The firm is also launched a new cut-price version of the Standard in some markets to expand the selection of car buyers the Tesla Model Y appeals to.
It’s less range, lower performance and has a distinct whiff of cost-cutting but none of that describes the new entry-level version as an acceptable option for price-sensitive EV buyers.
exterior colour is a limited, and the Standard doesn’t have the same LED light bars as the rest of the range but it does not look significantly worse.
Given that the Model Y lineup has been updated for the Australian market recently (no mention of the new Standard car), I don’t know whether such a thing will be introduced here, but to get ‘a flavour and taste what it might feel like when we drove it in Ireland.
How much does the Tesla Model Y Standard cost?
A Tesla Australia’s current Model Y lineup is $58,900, with the RWD cost on-road costs of $89,400 for its new model (RWD), $68,800 before on road and $88,600 prior to Long Range AWD.
It’s 15 per cent cheaper than the next rung up the ladder in markets where the Standard is available, so it could theoretically cost around-$50,000 in Australia if it was to be offered here.
Nevertheless, the Chinese-made, entry-level RWD car in Australia already has a lower range than the German-built Standard so it is not clear where the latter would fit at this stage.
If Tesla did manage to sell a Model Y for $50,000, it would undoubtedly be welcomed with open arms.
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What is the Tesla Model Y Standard like on the inside?
If anyone who has ever seen other versions of the Model Y knows where Tesla saved dollars in making the Standard, its specification is pared back to make it.
The easier, more open centre console is to start with,’ said . The Standard does a shelf of sorts – although it’s still useful size, where the rest of the lineup has lots of closed storage between the front seats. This model Y’s dual-wireless smartphone charger is in, though it’t feel like much more plastic to the touch and cupholders that can be covered elsewhere in the range are always exposed in Standard – no pain except you’re obsessed with the clean, minimalist aesthetic.
Recent updates to Australian Model Y range introduced them an Standardisation of screen size upto 16 inches (which goes on to the European Standard model). Unlike it is much larger than the previous, but this is more advanced technology and has higher resolution as well as being of greater complexity.
Besides all the usual Tesla gimmicks, it is packed with everything in one of its ‘s. Then we wish that the car were not so dependent on it for such things as temperature control and even drive selection – although option to let the auto choose which automatically works very well.
Those who are in the rear seats of the Standard miss their touchscreen found on back of other Model Ys, although air vents (manually controlled rather than via a screen) and USB-C sockets remain intact. The slang is small, and paraphrasing of the word “small consolation”.
There’s also new upholstery for the Standard, supposedly to remove the default synthetic leather but we really like that tactile mix of what is used.
A major change to interior for the Model Y Standard is one of the largest changes in its interior, including covering up the glass roof. So, bizarrely, that’s what Tesla has done with . Similarly, if you cut off the headlining, you’d see glass under it (not a metal roof) in other words. If we are asking Tesla money to make this part of the car look ‘de-contented’ in a bid to get people to spend more on the higher-spec versions, we wonder whether it is expensive for them to be so.
In addition to the absence of a luggage cover at the back, there is no bag and seats can be folded manually rather than electrically. A ‘frunk’ up front is still there, but its liner is less good than that of other parts of the range and no drain plug.
There are fewer speakers, no ambient lighting and even the HEPA filter and ‘Bioweapon Defence Mode’ have been replaced by – back inside an easier particulate and odour filter has replaced with another more powerful particiate (and slack-less) part of the stereo system.
| Dimensions | Tesla Model Y |
| — | — |
| Length | 4792mm |
| Width | 1982mm |
| Height | 1624mm |
| Wheelbase | 2890mm |
| Storage space | 938L (rear seats up) 2022L (rear seats folded) 88L (under-bonnet storage) |
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What’s under the bonnet?
Tesla doesn’t want to disclose all the technical specifications of its cars for some reason only known to itself, so a few figures related to the Standard’s electric powertrain are not available.
| Specifications | Tesla Model Y Standard (European model) |
| — | — |
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric |
| Battery | 60kWh lithium-ion (estimated) |
| Power | Not quoted |
| Torque | Not quoted |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 7.2 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 13.8kWh/100km |
| Claimed range – WLTP | 505km |
| Max AC charge rate | 11kW |
| Max DC charge rate | 175kW |
Its battery – apparently the same 60kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) item in the Model Y RWD – is known to be an electric motor that can drive the car up to 100km/h in 7 days. a second , 2 seconds.
In 5 it does the same sprint in 5 to save you looking up the RWD stats. Clearly, the Standard does not receive the same 255kW/450Nm electric motor as shown in 9 seconds. It may or may not be a , and the outputs are electronically limited… peak output is.
Tesla will confirm that the Standard can be charged at up to 11kW on a three-phase AC outlet or as high as 175kW (or more than average) for charging speeds regardless of its entry level position, and is still above average. The Tesla quotes added up to 260km in 15 minutes at one of its Superchargers.
