Which Tesla Model Y Should You Buy? Each Trim Compared

Tesla sells the Model Y in six versions in the US. Here they are as Tesla’s configurator listed them on October 19, 2026, with prices before destination and order fees:

• Model Y rear-wheel drive (the “Standard”), $39,990: 321 miles of EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) range, 0–60 mph in 6.8 seconds, five seats. For the lowest price and the most range per dollar.
• Model Y all-wheel drive, $41,990: 294 miles, 4.6 seconds, five seats. For snow and rain on a budget.
• Model Y Premium rear-wheel drive, $45,990: 357 miles, 5.4 seconds, five seats. For long drives and the nicer cabin.
• Model Y Premium all-wheel drive, $49,990: 327 miles, 4.3 seconds, five seats or seven for $2,500 more. For winter traction, or a small third row.
• Model Y Performance, $57,990: 306 miles, 3.3 seconds, five seats. For speed and adaptive suspension.
• Model Y L Premium (Launch Series), $61,990: 328 miles on 20-inch wheels, 4.4 seconds, six seats. For families who need a real third row.

The closest call is between the two cheapest cars and the Premium rear-wheel drive. The Premium costs $6,000 more than the base car and adds 36 miles of EPA range, a see-through glass roof, heated rear seats, a rear touchscreen and 15 speakers instead of 7. If you are also weighing a Model 3, a Cybertruck or a used Tesla, the Which Tesla Is Right for You? picker asks a few questions and narrows it down.

Tesla Model Y trims compared

Prices are from Tesla’s configurator on October 19, 2026, with the cash option selected. The with-fees column is Tesla’s own figure, which it says excludes “taxes and other fees”, and the gap is $1,640 on every version. Tesla says its prices are “Subject to change”, so check the configurator on the day you order.

A few notes on the numbers:

• Range. The table uses the ratings on the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov. Tesla’s own pages list 355 miles for the Premium rear-wheel drive and 332 miles for the Model Y L on its standard 19-inch wheels, both labelled “EPA est.” The EPA listing found for the Model Y L is the 2027 model on 20-inch wheels, at 328 miles. The EPA rates the base Model Y at 303 miles on 19-inch wheels, which Tesla offers as an option.
• Names. Tesla’s configurator calls the cheapest car just “Model Y”. The EPA lists it as the Model Y Standard, and lists the Premium versions as the Model Y Long Range.
• 0–60 times. These are Tesla’s, footnoted “With rollout subtracted.” For the all-wheel-drive base car, the configurator and its comparison tool said 4.6 seconds, while the spec table on Tesla’s Model Y page said 4.3.

What each step up adds

Rows come from the configurator’s comparison tool and the spec tables on Tesla’s Model Y page, read October 19, 2026.

What the Standard Model Y gives up

Against the Premium, Tesla’s comparison tool and spec tables list these differences for the $39,990 and $41,990 cars:

• A “Knit textile roof” instead of the “Panoramic glass roof”. Electrek’s review says the glass is still there, “fully covered with an opaque fabric headliner so it’s no longer see-through”.
• A “7 Speaker audio system” instead of 15 speakers plus a subwoofer, and no FM radio.
• Heated front seats only. No ventilated front seats, no heated rear seats and no 8-inch rear touchscreen.
• Rear seats that fold by hand instead of power-folding and reclining.
• Cloth-and-vegan-leather seats (“Dual tone with textile and vegan leather”) instead of perforated vegan leather.
• A manual-adjust heated steering wheel, manual-folding side mirrors, LED (light-emitting diode) headlights instead of LED lightbars, 3 USB-C ports instead of 5, an open center console, no ambient lighting, and a “Particulate and odor filter” instead of a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter.
• Slower Supercharging: Tesla’s US spec table lists a 225 kW (kilowatt) peak for the base car against 250 kW for the Premium. Electrek’s review gives 175 kW for the base car in both the US and Canada.
• A shorter battery warranty: 8 years or 100,000 miles, against 120,000 miles on the Premium.

Some things don’t change. Every Model Y version in the comparison tool has a 16-inch front touchscreen (QHD from the Premium up), 8 exterior cameras and a 3,500-pound towing capacity. Cargo space barely moves: with only the two front seats in use, Tesla’s manual gives the base Model Y 74.8 cubic feet of total cargo space, against 75.5 for the five-seat Premium. Tesla’s other pages round differently: the configurator lists 76 for both, and the Model Y page lists 74 for the base rear-wheel drive.

Electrek’s reviewer, who drove the Canadian version of the base car, wrote that “the closed roof feels cramped” and that “the 7-speaker sound system is a real disappointment coming from other Teslas.” Range is where the base rear-drive car holds up: its 321 EPA miles beat both the base all-wheel drive (294) and the Performance (306).

Premium rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive?

Apart from the seating option, the two Premium cars have the same equipment list in Tesla’s comparison tool. What changes is price, range, traction, speed and seating:

• Range: the rear-drive Premium is EPA-rated at 357 miles, 30 more than the all-wheel drive’s 327.
• Price: the all-wheel drive costs $4,000 more, $49,990 against $45,990.
• Speed: 4.3 seconds to 60 mph against 5.4.
• Seats: only the all-wheel drive offers the “Seven Seat Layout”, a $2,500 option on October 19. Tesla’s seating guide labels it “Model Y Premium All-Wheel Drive Only”.

