Why is advertised ground clearance different than actual ground clearance?

[dpilot83]

Before I bought our late 2023 MYLR 7 seater with the base Gemeni wheels, I did some research on ground clearance. Owners manual says 6.8” as shown in these screenshots:

After trying to get my 5 ton floor jack under there I’m quite convinced that is not accurate at least in front of the rear wheels.

I didn’t bother to actually measure but as I google it seems some people are finding about 5.5”. Why the discrepancy between reality and what the owners manual says?

 

[EVRider-FL]

Why not measure the actual ground clearance in your car rather than relying on Google, so you know the actual difference?

Your screenshot says values are approximate depending on configuration.

 

[dpilot83]

Why not measure the actual ground clearance in your car rather than relying on Google, so you know the actual difference?

Your screenshot says values are approximate depending on configuration.

Kinda hard to do that before you order the car.

2” higher ground clearance than my minivan is one of the primary reasons we went with a Model Y. Finding out out advertised ground clearance is inaccurate after the fact is something I’d like to avoid in future vehicle purchases.

Just wanting to know how it’s calculated mostly. I had previously assumed it was based upon the lowest point of ground clearance for the entire vehicle. Now I’m wondering if they ignore any part of the vehicle that is in the wheel track area?