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How does the Tesla Model Y Standard drive?
How did a small diesel SUV manage to have an 8-inch size? Not long ago. For its industry, it would have been relatively fast for a 2-second 0-100km/h time; the Standard is the slowest Model Y yet but doesn’t feel like being slovenly on the road because of the instant-torque feature of electric motors.
Cleanly, it speeds up to speed as well as avoiding slow-moving traffic from rest and is not troubled by fast-running traffic. And yes, if you’re going to be in the ‘Standard’ setting for acceleration, as the “Chill” mode lives up to its name a little too closely for our liking.
The Dynamics menu is up on the big screen, but while you’ve gotten it down to your liking and even after that I have tweaked the brake-energy regeneration. This is called Tesla’s ‘Deceleration’ and by default, there’s a lot of force of brake when you take your foot off the accelerator. We don’t think we are the ones who feel like this ‘one-pedal’ sensation, but some people do not.
Then again, there’s no pleasure in the brake pedal, either, so lack of feeling is it – you control your braking by sight only in this car.
But the steering is a little better than it used to be, and the car can easily get right on the road. A little bit ugly, but at least it’s perfectly round and the rim thickness is spot on as well.’ We think that we are looking for an accurate explanation of why this steering wheel looks so bad to us?
The Standard, which is not acoustic in its side glass but by any measure it’s quiet and refined at speed, has fewer road noise and wind roar into the cabin than its siblings.
The Standard we drove was by far the most comfortable Model Y yet, but it is 19-inch wheel–and-tyre package with others. While this is some 60kg lighter than the RWD, which will have an effect, it’s also a model of only Model Y to receive basic passive shock absorbers.
Besides the fact that Model Y Performance has electronically controlled, adjustable damping), the other cars have frequency-dependent dampers which in theory reduce their damper force when there are fast movements through suspension – ‘ie the dampling is firm by default’.
Theoretically, those should mean that when pushing on smooth surfaces they are more controlled than the Standard was less controlled and it was certainly more comfortable.
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What do you get?
We don’t know if anything like the Model Y Standard will be made for the Australian market, so this section is a little academic. But if it is, it’s very likely to lose the distinctive LED light bars of the other versions and its glass roof covered up with its own glass. More a case of the thing you don’t get is what you aren’T.
2026 Tesla Model Y Standard equipment highlights:
- 16-inch infotainment touchscreen
- 19-inch wheels
- Heated front seats
- LED headlights
- Auto high-beam
- Power-folding door mirrors
- Two wireless chargers
- Five USB-C ports
- Partial electric front-seat adjustment
- Eight exterior cameras
- Electric tailgate
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Is the Tesla Model Y Standard safe?
ANCAP published its review of the new-shape Model Y in 2025, which passed flying colours and reached the top five-star overall rating. While Tesla does fit all its cars with the core safety equipment required for this protection, including the Standard, you can pay – a lot – more if you want access to its so-called ‘Full Self Driving’ Supervised’ function.
| Category | Tesla Model Y |
| — | — |
| Adult occupant protection | 91 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 95 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 86 per cent |
| Safety assist | 92 per cent |
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Centre-front airbag
- Automatic emergency braking
- Advanced speed assistance system
- Emergency lane keeping
- Lane departure warning
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How much does the Tesla Model Y Standard cost to run?
The Tesla Model Y Standard is covered by a four-year, 80,000km vehicle warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty.
| Servicing and Warranty | Tesla Model Y RWD |
| — | — |
| Vehicle warranty | 4 years or 80,000km |
| Battery warranty | 8 years or 160,000km |
| Roadside assistance | 4 years |
| Service intervals | – |
| Capped-price servicing | – |
| Total capped-price service cost | – |
WLTP-rated energy consumption rating of 13 (Which is the most efficient Model J) in Europe, and this standard has been considered as the best model Y for European s. Approximately 8kWh/100km km) is . That means an official 505km. That’s a longer range than quoted for the RWD sold in Australia.
Data on our test drive was a lot more than 9kWh/100km over 20km of driving, including lots and downhills. This isn’t the impressive total of 21kWh/100km, but in a car’s defence we were driving in an Irish cold and wet winter with heated seats on and the car ‘s heater Cranked up.
If you have been on Australian roads in the RWD for a long time, it is possible to achieve an average of 16kWh/100km so perhaps the Standard might get near its official number in more favorable conditions.
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childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Tesla Model Y Standard
The Standard is a significant step down, if you’ve ever experienced the Model Y as it has been with all of the bells and whistles including the rear infotainment screen, glass roof, ambient lighting, electric rear seats and fancy lights.
And for those who are new to electric motoring and have never had a Model Y, this is.
And if Tesla can ship something like to Australia for around the $50,000 mark, it would certainly be sure that offending the crowd of new competitors competing for its top sales spot.
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