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"We want a less expensive Tesla Model Y!"
The monkey's paw curls.
Tesla has just introduced a new base version of the Model Y, the Standard. Sliding in at $41,630 as of this writing, the Model Y Standard represents a $5000 discount over the former entry-level model, the newly renamed Model Y Premium RWD (née Long Range RWD).
The Model Y is already a big seller. But, as anyone in the business world will tell you, the line must always go up. Reaching high is no problem—margins are easy to pad, and folks generally pay a premium for properly fast or fancy kit. But reaching low? That'll require some give on both sides. The 2026 Tesla Model Y Standard aims to hit that base-model sweet spot by shaving a few key features (and body parts) in the pursuit of a more palatable price tag.
What's Changed? As It Turns Out, a Lot
It's easy to notice the Standard's missing bits from 20 feet out. The wide light bars that connected both ends of the headlights and taillights are gone, and the slim front lights now contain everything—running lights, signals, low beams, and high beams. Does that make the front end look a little more like a half-used bar of hotel soap? Perhaps. But the rear looks good. The wheels are also smaller; standard fit is a set of 18s, with 19s as optional equipment.
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We hope you like gray, black, or white paint, because that's all that's available. A keen eye will pick up on the fact that the only Model Y you're seeing here is blue, which happens to be none of the aforementioned paint colors. That's because blue was available—until a few days before this story published, at which point it was deleted from the palette and replaced with gray.
The Standard's power hardware is also affected. The battery loses some capacity; a reduction in the number of cells connected in parallel within each module brings net capacity down to 69.5 kWh. EPA-estimated range stands at 321 miles with the 18-inch wheels and 303 miles with the 19s. That's a step down from the Model Y Premium RWD, which can reach 357 miles with its 19-inch wheels (20s will drop that range to 344 miles). Charging is less robust, too, but not by much; peak charging rate at a Supercharger is now 225 kilowatts, down from 250.
The Model Y Standard's rear-mounted drive unit (AWD is not available here) didn't escape unscathed either. Tesla tells us the Model Y Standard makes 300 horsepower and that its output is slightly less than that of the Model Y Premium, but it hasn't specified by how much. Sixty mph is estimated to arrive in 6.8 seconds, a far cry from the Premium RWD's 5.4-second estimate. (For extra context, a Model Y Long Range RWD we tested in September managed 5.1 seconds.)
We haven't even made it into the Model Y Standard yet, where you'll notice the penny-pinching the most. The seats replace some of their vegan leather with a pleasant textile. The front seats lose their side-mounted controls (which have been moved to the central touchscreen), as well as some adjustability. The front chairs also lose ventilation, while the rears are no longer heated. Rear-seat passengers also lose their 8.0-inch touchscreen, so they now must adjust the climate vents by hand like plebeians. Ambient lighting remains for the footwells and door pockets, but elsewhere is removed. The HEPA filter is also gone. Speaker count drops from 15 to seven, and the subwoofer went on holiday.
The center console receives a Cybertruck-style redesign, featuring a large open tray, high-mounted device chargers, and decent under-armrest storage. Okay, that one isn't a downgrade. Nor is the redesigned steering wheel, which gains manual adjustability to go with its honest-to-God turn signal stalk. A win for sensibility.
Perhaps the wildest change of all is the panoramic glass roof, which has been given the Cask of Amontillado treatment. Tesla has not removed it, only sealed it off; look up in the Y Standard's cabin, and all you see is a headliner. Apparently, it was more cost-effective to just hide the glass panel instead of replacing it with, you know, an actual roof. Tesla also shoved a bunch of noise-mitigation material up there, which is good because some of the acoustic laminated glass has been replaced with regular stuff.
On the Road: Smooth Operator
Sure is a lot of missing stuff, right? You know what else is missing? Ride harshness. Even though the Premium's frequency-based adaptive dampers aren't present here, the Model Y Standard's ride quality is fabulous, whether it's wearing the standard 18s or the optional 19s. It's clear this model is tuned to be plusher, and the result is as advertised.
The tires offer almost comically low adhesion, but the Model Y Standard is still fun to chuck around. The small-diameter steering wheel reacts quickly off-center, and there isn't a whole lot of body roll. Throttle tip-in and the first couple of seconds of acceleration can feel a little lazy, but it gets better once you gain a bit of speed. Unsurprisingly, the Model Y Standard is also the lightest Y on offer, coming in at a claimed 4061 pounds, 123 pounds below the next variant in the stable.
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One thing left nearly unchanged is the 15.4-inch central touchscreen, which carries the same in-house tech stack as every other modern Tesla. Once you get over the lack of smartphone mirroring, it's a slick system—besides, the apps you use in CarPlay are probably available as native Tesla apps. Its nav system did a commendable job routing us around Austin's notoriously godawful traffic at peak rush hour too.
While we still prefer to do our own driving, we know some folks would rather eliminate the tedium than trudge through it. Thankfully, despite extensive use of the paring knife, Tesla retained all the hardware and software necessary for its "Full Self-Driving" assisted driving mode. If you don't spring for that costly option, you still get adaptive cruise control—but no autosteer. Well, the autosteer is there, in the sense that the car is built to do it, but you can't access it unless you buy into FSD. That's a bit of a bummer, because it's included on other trims, but it's hardly the first time Tesla has locked owners out of part of the car they just bought. At least you get the battery's full capacity this time around.
The online configurator for the Model Y Standard is already live on the Tesla website, and orders should start rolling out of Austin's Gigafactory soon. While you'll have to make do with less than you find on other Model Y variants, we don't think any of the cut content is a deal-breaker. As far as mainstream electric SUVs go, this one's pretty swell.
Specifications
Specifications
2026 Tesla Model Y Standard
Vehicle Type: rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: $41,630
POWERTRAIN
Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 300 hp
Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 70 kWh
Peak Charge Rate, AC/DC: 11.5/225 kW
Transmission: direct-drive
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 113.8 in
Length: 188.7 in
Width: 75.6 in
Height: 63.8 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 56/49 ft3
Cargo Volume, F/R: 71/29 ft3
Curb Weight (C/D est): 4100 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 6.5 sec
100 mph: 13.1 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.9 sec
Top Speed: 125 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 131–138 MPGe
Range: 303–321 mi
Cars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree.
