QUICK SUMMARY
Tesla has revealed the highly-anticipated new Model Y. The car has a facelift exterior and a new interior that borrows heavily from the closely-related Model 3.
UK prices are not yet available, as the new Model Y currently only appears on Tesla's Australian and Chinese websites.
Five years on from its debut, the Tesla Model Y has received a major facelift, including a new-look design, a revamped interior and extra performance.
However, Tesla has launched the new car in a rather unusual way. Despite being the world’s best-selling EV, and one of the most popular new cars in the UK, the new Model Y has, for now at least, only been officially announced in China and Australia.
The car is right there, on Tesla’s Chinese and Australian websites, but there’s no mention of it in any other region. It’s a bit of a strange move, but then Tesla has never been one to operate in a traditional way, and an onslaught of Chinese EVs flooding the market means that’s arguably where the Model Y has its biggest fight.
The new Model Y has an updated design with slim, Cybertruck-style headlights joined by a full-width front light bar. There’s also a wide light bar at the rear, sat between a pair of redesigned light clusters.
Rumoured since last summer, the new car is described by Tesla as the Model Y “Launch Series”, and deliveries in Australia are scheduled to begin in May. Tesla also says how the Launch Series is a limited release, with: “Reimagined exterior design. All-new interior. Complete with premium options and customisable upgrades.”
There are currently two versions of the new Model Y. The Rear-Wheel Drive has a WLTP estimated range of 290 miles, while the more expensive Long Range All-Wheel-Drive has a range of 342 miles. The former is down on the entry-level, previous-generation Model Y (which manages 373 miles), but the latter is up slightly on its predecessor, by 11 miles.
The two new cars have a claimed 0-62 mph time of 5.9 and 4.3 seconds, respectively. The latter makes the new Model Y Long Range All-WHeel-Drive quicker than its predecessor by 0.5 seconds. We expect a more powerful version called the Performance to launch later.
There are also some new colour options for the facelifted Model Y, called Glacier Blue, Stealth Grey and Ultra Red. These are joined by Quicksilver, which was added to the Tesla range in 2024, and a new white called Pearl White Multi-Coat. All five options are included in the base on Tesla’s Australia website.
Inside, the new Tesla Model Y has a cabin similar to that of the Model 3, which was updated in 2024. Tesla’s trademark minimalism remains, and has even been turned up a notch over the old Model Y, as the gear shifter and indicator stalks have been removed. As with the current Model 3, the gear shifter is now on the 15.4in touchscreen and the indicators are on the steering wheel – a relocation we criticised during our time with a Model 3, and still disagree with today.
The new Model Y also gains a second touchscreen, an 8-inch display mounted between the front seats, which gives rear passengers access to the car’s infotainment system.
Another interior change is the addition of an LED light strip that runs across the tops of the doors and around the back of the dashboard.
We haven’t seen UK and US specs or prices yet for the new Model Y – or a release date – but we’ll be sure to update this article when they arrive.
