Which charges faster on a DC fast charger, the Cadillac Lyriq or the Tesla Model Y?

It depends on whether you read the peak number or the sustained average. The Tesla Model Y has the higher peak DC power rating, so it can spike to a higher headline figure when conditions allow. The Cadillac Lyriq has a lower peak, but it holds a notably high sustained average through the 10 to 80 percent window, so its actual fast-charge stop is competitive on AVERAGE power. The Model Y also plugs natively into the dense, mature Tesla Supercharger network in the United States, while the Lyriq reaches a growing share of those same sites via a NACS adapter. On home AC charging the Lyriq carries the higher onboard charger, so it can refill faster overnight on a properly-rated circuit. Exact charging times for the United States are on this site's comparison tool.

Which one has more range?

The Tesla Model Y posts the higher EPA range rating even though it carries the smaller battery, which is an efficiency advantage: it turns each kilowatt-hour into more distance. The Cadillac Lyriq carries the markedly larger battery and still offers strong long-distance reach, just by storing more energy rather than by being more frugal with it. Both figures are EPA-rated, so the comparison is apples-to-apples, though EPA numbers run optimistic in real driving. Side-by-side realistic-range estimates are on this site's comparison tool.

Which is cheaper to charge?

Charging cost depends mainly on battery capacity and the electricity rate you use, not on the brand. Because the Cadillac Lyriq carries the markedly larger battery, a full charge from empty needs more total energy than the Tesla Model Y, although the cost to charge the same span, say 20% to 80%, follows the percentage rather than the battery size. Charging at home is far cheaper than public DC fast charging on both cars. Exact side-by-side figures for the United States are on this site's comparison tool.

Cadillac Lyriq vs Tesla Model Y: EV Comparison in the United States

The Cadillac Lyriq and the Tesla Model Y sit in the same electric SUV segment in the United States, yet they represent two different market positions. The Lyriq is a traditional American luxury marque entering the electric era on GM's Ultium platform, while the Model Y is the mass-premium reference that defined the category. Both are five-seat battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that compete for the same shortlist for buyers stepping up from a non-luxury crossover. This guide compares them qualitatively across charging character, range and efficiency, and the practical day-to-day differences that decide which one suits you. The exact figures, including cost, time, and realistic range, are on this site's comparison tool and per-car pages.

By mht-dev, Frontend Engineer & Creator

A frontend engineer who bought a first electric car in March 2026 and built EV Charge Calculator while working out the real cost of charging it, writing every guide from an everyday new EV owner's perspective.

Luxury Cadillac SUV vs the mass-premium Tesla

The Lyriq and the Model Y target buyers from different starting points. The Cadillac Lyriq is positioned as a luxury electric SUV: a quieter, more deliberate interior, higher trim materials, and the brand heritage of American luxury, all riding on GM's Ultium electric platform. The Tesla Model Y is the mass-premium reference: a minimalist, tech-led cabin, vertical integration of software and hardware, and the dominant sales volume in the segment. Same body style, same five seats, very different rooms inside.

Despite the positioning gap, both are pure BEVs in the same SUV body shape, so each one charges at home on an AC wallbox or at a public DC fast charger out on the road. They also share their underlying battery chemistry in the trims compared here: both use an NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) pack. The practical upshot of shared chemistry is that long-term battery-care advice is the same on both cars. Charging to roughly the mid-to-high range for routine driving and saving a full charge to 100% for trips is the gentle habit on either SUV, so battery care is not a tiebreaker here. The decision turns on positioning, on how each car charges out on the road, and on how each one converts battery size into range.

DC fast charging: peak power vs sustained average

The two cars take meaningfully different approaches to DC fast charging, and the difference matters on long trips. The Tesla Model Y has the higher peak DC power rating, so when conditions allow, on the right charger and with the battery preconditioned, it can spike to a higher number on the dashboard. The Cadillac Lyriq has the lower peak figure, but it holds a notably high sustained average through the 10 to 80 percent window. In practical terms, that means the Lyriq does not pull as much power at the very top of the charging session, but it does not fall away as steeply either, so the AVERAGE rate across a real fast-charge stop is competitive even though the peak headline is lower.