Pick the rear-drive car if you mostly drive on dry roads and want the longest range of any Model Y. Pick all-wheel drive if you deal with snow, ice or steep wet driveways, or if you want the seven-seat option.

Know what the seven-seat car’s third row is before you pay for it. Tesla’s manual gives it 25.8 inches of legroom and 34.6 inches of headroom, against 31.0 and 38.1 inches in the Model Y L’s third row. With all seven seats up, cargo space behind the third row is 13.1 cubic feet. Towing is limited too: with seven people aboard, the manual caps the trailer at 2,000 pounds on 19-inch wheels and does not permit towing on 20-inch wheels. For which of those seats take a child seat, see the car seats in a Tesla guide.

Is the Model Y Performance worth it?

The Performance costs $57,990, $8,000 more than the Premium all-wheel drive. For that you get:

• 0–60 mph in 3.3 seconds and a 155 mph top speed, against 125 mph for the other versions.
• “Electronic continuously variable shock absorbers”, which Tesla’s Model Y page describes as a suspension “that changes based on the road and how you drive it.”
• Sport front seats with “Added bolstering and side cushions”, carbon fiber trim, 21-inch wheels and an “Insane” drive mode.
• A tow hitch included, where the other five-seat versions charge $1,000 for it.

The cost is range and charging. The Performance is EPA-rated at 306 miles, 21 fewer than the Premium all-wheel drive, and Tesla says it adds up to 144 miles in 15 minutes of Supercharging, the fewest of any version. Its financing rate was also higher on October 19: 3.99% APR (annual percentage rate) against 1.99% for the base and Premium versions. If speed isn’t the point, the Premium all-wheel drive keeps the glass roof, 15 speakers and heated rear seats for $8,000 less, or $7,000 less if you add the $1,000 hitch the Performance includes.

Model Y L: the six-seat Model Y

The Model Y L is the stretched version, with two captain’s chairs in the second row and two seats in a third row. On October 19 Tesla sold it in one version, the $61,990 Premium Launch Series. That price includes 12 months of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), 12 months of Supercharging and 12 months of Premium Connectivity, and Tesla’s offers page adds free paint, interior, wheel and towing upgrades.

Compared with the seven-seat Premium, it has a longer wheelbase (119.7 inches against 113.8), a roomier third row, and far more cargo space: 89.7 cubic feet in total with only the front seats in use, against 73.5. It costs $12,000 more than the five-seat Premium all-wheel drive and $9,500 more than that car with the seven-seat option. The Model Y L guide covers its range, third row and car seats in detail.

Battery: size and chemistry

Tesla’s Model Y page and configurator list no battery capacity or cell chemistry for any version. The first two details below come from Electrek’s August 2026 review and are the outlet’s reporting, not Tesla’s.

• For US cars “built in Fremont or Austin”, Electrek says the base Model Y has a 69.5 kWh (kilowatt-hour) battery, “smaller than the Premium trim (~80kWh) but composed of the same NCA cells in fewer numbers.” Elsewhere in the same review Electrek gives 69 kWh against 78.1 kWh for the Premium. NCA is a nickel-based chemistry; Tesla has not confirmed it for this car.
• The car Electrek drove was the Canadian version, which the review says uses an LFP (lithium iron phosphate) pack of about 63 kWh. That is not the US car.
• For the Performance, Tesla says only that “Redesigned battery cells” hold more energy. No source read for this guide names the chemistry of the US Performance or the Model Y L.

For how full to charge each day, see the Tesla charge limit guide, which explains where your car shows its recommended daily limit.

Autopilot and Full Self-Driving: what comes standard

Every version in Tesla’s comparison tool lists “Traffic-aware cruise control”. Every version but the Model Y L is listed as “Full Self-Driving (Supervised) capable”; the Model Y L lists “12 months of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) included”. Full Self-Driving (Supervised), or FSD, is a $99-a-month subscription on every trim.

Electrek’s review describes Traffic Aware Cruise Control as “Tesla’s version of adaptive cruise control”, and says Autosteer, the lane-centering feature from the old Autopilot, “isn’t available anymore outside of FSD (supervised)”. Tesla’s offers page says new cars get “a free 30-day trial when you take delivery”, and the Model Y L Launch Series includes 12 months. Tesla’s own fine print says FSD (Supervised) features “require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.” The Autopilot vs FSD guide explains what changed and what older cars kept.

Towing

Every Model Y is rated to tow 3,500 pounds. On the base and Premium cars the hitch is a $1,000 option; on the Performance and Model Y L it is included. Electrek’s August review listed the tow package among the base car’s missing items, but on October 19 the configurator offered the $1,000 hitch on both base versions.

