Tesla’s cheapest Model 3 arrives from $54,900

Tesla has added a cheaper Model 3 to its New Zealand line-up. The new Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive is priced from $54,900 plus on-road costs, $9000 below the Premium Rear-Wheel Drive, with first New Zealand deliveries due in late November.

Orders open today. The car will be on display and available for test drives in Tesla showrooms from mid-to-late October.

It has up to 572km of WLTP range and runs 0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds. Tesla says the battery pack is a proven unit carried over from existing models, but has not given its capacity.

To reach the lower price, the rear passenger touchscreen is gone and the seats are trimmed in flat-woven textile and vegan leather. The front seats are still heated and electrically adjustable, and there is a 16-inch front touchscreen, a seven-speaker stereo, wireless phone charging, three USB-C ports and footwell ambient lighting.

Outside it keeps the panoramic glass roof, front bumper camera, matrix LED headlights, hands-free boot, power-folding mirrors and 18-inch Prismata wheels. A heat pump, heated steering wheel and Sentry Mode are also standard. Combined boot and frunk space is 682 litres, rising to 1659 litres with the rear seats folded.

Pearl White is the only no-cost colour. Diamond Black adds $1700 and Stealth Grey $2300.

“Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive is the most affordable way for Australians and New Zealanders to own a Tesla, and the most accessible way to experience Full Self-Driving (Supervised),” said Thom Drew, Tesla’s country director for Australia and New Zealand. FSD (Supervised) is available as a $159 monthly subscription.

Like the rest of the range, it carries a five-star ANCAP rating, a five-year unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, and an eight-year or 160,000km battery and drive unit warranty with a minimum 70 per cent capacity retention.

Model 3 line-up

• Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive: $54,900
• Model 3 Premium Rear-Wheel Drive: $63,900
• Model 3 Premium Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive: $71,900
• Model 3 Performance All-Wheel Drive: $86,900

All prices exclude on-road costs.

Model 3 Premium and Performance updates

Tesla has also announced Model Year 2027 updates for the rest of the Model 3 range, available to order now. The Premium and Performance gain the 16-inch front touchscreen, a dark headliner and a Zen Grey interior option, and the Premium can be had with new 19-inch Dark Nova wheels. The Model 3 Performance’s WLTP range rises by 29km to 600km.

All new MY27 Model 3s, including the Rear-Wheel Drive, get Power Share, Tesla’s name for vehicle-to-load (V2L). Using the car’s battery and the Tesla Outlet Adapter, sold separately, owners can run devices such as space heaters, e-bikes and power tools. It cannot be retrofitted to existing cars.