Network access is the other half of the road-trip story in the United States, and here the Model Y has the more straightforward route. The Tesla Supercharger network, now the basis of the NACS standard, is dense, mature, and widely regarded as reliable across the country, and the Model Y plugs straight into it without an adapter. The Lyriq uses CCS today and is part of the wider transition to NACS via an adapter, which means it can reach a growing share of the same Supercharger sites, just with an extra step for now. So on a sustained fast charge the Lyriq holds its own on average power once it is plugged in, while the Model Y has the simpler answer for finding a working stall in the first place.

Home AC charging, by contrast, is a more relaxed story on both. Each SUV charges overnight on a Level 2 wallbox, and for owners who plug in at home every night the daily routine is undemanding on either car. The Lyriq does carry the higher onboard AC charger of the pair, so on a properly-rated home circuit it can refill a given amount overnight in less time, a small edge for high-mileage drivers who lean on the garage rather than public charging.

Range, battery size, and efficiency

Here the two cars invert the usual assumption. The Cadillac Lyriq carries a markedly larger battery than the Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD, yet the Model Y posts the higher EPA range rating on the smaller pack. That is an efficiency story rather than a battery-size story: the Model Y simply turns each kilowatt-hour into more distance, so it does not need as much energy on board to go as far. The Lyriq answers with substantially more raw capacity, which still gives it a strong long-distance reach, just by carrying more energy rather than by being more frugal with it.

Both ranges here are quoted on the EPA cycle, so the brochure comparison is genuinely apples-to-apples between these two, which is not always the case across electric SUVs in the United States. Even so, EPA figures are optimistic relative to a real winter highway run with the heater on, so both cars will return less than the sticker in tough conditions. The efficiency gap also has a charging implication: because the Lyriq carries more battery, a full charge from low to high transfers more total energy than the same span on the Model Y, regardless of which charger is plugged in. To judge real efficiency rather than headline numbers, this site presents discounted realistic-range estimates side by side with each car's cost per charge, computed automatically from the official specifications.

Which one suits you?

The choice comes down to positioning and charging character. Pick the Cadillac Lyriq if you want a true luxury electric SUV in the traditional American sense, a larger battery for reassurance on long routes, and you are comfortable using a NACS adapter to reach the Tesla Supercharger network. The Lyriq's high sustained average on a DC fast charge means real-world stops are competitive even though the peak power figure is lower. Pick the Tesla Model Y if you prefer the mass-premium tech-led approach, you value standout efficiency that delivers more EPA range from a smaller pack, and you want the simplest possible road-trip experience plugging straight into Supercharger stalls without an adapter. Because both use NMC batteries, long-term battery care is equal and not a differentiator between them.

To close the decision with real numbers, this site provides a comparison tool prefilled with the Cadillac Lyriq and the Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD side by side, a per-car page for each, and a charging cost calculator that works it out using your own electricity rate and battery percentage.

Frequently asked questions

Which charges faster on a DC fast charger, the Cadillac Lyriq or the Tesla Model Y?: It depends on whether you read the peak number or the sustained average. The Tesla Model Y has the higher peak DC power rating, so it can spike to a higher headline figure when conditions allow. The Cadillac Lyriq has a lower peak, but it holds a notably high sustained average through the 10 to 80 percent window, so its actual fast-charge stop is competitive on AVERAGE power. The Model Y also plugs natively into the dense, mature Tesla Supercharger network in the United States, while the Lyriq reaches a growing share of those same sites via a NACS adapter. On home AC charging the Lyriq carries the higher onboard charger, so it can refill faster overnight on a properly-rated circuit. Exact charging times for the United States are on this site's comparison tool.
Which one has more range?: The Tesla Model Y posts the higher EPA range rating even though it carries the smaller battery, which is an efficiency advantage: it turns each kilowatt-hour into more distance. The Cadillac Lyriq carries the markedly larger battery and still offers strong long-distance reach, just by storing more energy rather than by being more frugal with it. Both figures are EPA-rated, so the comparison is apples-to-apples, though EPA numbers run optimistic in real driving. Side-by-side realistic-range estimates are on this site's comparison tool.
Which is cheaper to charge?: Charging cost depends mainly on battery capacity and the electricity rate you use, not on the brand. Because the Cadillac Lyriq carries the markedly larger battery, a full charge from empty needs more total energy than the Tesla Model Y, although the cost to charge the same span, say 20% to 80%, follows the percentage rather than the battery size. Charging at home is far cheaper than public DC fast charging on both cars. Exact side-by-side figures for the United States are on this site's comparison tool.