- The available steering yoke on the Tesla Model S and Model X is now a $250 option.
- Earlier this year, Tesla made a regular steering wheel a no-cost option alongside the controversial yoke, which had been mandatory since a 2021 redesign.
- The irony is that Tesla CEO Elon Musk once said there’s no chance a traditional steering wheel would return.
Tesla’s steering-yoke saga continues. Back in January of this year, the automaker made the decision to once again offer a regular steering wheel on the Model S and Model X. It was a no-cost option that was available along with the yoke-style wheel that had been mandatory on both models since their 2021 redesign. Now, the configurator on Tesla’s website shows the sawed-off steering wheel as a $250 option.
The steering yoke was controversial from the start, with questions surrounding whether it was even legal. From there, critics and fans quibbled over its safety as well as how well it worked in real-world driving. During Car and Driver’s test of a 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid, we pointed out that the yoke’s main flaw is that the company didn’t pair it with a quicker steering ratio, which at times resulted in awkwardly reaching for the wrong side of it when starting to turn.
Of course, the most ironic part of all the yoke hoopla is comments made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk back in July 2021. When directly asked on Twitter whether there was any chance a normal steering wheel would be offered again as an option, Musk tweeted back, “No”.
Well, it looks like the turns have tabled, as not only is a regular steering wheel back, but it comes standard. Plus, now people who like the yoke have to put their money where their mouth is and shell out $250.
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Senior Editor
Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.
