Six-seat Tesla Model Y L priced for Australia

NEARLY six years after the discontinuation of the scissor-doored Model X, Tesla will reintroduce a three-row SUV to Australia following today’s local confirmation of the single-variant Chinese-built Model Y L at $74,900 plus on-road costs.

As its badge implies, the Y L rides on a longer wheelbase than the familiar five-seat Model Y, but bespoke and taller bodywork hides not just a simple stretch but in fact a surprisingly differentiated vehicle beneath.

Dimensionally, the Model Y L is considerably larger than the standard car with length of 4969mm (+177mm) on a 3040mm wheelbase (+150mm).

Width remains steady at 2129mm, but height is up +44mm to 1668mm thanks to a redesigned glasshouse and roofline.

Built at Tesla’s Giga Shanghai plant and released to the Chinese market last year, the Model Y L is unavailable with a traditional seven-seat interior, instead choosing to focus on second-row comfort with a pair of captain’s chairs.

With four-way electric adjustment, heating, ventilation, power-retractable armrests and access to the same 8.0-inch rear touchscreen as a regular Model Y, the second row of the Model Y L is far more premium than the bench seat found in the ordinary Model Y.

A bench seat with two additional places is found in the third row of the Y L, which, like the middle row, can be folded completely flat via the infotainment system or the Tesla smartphone app.

Dual-height boot flooring snaps into place magnetically to create a level cargo bay. Tesla’s luggage-carrying claims untraditionally include the space above the window line: 420 litres with three rows in place, 1076 litres in four-seat mode.

That space is supplemented by a 116-litre lined frunk beneath the bonnet and behind the Cybertruck-inspired front end, a large cavity despite standard fitment of dual-motor all-wheel drive for the Model Y L.

Producing 378kW of power and 590Nm of torque, Tesla says the Model Y L will accelerate from 0-100km/h in a brisk 5.0 seconds on to a top speed of 201km/h.

Within the Model Y range, the sole-choice $75K Y L Premium All-Wheel Drive slots between the five-seat Premium Long Range All-Wheel Drive, $68,900 + ORCs) and the two-row Performance All-Wheel Drive ($89,400 + ORCs).

Rivals to the Model Y L are scarce in Australia – there is a paucity of three-row EVs priced below the crucial Luxury Car Tax Threshold. However, alternatives include a pair of seven-seaters in the Mercedes-Benz EQB250+ SUV ($90,000 + ORCs) and Volkswagen ID Buzz Pro ($80,990 + ORCs).

The Model Y L is down a seat on those two cars, but it easily eclipses both in terms of driving range.

Its nickel manganese cobalt battery pack promises 681km range (WLTP), with the pack understood to be the same 82kWh (usable) unit as the Model Y Long Range. Charging is possible at 11kW (AC) or up to 250kW (DC).

A strengthened chassis includes an additional lateral structural support, while the suspension has been upgraded with continuously adaptive dampers offering two selectable modes labelled ‘balanced’ or ‘rear comfort’.

Standard wheel size measures 19 inches in diameter, with alloys in a new Machina 2.0 design with removable aero covers, while the tyres are staggered: 275/45 R19 at the rear, 255/45 R19 at the front. Kerb weight is 2088kg.

Pearl White paint is standard, with Diamond Black, Glacier Blue, Stealth Grey, Ultra Red, and Y L-exclusive Cosmic Silver on the options list. A ‘vegan leather’ interior remains standard; black is the default trim though light Zen Grey upholstery can be optioned for $1500.

Like the Model Y Performance, the Y L includes a slightly larger central screen than standard Y variants, at 16.0 inches (+0.6 inches) with a 19-speaker stereo also standard fare.

Dual wireless chargers persist, though the driver’s side pad is upgraded from 30 watts to 50W, while the Model Y becomes the first Tesla sold in Australia with vehicle-to-load functionality at 3.3kW output.

The front seats gain a power thigh extender for a total of 14 ways of electric adjustment alongside heating, ventilation and driver’s memory.

Both the second and third rows offer ISOFIX and top tether mounts for child seats and the Model Y L will wear a five-star ANCAP safety rating from launch.

2026 Tesla Model Y pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.