Budget version with 657 km range: Tesla launches new Model Y variant

Tesla continues to expand its Model Y lineup. After introducing a stripped-down entry-level version for €39,990 (German prices) in October, the company has now added another variant that, while similarly reduced in equipment, features a larger battery. The new Model Y Standard Long Range RWD is listed in Tesla’s German and the Dutch configurator at €46,990. The variant is not available in the UK.

Thanks to its larger battery, it achieves a WLTP range of 657 kilometres, compared to 454 kilometres for the base version. This new variant now surpasses all other Model Y versions in terms of range. On top of being equipped with a larger battery, Tesla’s website also shows that the new variant is not only a few kilograms lighter but also more efficient than the €40,000 Model Y.

A broader comparison reveals that the versions with reduced equipment are around €10,000 and €3,000 cheaper in Germany than the previous base variant, which has since been renamed ‘Premium Rear-Wheel Drive’ following the introduction of the Standard versions, rather than ‘RWD Long Range.’ For details on what customers must forego in the budget versions of the mid-size SUV, we have summarised the key points in this article. In short, Tesla has reduced certain comfort features, aesthetic enhancements (such as the front light bar introduced with the ‘Juniper’ facelift), and even some technical aspects (including reduced acceleration).

Like all other Model Y vehicles destined for the European market, the new variants are manufactured at the Gigafactory in Grünheide, Brandenburg. Production of the stripped-down Model Y with the larger battery appears to have already begun, with the first units of the Model Y Standard Long Range RWD expected to be delivered to local customers as early as February.

The new variant features Tesla’s well-known 220 kW rear-wheel-drive powertrain, 250 kW charging capacity, and the lowest energy consumption in the Model Y range to date. Tesla states a WLTP-rated consumption of 12.7 kWh/100 km, an improvement on the 13.1 kWh/100 km of the entry-level version introduced in October. As a result, the Standard Long Range RWD variant achieves the aforementioned 657-kilometre range. For comparison, the previous longest-range Model Y was the Premium Long Range RWD variant, with 622 kilometres.

As mentioned above, the new Standard Long Range RWD variant is not available in the UK. However, the carmaker just recently launched its Model Y Standard (without the long range) at £41,990. Moreover, according to a post on social media, the “Model 3 Standard is now available in the UK & the Middle East.” The latter hit European roads in early December, meaning that it is still possible that the new Model Y variant could also become available in the UK at a later date.

It is clear that with the Standard versions, Tesla aims to make its high-volume Model 3 and Model Y series more affordable and attract new customer groups. Tesla’s German press office promotes the latest addition to the Model Y lineup as a guarantee for ‘relaxed travel at minimal costs.’ Originally, Tesla had planned to target even lower price segments. However, the development of a $25,000 Tesla, once promised by CEO Elon Musk, was discontinued by the company last year.

x.com, tesla.com (configurator), tesla.com (website), tesla.com (energy consumption), x.com (Model 3 Standard)