Tesla Model 3 and Model Y prices are up again — here's how much you'll pay

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Tesla has increased prices on some Model 3 and Y variants

Tesla Model 3
(Image credit: Telsa)

Tesla has increased the pricing on both the Model 3 and Model Y again. It’s not a new phenomenon for Tesla to tweak pricing, but 2021 has seen a surprising number of changes both with price increases and decreases being applied in the first few months of the year. 

Electric car news site Electrek has been tracking the changes and notes that the cheapest Tesla now costs $38,990, a $500 increase on the previous list price of $38,490 for the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus. The Model 3 Long Range AWD jumped from $47,490 to $47,990. The Model 3 Performance didn’t see a price increase, holding steady at $56,990. The destination charge of $1,200 isn’t included in these rises. 

The above changes make this the fifth price change in 2021, the last was just a couple of weeks ago. Back in February, the company subtracted $1,000 from the cost of the Standard Range Plus and Performance models. The cars are now back to the price they were earlier in the year, apart from the Performance model which seems to have got more expensive. 

Meanwhile the Model Y now only has two options, while the Performance model has stayed at $60,990. The Long Range AWD is now $50,990 up from $50,490. The previous change also left the performance model at its existing price and it’s been stable at this level for a while.  

It’s difficult to know quite why Tesla is making so many small adjustments to the price of its cars. It may be taking into account changes to the cost of components. It may be reacting to sales numbers or there may be something else at play. It does seem that customers interested in a car might want to consider buying sooner rather than later if this upward trend continues. 

Tesla is about to launch a brand new version of the Model S. It will start at $79,990 with the Plaid model costing $119,990 and the Plaid+ a staggering $149,990. While Tesla is taking orders for the 2021 model, it’s unlikely the first one will be delivered for some months yet. Tesla’s website says 10-14 weeks currently. Tesla claims the new, top of the range model will be able to achieve a top speed of 200mph, 0-60 in under 2 seconds and a range of 520 miles. 

Ian Morris

Ian has been involved in technology journalism since 2007, originally writing about AV hardware back when LCDs and plasma TVs were just gaining popularity. Nearly 15 years on, he remains as excited as ever about how tech can make your life better. Ian is the editor of T3.com but has also regularly contributed to Tom's Guide.