Tesla dropped a bombshell by introducing not one, but two Standard models, with the Model 3 also getting the base treatment alongside the already-anticipated Model Y. Exclusive to North America for the moment, both cars – which in the Model 3’s case replaces the regular rear-wheel-drive version – have seen a significant reduction in features to hit a lower price point.
First, some good news – the Model 3 Standard is actually an upgrade over the outgoing RWD in terms of range, which has gone up from 438 km to 517 km on the US’ stringent EPA cycle. This is shared with the Model Y Standard, despite the latter being bigger and heavier.
As before, the Model 3 Standard gets from zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.8 seconds, with the Model Y taking a second longer at 6.8 seconds (1.4 seconds slower than the RWD model); both will hit a top speed of 201 km/h. They also only accept up to 225 kW of DC Supercharging, which is down from the 250 kW offered on other models, so a 15-minute charge will net you 274 km of range (272 km for the Model Y).
Now on to the not-so-good news – what’s been cut. Starting with the Model 3 Standard, not much has been changed over the regular variants, which have now been renamed Premium. On the outside, the 18-inch wheels gain a new Prismata fully-covered design (these are the rollers that were teased previously), although buyers can opt for larger 19-inch Nova alloys, just like on any other non-Performance Model 3. The bumpers, LED headlights (replete with adaptive high beam) and C-shaped taillights remain untouched.
Inside, you no longer get the ambient light strips that were added to the Project Highland facelift, while the powered front seats – which gain a new design – come with part-fabric upholstery and ditch their ventilation function (no heated rear seats, either).
The steering wheel adjustment is also now manually operated, which will at least be welcomed by those irked by the touchscreen-based adjustment on other models. Most gallingly, even door mirrors have to be adjusted manually, which likely means winding down the window and prodding on the mirror glass – just like on a RM22,000 Perodua Axia E.
Elsewhere, the centre console now has lidless cupholders and no rear touchscreen, the space there being taken up by manually-adjustable air vents. There is, of course, still a 15.4-inch touchscreen at the front, twin Qi wireless chargers, a panoramic glass roof and seven speakers, but the FM radio has been removed.
If you thought the Model 3 Standard was austere, the Model Y Standard takes things to a whole new level. As undisguised units showed, the front light bar and split headlights have been replaced by slim one-piece lamps (no adaptive high beam here), and the air intake design has also been simplified into a single wide “mouth”. The 18-inch wheels (with unique Aperture covers) remain, but while Tesla offers an upgrade here too, it’s only to the 19-inch Crossflow rollers fitted as standard on the Premium variants.
Moving to the rear, the Project Juniper facelift’s novel indirect taillight illumination is no more, with just a black bar joining the simple inverted L-shaped lamps. The latter integrate the indicator and reverse light functions, so the rear diffuser now only houses the reflectors.
The Model Y Standard’s interior has gone through the same decontenting as the Model 3 Standard, just even more. The centre console, previously housing a lidded storage cubby, has been swapped for a gaping hole underneath the wireless chargers. The cupholders and front armrest remain, situated atop a floating “island”. Even the carpets are now optional.
Somewhat bizarrely, there’s still a glass roof, but Tesla has chosen to cover it with full headlining, eliminating its entire reason for being. The Standard also lacks the HEPA filter and Bioweapon mode on other Model Ys (these are not fitted to any Model 3) and has manual- rather than power-folding rear seats. Not only do the changes make the Standard very obviously a bargain-basement model, but all these bespoke panels and componentry will have cost Tesla a pretty penny – which kinda defeats the point, doesn’t it?
Under the skin, both Standard models ride on regular passive dampers, rather than the (still-passive) frequency-selective shocks found elsewhere. Another area where Tesla has taken a buzzsaw to is the driver assists – with no more lane centring assist, these two variants no longer offer Autopilot functionality.
However, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and blind spot monitoring are still fitted as standard, as are the eight cameras that include a front camera. This being Tesla, you can still opt for the (supervised) Full Self Driving pack, costing US$8,000 (RM33,700) in the US.
The insistence of building all-new parts means that the Model Y Standard is not all that much cheaper than the Premium versions, costing just US$5,000 (RM21,000) less at US$39,990 (RM168,600) – not a lot considering the amount of features you lose in the process.
The US$36,990 (RM155,900) Model 3 Standard, meanwhile, is priced US$5,500 (RM23,200) lower than the Premium RWD (previously called the Long Range RWD), but this figure doesn’t take into account the discontinuation of the old US$38,990 (RM164,400) RWD base model. In other words, the base price of the Model 3 has only dropped by US$2,000 (RM8,400).
Over to you now – would you like to see a cheaper Model 3 and Model Y for less than the current starting prices of RM169,000 and RM195,450 respectively? Let us know in the comments.
GALLERY: 2026 Tesla Model Y Standard
GALLERY: 2026 Tesla Model 3 Standard
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