ft Kia EV6 50.2 cu ft Polestar 3 49.8 cu ft VinFast VF 8 48.4 cu ft Porsche Macan Electric 47.6 cu ft Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 42.8 cu ft Volvo EX30 31.9 cu ft
There are 25 vehicles in that table, in case you're wondering, including the Model S, so that's 24 electric SUVs with lower max cargo figures than Tesla's venerable sedan.
Well, technically 23, because we couldn't resist throwing in one non-SUV, the Taycan Cross Turismo. It's a wagon, so you'd think it's gotta have more cargo capacity than the Model S, right? Turns out the Tesla wins there, too, and it's not even close.
The takeaway: Is the Model S an underrated car?
It absolutely is, for a few reasons.
Firstly, people are so busy bloviating about how old the S is that they've drowned out the car's objectively incredible performance. Again, outside of the Lucid Air, you won't find another electric car with such epic acceleration and range, and there are only a few SUVs and trucks — namely, the Lucid Gravity, Rivian R1S and Rivian R1T — that can compete.
Second, the same chatter about the Model S's age ignores the fact that it has one of the most enduringly attractive designs on the market. That may seem like an odd thing to say about a Tesla, given that the company's other vehicles are the paper airplane-adjacent Cybertruck and the bubbly Models 3, X and Y, but just look at the lead photo in this article. What a handsome machine. Its timelessness score is right up there with Volvo's current lineup.
And finally, there's that cargo capacity. Outside of Model S owners, how many people have the faintest idea that this low-slung sedan can haul more stuff than most electric SUVs? It's a little-known fact, for sure — one that bolsters the Model S's credentials as perhaps the ultimate one-car EV solution. ⛐ md
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008. Prior to founding MotorDonkey, he spent 15 years shaping Edmunds' expert automotive content in various capacities, starting as an associate editor and ultimately serving as a senior editor before wrapping up with a five-year term as the company's first-ever director of content strategy. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has driven, compared and critiqued thousands of cars in his career. Helping people find their perfect car never gets old—seriously!
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