Tesla Model X years ranked, from best used buy to the one to skip

Across all eleven Tesla Model X years, 2016 through 2026, the best used buys are the 2020 and post-April 2019 cars, and the one to skip is the 2016 launch year. The refreshed 2021 to 2023 cars sit in the middle: modern hardware, but the heaviest recall load of the run.

The ranking, best to worst

Ranked for someone buying used in late 2026, weighing NHTSA recalls and complaints, the hardware each year carries and what it costs to own. Numbers come from the NHTSA API and EPA ratings in our data files.

1. 2020 Model X. Long Range Plus at 351 miles, HW3, MCU2, radar and parking sensors, 5-star overall rating, 10 recalls. No heat pump and the older interior.
2. 2019 Tesla Model X. Lowest complaint count of the 2016 to 2020 cars (73) and eight recalls. Buy a post-April 2019 Raven car for the permanent-magnet front motor, adaptive air suspension and HW3.
3. Tesla Model X 2024. Refreshed design with HW4, eight recalls and 25 complaints. EPA range dipped to 335 miles from 348 without a stated cause.
4. 2025 Model X. Three recalls, 15 complaints, 329 miles. Lacks the 2026 bumper camera and ambient lighting.
5. 2026 Tesla Model X. The final car: 352 miles, no recalls so far, but expensive and scarce. Later orders included the Luxe Package.
6. 2018 Model X. MCU2 from March 2018 builds, many with the 72 A charger, 140 complaints. HW2.5.
7. Tesla Model X 2017. 5-star rating and the 100D's 295 miles, but MCU1 and 237 complaints.
8. 2022 Model X. First full refreshed year, 22 recalls, including 22V264000, where a missing body bracket meant Tesla replaced the vehicle.
9. 2023 Tesla Model X. Early HW4 cars shipped with Autopilot features missing; 17 recalls and 194 complaints.
10. Model X 2021. Twenty-four recalls, the most of any Model X year, and two different cars under one badge.
11. 2016 Model X. 417 complaints, early falcon wing door problems, MCU1, HW1 on most builds and no NHTSA star rating.

Complaint totals are owner reports, not proven defects, and they are not adjusted for how many cars were sold or how long they have been on the road. Recall counts include over-the-air fixes. Use both to decide how much paperwork to ask for, then look up the VIN on NHTSA's recall search.

Why the first Model X years rank low

Consumer Reports' October 2016 survey rated Model X reliability "much worse than average", and its testing chief singled out the falcon wing doors as a big trouble spot along with the power front doors. Watch the doors through several open and close cycles on any 2016 or 2017 car, including in cold weather; Edmunds noted creaking rear doors in the cold even on 2018 cars.

The 2016 also collects hardware recalls that need a service visit: third-row seat backs that could fold forward in a crash (16V192000), a second-row seat latch (17V639000), both electric parking brake calipers (17V260000), corroding power steering bolts (20V062000) and roof trim bonded without primer (20V710000 and 24V615000). Add MCU1, the original touchscreen computer whose eMMC memory wears out (recall 21V035000 replaces a daughterboard), and you have a car that needs a thorough history.

Cars built before October 2016 have HW1 Autopilot hardware, which cannot be upgraded to later systems.

The refresh, and why 2021 is two cars

Tesla announced the refreshed Model X on January 27, 2021, built no S or X during the first quarter while it retooled, and began US deliveries of refreshed cars by October 2021, starting with six-seat Long Range cars at $99,990. The refresh brought the yoke, no stalks, a horizontal center screen, a rear screen, the 1,020 hp tri-motor Plaid and an AMD Ryzen computer.

So a 2021 Model X is either the last of the old design (Long Range Plus at 371 miles, Performance at 341 on 20-inch wheels) or one of the first refreshed cars. Both carry the same 24-recall list, but the service-visit items are mostly refresh parts: front curtain air bags (22V233000), driver air bags (21V868000, 24V967000) and front belt anchors (23V488000). If a refreshed car has had its yoke swapped for a round wheel, confirm recall 23V743000 too.

Steering is the top complaint area for 2021 and 2022, and Edmunds called the yoke the refreshed X's largest pain point. Drive one before you buy one.

Hardware by model year

The MCU2 upgrade Tesla sold for MCU1 cars was $2,500 when launched in 2020 and removes AM/FM and SiriusXM radio. Check the computer on the car under Controls, Software, Additional Vehicle Information.

Charging a Model X at home: 48 A, 72 A and the 2018 switch

Model X onboard chargers changed three times, and the difference shows up directly in your garage.

At 48 A (11.5 kW), Tesla rates the Model X at up to 35 miles of range per hour. A 72 A car on a suitable Gen 2 unit charges at about 17.3 kW, which cuts a full charge of a 100 kWh pack from roughly 9 to 10 hours to 6 to 7 by our math. On a Gen 3 unit, every Model X is capped at 48 A, so there is no benefit in buying a 72 A car unless you have, or will install, a Gen 2. Our Gen 2 and Gen 3 hardware comparison explains how to tell them apart.

The Model X is the thirstiest of the cars here, so slower circuits hurt it most: on a 14-50 outlet with a Mobile Connector it gets about 23 miles per hour at 32 A, by Tesla's support table. For most owners a 60 A circuit is worth it; see typical installation prices and our breaker and amp setting table for what each breaker size delivers. A circuit above 60 A for a 72 A car is a job for a licensed electrician and a permit.

Before you buy a used Model X

• Pin the build date. It settles MCU1 or MCU2, HW generation, 48 or 72 A, and old or refreshed design on 2021 cars.
• Work every door. Falcon wing doors and power front doors on early cars, through several cycles.
• Get service-recall receipts. Seats, parking brake calipers, roof trim, air bags, seat belt anchors and, on 2022 cars, the 22V264000 bracket check.
• Check Supercharging terms. Free unlimited Supercharging ended for new orders in May 2020, and the free Supercharging that came with 2026 Luxe Package cars is non-transferable. Verify what the car actually has in the Tesla app.
• Plan for CCS. Older S and X may need a retrofit plus adapter ($380 at Tesla, as of October 2026) to use CCS fast chargers; see CCS adapter for a Tesla.
• Watch for Signature Editions. Buyers signed a one-year no-resale agreement, so a used one should not appear before about May 2027.

The Model X shared much of its hardware timeline with the sedan; the Model S buyer's guide by year covers that side, and best and worst Tesla years compares all five models.