Compare the2026 Genesis G80VS 2025 Tesla Model S

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2025Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. 1UQ4C-T1YLE 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2025/09/29

The G80’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Model S doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Genesis G80 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Tesla Model S doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 G80 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model S doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The G80 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Model S doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The G80 has standard Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Model S 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 Genesis G80 achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Tesla Model S has not been tested.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The G80 Sport Prestige has a standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist-Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Model S doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The G80 Sport Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model S 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 G80 has standard Connected Care, 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 S 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 G80 and the Model S have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Genesis G80 is safer than the Tesla Model S:

	G80	Model S
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	137	362
Neck Compression	43 lbs.	49 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	28/23 lbs.	292/295 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 Genesis G80 is safer than the Tesla Model S:

	G80	Model S
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	101	160
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Hip Force	290 lbs.	339 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	94	197
Spine Acceleration	24 G’s	47 G’s
Hip Force	242 lbs.	480 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	198	449
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	46 G’s
Hip Force	676 lbs.	785 lbs.

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

Warranty

The G80 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The Model S’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Genesis’ powertrain warranty covers the G80 2 years longer than Tesla covers the Model S. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Model S ends after only 8 years.

Genesis pays for scheduled maintenance on the G80 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Genesis will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model S.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the G80 third among upper midsize premium cars in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Model S isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Genesis vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Genesis above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Genesis vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Genesis 3 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

Brakes and Stopping

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The G80 has a standard Brake Assistant System to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The Model S doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

Tires and Wheels

The G80 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Model S; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the G80’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Model S (118.5 inches vs. 116.5 inches).

The G80 handles at .91 G’s, while the Model S pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The G80 3.5T Sport Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Model S (25.5 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 26.5 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the G80’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Model S’ (38.1 feet vs. 40.3 feet).

Chassis

The Genesis G80 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 450 pounds less than the Tesla Model S.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the G80 is quieter than the Model S Plaid (66 vs. 67 dB).

Passenger Space

The G80 has 5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Model S (99 vs. 94).

The G80 has 1.4 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, 3.2 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model S.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the G80’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model S doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

The G80’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model S has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

The G80 3.5T Sport Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model S doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The G80’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Model S’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Consumer Reports rated the G80’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Model S’ headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The G80’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Model S’ headlights are rated “Poor.”

The G80’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model S 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 G80 has standard extendable sun visors. The Model S doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the G80 Advanced/Sport Prestige/3.5T to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Model S doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The G80 Sport Prestige/3.5T has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model S.

The G80 is equipped with both FM and AM stereo radios, offering access to more content and better coverage than the Model S, 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 G80 offers a more comprehensive listening experience compared to only FM in the Model S.

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 G80 equipped with HD Radio provide an improved in-car entertainment experience. The Model S, devoid of this technology, foregoes these benefits. Selecting the Genesis G80 empowers drivers to enjoy a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience while on the go.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Genesis G80 retains 45.88% of its original value after 5 years, significantly more than the 34.87% resale value of the 2025 Tesla Model S after five years, which can save the Genesis’ owner up to $21195.30338 in depreciation.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Genesis G80, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Tesla Model S isn't recommended.

See Available Inventory