The most popular electric vehicles in the country, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, are now more affordable than ever before, starting at just A$60k. By reducing the price of the Model 3 and Model Y, they are now available to more potential customers.
The cheapest state to buy a Model 3 is Queensland, which still offers an A$6,000 state-based EV rebate. In Queensland, the vehicle price is A$54,900, plus on-road costs resulting in a driveway cost of $58,594. If we remove the EV rebate, we arrive at A$52,594. Tesla estimates the 5-year fuel savings to be A$4,500, leaving the price (after savings) at a striking A$48,094.
While price drops may frustrate some existing owners hoping for a maximise resale value, it’s far more important for EV adoption for great cars to become more affordable, rather than for Tesla to be concerned about your personal circumstances. It is important to remember there are no guarantees when buying a vehicle, particularly true for those with investments in ICE vehicles, whose values are likely to fall off a cliff as consumer demand switches to EVs.
Being in Victoria, my basis for comparison is always the driveway price in my state. Below is the latest pricing for each model and variant.
Standard Range
- Model 3 – A$60,127 Driveaway (VIC)
- Model Y – A$61,169 Driveaway (VIC)
Long Range
- Model 3 – A$70,547 Driveaway (VIC)
- Model Y – A$75,757 Driveaway (VIC)
Performance
- Model 3 – A$87,219 Driveaway (VIC)
- Model Y – A$89,303 Driveaway (VIC)
It is important to share these new prices with friends and family, so this perception that Tesla’s and EVs are really expensive, changes among potential customers.
There’s no denying that $60k for a car is still a lot of money for many, however, data shows there are a lot of vehicle buyers at these prices.
These new prices do represent a challenge for a number of other EV automakers, with the entry-level Kia EV6 Air costing A$78,584 driveway, The Ford Mustang Mache-E Select has an estimated driveway price of A$80,451.
Tesla has a number of advantages including convenient fast charging at their Supercharger network, the largest in Australia, regular Over-the-air updates, a great driver assist system in Autopilot and the ability to upgrade to Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software packages.
It is worth noting that Tesla no longer includes a charger with the car, it is expected that you’ll choose from a mobile connector or wall charger, available from the Tesla Store.
