Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The test drive that ended in a lawsuitBack in September 2024, Alemzewd Lawgalet, a 59-year-old federal employee, walked into a Tesla showroom in Arlington, Virginia, having never driven an electric car in her life. According to her complaint, she informed the staff of this fact and was told the Tesla Model Y she was about to test drive would "operate the same as a gas vehicle." She was then sent off on her own, in a car allegedly left in Insane mode, the most aggressive of the Model Y's acceleration settings.On her test drive, Lawgalet was rattled by the Model Y's regenerative braking on the highway, since she hadn't been warned of it. She got off the interstate to head back. Starting from a traffic light, she pressed the pedal, and the car took off with far more urgency than her foot asked for. The Tesla crossed the road and slammed into a hair salon, which caught fire. Lawgalet says she was seriously and permanently injured. According to The Independent, she's now seeking at least $10.3 million in compensatory damages and another $350,000 in punitive damages, accusing Tesla of recklessness and a "conscious disregard" for her safety. Tesla, for its part, says she simply failed to drive with reasonable care.A Family SUV With Supercar AccelerationTeslaInsane mode is more than a dramatic name. It's a genuine recalibration of how the car responds the instant your foot moves. Tesla's own materials describe Chill as the smooth, easy driving setting, and Insane as unlocking everything. A Model Y Performance in that mode hits 60 mph in about 3.3 seconds, quick enough to embarrass plenty of performance cars with much sportier badges. Unlike a gasoline engine, an electric motor can deliver strong torque almost immediately, making even a small movement of the accelerator feel far more urgent than a first-time EV driver might expect. That kind of acceleration is exciting when a driver expects it. For someone who had been told the car would behave like a conventional gasoline vehicle, it could be a very different introduction.Our Thoughts Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesTraditional dealerships usually put a salesperson in the passenger seat for exactly this reason: to talk you through the unfamiliar bits. Tesla's self-serve test-drive model can remove much of the pressure and salesmanship associated with a traditional dealership. But it can also remove the person who would normally explain unfamiliar controls, point out the selected drive mode, or warn a first-time EV driver of the peculiarities of driving an EV.AdvertisementAdvertisementTesla already offers Chill mode, which softens the car's acceleration. A sensible first-drive setting could go further, temporarily limiting performance while explaining regenerative braking and other unfamiliar behavior. Drivers could still unlock the car's full capability once they understand what it does. This incident is a reminder that handing someone the keys isn't the same as preparing them to use them.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Aug 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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