(Credit: Tesla)
In an effort to boost sales, Tesla has introduced more affordable Standard versions of its Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV. With the $7,500 federal EV tax credit gone, the automaker had the opportunity to reduce prices by the same amount or more. Instead, it made timid cuts and removed perks that make these Standard EVs less attractive for would-be EV buyers.
The big question is whether a small reduction in price is worth losing some of the electric car’s premium staples. I’ve driven a Tesla since 2018, when the Model 3 first debuted. I’ve also tested and reviewed a handful of other EVs, so I have a good handle on what’s important while driving one. The big takeaway? The roughly $5,000 difference between the Standard and Premium models isn’t enough to justify forgoing all the features being sacrificed.
All the Small Oddities That Are Missing
To reduce the cost of a vehicle, certain features will need to be eliminated. That makes sense. What's harder to grasp is how many of these little cuts were made without a bigger price decrease.
The one that sticks out to me is the removal of the AM/FM radio. I don't use it a lot, but sometimes I’ll turn on terrestrial radio during short drives instead of poking around on Apple Music. More importantly, no FM radio would also mean the loss of listening to my local baseball announcers call a game during the summer. That would be a big blow, personally.
Here’s the full list of changes and items missing on the Standard Model Y, compared with the Premium. The Standard Model 3 mostly mirrors this list, too.
- No AM/FM radio
- No subwoofer
- 7 speakers (instead of 15)
- 18- and 19-inch wheel options (instead of 19 and 20)
- Manual-adjust steering wheel
- Textile decor (instead of microsuede)
- Dual tone with textile and vegan leather (instead of perforated vegan leather)
- Open center console (instead of closed with extended storage)
- No ventilated first-row seats
- Second-row manual-folding seats (instead of powered)
- Closed glass roof (instead of panoramic glass roof)
- LED headlights (instead of LED lightbars)
- Manual-folding side-view mirrors (instead of powered)
- No auto-steer
- Slower 0-60 time
The Bigger, More Meaningful Changes Are the Miles and Speed
(Credit: Tesla)Having more speakers and a subwoofer could make a meaningful difference in day-to-day living, but as an EV driver for the last seven years, charging speed and range are the most critical areas.
The Standard Model Y gets 22 fewer miles in 15 minutes of Supercharging than the Premium one. Tesla advertises 160 miles in 15 minutes with the Standard model and 182 miles with the Premium. It’s a little worse on the Standard Model 3, which gets 25 fewer miles in 15 minutes of Supercharging.
The Standard Model Y's range drops by 36 miles compared with the Premium. Tesla quotes 321 miles (EPA Est.) versus 357 miles (EPA Est.). For the Standard Model 3, it gets 42 fewer miles of range, with a quoted 321 miles (EPA Est.) versus 363 miles (EPA Est.).
The charging speed stuck out to me as the biggest downside of the new Standard models. The few times that I stop at a Supercharger are when I’m traveling longer distances, usually on a family vacation. Getting 22 or 25 extra miles in the same amount of time is a big deal when everyone is tired of being in the car and ready to either get home or to the hotel.
Getting 321 miles of (estimated) range is still a great accomplishment compared with some other EVs on the road today. But it’s the 36 or 42 fewer miles of range, coupled with the slower charging speed, that start to make both figures a real disappointment. I’ve seen battery degradation over time, and you really want to start with as many miles of range as you can.
Tesla was supposed to be offering “affordable” vehicles with its new Standard trims. Instead, these variants seem like their only purpose is to upsell people to the Premium options. Too many of the missing features just look punitive here, rather than genuine cost-saving attempts in the name of affordability. If the Standard models started around $10,000 less than the Premium model, instead of $5,000, the conversation would be different. But as it stands, from a longtime EV driver, it’s hard to get excited about what this vehicle is offering, even for first-time buyers.