New images and details of how Tesla will strip the Model Y down to hit a lower price point have begun to be revealed in the US.
The long-rumoured, stripped-down version of the Tesla Model Y electric SUV has been exposed without camouflage – online and on the road – ahead of a global reveal due imminently, but there's no guarantee it will come to Australia
Days earlier, key details of the vehicle were unearthed from Tesla's website by Internet sleuths – including Tesla Newswire on X – revealing the equipment it will delete to lower its price.
A starting price of $US39,990 ($AU60,500) has been mooted for the vehicle, though it would only be $US5000 ($AU7600) less than the regular Model Y Long Range RWD with a substantially longer feature list.
Earlier overseas reports have claimed the cheaper Model Y, codenamed 'E41', would cost "20 per cent less to produce", and go into production first in the US.
Chinese production has been rumoured to follow, which would open the door to Australia, but it may need to be substantially cheaper than the current base RWD grade ($58,900 plus on-road costs) to warrant its introduction locally.
The social media photos suggest the Model Y Standard will be similar in length to the standard vehicle – contrary to earlier estimations – but with new front and rear fascias to set it apart.
Split-level LED headlights and a full-width light bar have been replaced by single-piece lights that reportedly delete adaptive 'matrix' technology in favour of conventional auto on-off high beams.
The reflective rear LED light bar has also been swapped for a black strip of trim connecting the Model Y's outer tail-lights, the pre-facelift model's curved rear window shape has been returned, and there is a new lower bumper blending with additional body colouring on the tailgate.
The Standard grade spotted on the road is riding on 19-inch 'Crossflow' wheels shared with more expensive versions, but a leaked website image (above) has shown new, smaller 18-inch 'Aperture' wheels.
Other exterior changes include a "closed glass roof" – a glass pane that is black, rather than transparent – as well as a newly-added front bumper camera, and a new front bumper.
Inside, information sourced from Tesla website code has revealed two-tone textile and leather-look upholstery (rather than all leather-look), and textile dashboard trim in place of a felt-like material.
There is also manual steering column adjustment in place of power, a regular particulate filter replacing a more advanced HEPA filter, a seven-speaker sound system (rather than the Long Range's 15-speaker), and manual-folding rather than power-folding rear seats.
The 8.0-inch rear touchscreen has reportedly been deleted, necessitating manually-adjustable air vents in the second row, replacing units adjustable through the display.
Fitted to the Model Y Standard is slated to be the 15.4-inch touchscreen currently used in the Long Range in the US, rather than the Performance's higher-resolution 16-inch display.
Tesla website code also lists a smaller boot – up to 2124 litres (75 cubic feet) of space, down from 2152L (76 cubic feet) – according to Tesla Newswire on X, as well as what it calls "manually-adjustable side mirrors," though it's unclear how these would operate.
Details of what will power the Model Y Standard are yet to be confirmed, but there is a strong chance it will use a smaller battery to reduce its price.
Tesla no longer offers a standard-range, circa-60kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery in any of its models in the US, as it does in other markets.
In Germany, a 62.5kWh LFP battery powers the cheapest Model Y to 500km of claimed driving range in European WLTP testing on 19-inch wheels, compared to 622km WLTP for the 84kWh battery in the Long Range RWD.
Official details of the 2026 Tesla Model Y Standard – or Standard Range Rear-Wheel Drive, as it could be marketed – are expected in the coming weeks, given undisguised vehicles are now testing on public roads.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
