Tesla Raises Model Y RWD Range to 348 Miles, Keeps $39,990 Price
Tesla's Model Y RWD is now rated at 348 miles of EPA range, up from 321 miles, at the same $39,990 price, just after the base Model Y AWD was pulled.
Tesla has raised the EPA-estimated range of its cheapest Model Y, the rear-wheel-drive version, from 321 miles to 348 miles without changing the $39,990 price, according to Not a Tesla App, which cited Tesla’s website. That works out to a gain of about 8.5% for buyers of the entry-level crossover.
The update arrives right after Tesla stopped taking orders for the Model Y AWD, which leaves the RWD as the only entry-level Model Y buyers can order.
What changed on the Model Y RWD
Only the range rating moved. The rest of the published specs are the same: 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds, a top speed of 125 mph and a 69 kWh battery. Tesla has not explained what produced the extra miles. EPA range is the official estimate shown on the window sticker, and real-world range varies with speed, temperature and driving style, as our guide to how EV range drops in cold weather explains.
The car is the same one Tesla introduced last October as the Model Y Standard. The “Standard” label was dropped in February, when Tesla added an all-wheel-drive version priced at $41,990.
What the base model leaves out
Tesla keeps the RWD under $40,000 by removing features found on the Premium trims, which start at $45,990. According to Not a Tesla App, the cheaper car has:
- textile and vegan leather seats, with heating only in the front;
- seat adjustment through the touchscreen;
- no rear passenger screen and an open center console;
- a 7-speaker sound system with no subwoofer;
- a glass roof covered by a fabric headliner;
- no light bars or matrix LED headlights, and mirrors that fold by hand.
It does share two items with the more expensive versions: the heat pump, which warms the cabin and battery with less energy than a simple electric heater and helps range in winter, and the hardware for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver-assistance software.
The cheapest AWD Model Y is gone
The AWD version that Tesla has stopped selling carried a 294-mile range rating and was the lowest-priced way to get all-wheel drive on a Model Y. Tesla has not said why it was pulled or whether it will come back. The AWD had been on sale only since February.
Shoppers who want all-wheel drive now have to step up to a Premium trim. New Premium orders will not be delivered until early 2027, according to the report.
What it means for Model Y shoppers
For buyers at the bottom of the lineup, the choice has narrowed to one car. The $39,990 RWD now has a higher range rating than before and well above the 294 miles of the AWD version that was pulled, but it is rear-wheel drive only. Anyone who needs all-wheel drive pays at least $45,990 for a Premium trim and waits until early 2027 for delivery of a new order.
Source: Not a Tesla App
