Tesla's New Model Y Standard Costs $15K Less Than the Next Most Affordable Trim

Tesla Canada has quietly added a new trim to its lineup, the Model Y Standard. A bare bones model focused on affordability, the new offering starts at $49,990 in Canada, which is around $15,000 less than the next trim in the lineup, the Model Y Premium.

The model will offer drivers rear-wheel drive and an estimated 463 km of range per charge. By comparison, the all-wheel drive Premium trim can go up to 542 km per charge and the Performance model (also AWD) can go 494 km.

As you’d expect, the Model Y Standard is also slower than the Performance model, reaching 96 km/h (60 mph) in a steady 7.2 seconds, whereas the high-performance model can sprint to highway speed in a supercar worrying 3.5 seconds.

When it comes to the speeds that really matter, the Model Y Standard isn’t too bad, though. At a Supercharger station, the model will be able to recoup 243 km of range in just 15 minutes (under ideal circumstances). By comparison, the Model Y Performance can only regain 229 km of charge in that amount of time, though the Model Y Premium regains 253 km of range in 15 minutes.

Buyers will have to be willing to make some compromises when it comes to features, though. The Model Y Standard has half as many speakers as the rest of the lineup, features textile trim (instead of microsuede or carbon fibre), doesn’t get a HEPA filter, nor a second-row touchscreen, and must make do with a simple closed sunroof, rather than the panoramic sunroof its more expensive counterparts get. It still gets a 15.4-inch touchscreen on the dashboard, though.

Elsewhere, the model gets traditional suspension, rather than the frequency-dependent shock absorbers in the rest of the lineup. It also only has heated front seats, so owners will have to go without ventilation for their backsides when the summer returns.

Buyers will have just three colours to choose from. Stealth Grey comes standard, while Pearl White Multi-Coat adds $1,300 to your bill, and Diamond Black costs $2,000. The model will be exclusively equipped with 18-inch Aperture wheels.

However, like every other Model Y, the Standard will get 2 wireless phone chargers, 5 USB-C ports, eight exterior cameras, and the most basic form of Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system, Autopilot, which buyers of the American Model Y Standard don't get.

Drive Tesla Canada reports that the Model Y Standard is assembled in Germany, which is another factor in its relatively low price. Models assembled in the U.S. are subject to tariffs, following the launch of the White House’s trade war with the world.

The low entry price will likely be vital for Tesla, whose sales dropped precipitously in the wake of U.S. trade aggression, due in no small part to its CEO Elon Musk’s close connections to President Donald Trump. In the first half of the year, the American automaker’s sales fell nearly 65 per cent, as compared to the previous year. Moreover, without federal zero emissions vehicles (ZEV) incentives to lean on, prices for the Model Y shot up significantly in 2025.