The 3,500-pound figure has limits in Tesla’s manual:

• Five-seat cars and the Performance tow 3,500 pounds with 5 or fewer people aboard, on any wheel size.
• The six-seat Model Y L tows 3,500 pounds with 4 or fewer people and 2,300 pounds with 6.
• The seven-seat car is the most limited, as covered above.
• The hitch doesn’t come with a ball mount, and Tesla recommends trailer brakes above 1,650 pounds.

Tesla also warns that towing “significantly decreases range.”

Charging speed

Tesla publishes two figures per version: peak Supercharger power and how many miles you add in 15 minutes.

• Base Model Y: 225 kW peak; up to 160 miles in 15 minutes for the rear-drive car and 152 for all-wheel drive.
• Premium: 250 kW peak; up to 182 miles for rear-drive and 169 for all-wheel drive.
• Performance: 250 kW peak; up to 144 miles.
• Model Y L: 250 kW peak; up to 172 miles.

Tesla says the 15-minute figures are “based on vehicle efficiency at a constant highway speed of 65 mph”. At home, every version on the configurator included the Mobile Connector, which Tesla says “Adds up to 30 mi of range/hr”, and offered the Wall Connector, “Adds up to 44 mi of range/hr”, for $585 plus installation. The Mobile Connector vs Wall Connector guide covers which one you need.

Deals and financing in October 2026

Tesla’s offers page listed these on October 19, 2026. Tesla says all promotions are “subject to change or end at any time.”

• Financing: 1.99% APR for up to 72 months on the base Model Y and the Premium rear-wheel and all-wheel drive (not the Model Y L), 3.99% on the Performance, for “well-qualified buyers with excellent credit who order a new Model Y vehicle on or after September 28, 2026”, with at least 5% down.
• $500 off for “Military, first responders, healthcare, teachers and students”, if you verify your status through ID.me before you order.
• 2,000 free Supercharging miles when you complete a trade-in of a gas or hybrid car. The miles expire two years after delivery.
• A federal loan-interest tax deduction, not a Tesla discount: up to $10,000 a year on a new vehicle “with final assembly completed in the U.S.”, bought for personal use (used cars and leases don’t qualify), phasing out above $100,000 of modified adjusted gross income for a single filer or $200,000 for a married couple filing jointly. At a 1.99% loan rate there is little interest to deduct. The EV loan interest deduction guide explains who qualifies.

A Tesla referral code can add perks on top. The Tesla referral and incentives guide has the current terms.

Or buy a used Model Y?

On CarGurus on October 19, 2026, the average listing price was $37,075 for a 2024 Model Y, $33,532 for a 2023 and $26,260 for a 2020. CarGurus says its “historical pricing data excludes any additional dealer fees”. Each year’s average also covers every trim sold that year. Set CarGurus’ 2024 average against Tesla’s $41,630 for a new base Model Y with fees, and the used car is $4,555 cheaper on paper, before taxes and any dealer charges. The two figures come from different sources and measure different things, so treat the gap as a rough guide.

A used car comes with whatever warranty is left and the hardware it was built with. Before you buy, read the used Tesla buying guide and check which self-driving computer the car has with the Tesla computer guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Model Y Standard and Premium?

The Premium rear-wheel drive costs $6,000 more than the base Model Y and is EPA-rated at 357 miles against 321. It adds a see-through glass roof, 15 speakers instead of 7, heated rear seats, ventilated front seats, an 8-inch rear touchscreen, power-folding rear seats and a longer battery warranty.

Which Model Y has the longest range?

The Premium rear-wheel drive, at 357 miles on the EPA test. The shortest is the base all-wheel drive at 294 miles.

Can you still get a seven-seat Model Y?

Yes, on the Premium all-wheel drive only, as a $2,500 option on Tesla’s configurator on October 19, 2026. The six-seat Model Y L is the other three-row choice.

Does the cheapest Model Y have all-wheel drive?

No. The $39,990 car is rear-wheel drive; all-wheel drive starts at $41,990.

Does any Model Y come with Full Self-Driving?

Only the Model Y L Launch Series includes it, for 12 months. Every other version gets a trial at delivery, then FSD (Supervised) costs $99 a month.

The short version

If you want the most car for the least money, buy the $39,990 Model Y and accept the plainer cabin. If you drive long distances or want the glass roof and better audio, the $45,990 Premium rear-wheel drive is the one to beat. Go all-wheel drive for winter, the Performance for speed, and the Model Y L only if six people ride often. Prices on Tesla’s configurator move without warning, so recheck them before you put down a deposit.

Sources (9)

• tesla.com Design Your Model Y (US configurator, read October 19, 2026)
• tesla.com Model Y page and spec tables (read October 19, 2026)
• tesla.com Current Offers (read October 19, 2026)
• tesla.com Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual (current): Dimensions
• tesla.com Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual (current): Towing and Accessories
• fueleconomy.gov EPA / fueleconomy.gov: 2026 Model Y Standard and Long Range
• fueleconomy.gov EPA / fueleconomy.gov: 2026 Model Y Performance, 2027 Model Y L and 19-inch Standard
• electrek.co 2026 Tesla Model Y RWD review (August 3, 2026)
• cargurus.com Tesla Model Y Price Trends (read October 19, 2026)