Cut-price Tesla Model Y Standard arrives in the UK and we’ve got all the details

The new £41,990 Tesla Model Y Standard promises 314 miles of range, cheaper insurance and a £299 monthly lease – but it’s cheaper in Europe

The new Tesla Model Y Standard gets a cleaner look without the front and rear light bars (Tesla)

Tesla has introduced a new entry point into its Model Y line-up for UK buyers – the Model Y Standard – priced from £41,990 and promising 314 miles of range. The new version effectively replaces the previous Rear-Wheel Drive model, sitting beneath the Long Range and Performance variants in the line-up.

Beyond the headline price, Tesla is pitching the new version as its most affordable model to run. The firm has designed the Model Y Standard with total cost of ownership in mind, offering a £299-per-month lease, the lowest insurance group rating ever for a Tesla (Group 34), and stronger residual values than previous versions.

The UK line-up now comprises four models: the Model Y Standard at £41,990, the Model Y Premium Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive at £48,990, the Long Range All-Wheel Drive at £51,990, and the Performance version at £61,990.

Tesla says the new Model Y Standard continues its mission to make sustainable transport accessible to more drivers and efficiency is a major part of the appeal. The Model Y Standard is the most efficient version yet, consuming a claimed 4.5 miles per kWh. Tesla claims that means more miles per pound when charging – and less time spent at the plug.

Tesla has removed the rear light bar and other features to reduce the price of the Model Y Standard (Tesla)

UK buyers will notice some unique tweaks, too. The Model Y Standard gets 19-inch Crossflow alloy wheels rather than the 18-inch items offered elsewhere, a choice Tesla says was made to suit British consumer preferences and help support stronger residual values.

A reduced top speed and gentler acceleration have also been engineered into the UK specification to achieve that low insurance group rating – making it not only cheaper to buy and run, but more accessible to a broader audience.

All Model Y vehicles come with no regular servicing requirements, another factor in lowering total ownership costs. Built at Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg facility, the new car benefits from the company’s experience producing more than seven million EVs globally, ensuring both economies of scale and reliability.

The interior of the new Tesla Model Y Standard features cloth seats and less spec (Tesla)

While it’s more affordable, Tesla insists the new car doesn’t compromise on its core values of range, versatility, safety and technology. The Model Y Standard includes Tesla’s full suite of connected features, from Trip Planner with real-time Supercharger availability to Sentry Mode, Dog Mode, and Phone Key.

However, to achieve the new lower price, there are plenty of features missing in the Standard car that comes as, er, standard in the rest of the range.

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Outside, the car gets a cleaner look. The standout light bar across the nose has gone, while the bumper does without its lower spoiler. Under the bonnet the frunk’s plastic lining has disappeared and at the back the fancy rear light bar that reflects light onto the Tesla badge has also been deleted.

Inside you’ll notice a bigger difference, with cloth seats in place of leather, no glass roof, a new open centre storage unit between the front seats, the rear touchscreen has been removed and rear passengers no longer have heated seats, while the audio system has been downgraded with no subwoofer.

The new, more affordable Tesla Model Y standard is cheaper in Europe than it is in the UK (Tesla)

Some of the sound-deadening features that have marked out the latest Model Y as being much quieter than its predecessor have also been removed.

Entertainment is still very much part of the package, though, with the car’s infotainment system offering games, streaming, and software that continually improves through over-the-air updates. Autopilot is standard, and the car is hardware-ready for supervised Full Self-Driving once it’s approved by regulators.

Despite its compact dimensions, practicality remains strong: 835 litres of boot space with five seats up, or 2,118 litres with the rear seats folded.

Customers can configure and order the Model Y Standard via Tesla’s website now, with first UK deliveries expected in February 2026.

With changes to the government’s Expensive Car Supplement moving the threshold to £50,000 from £40,000, Tesla hasn’t been under such pressure to bring the new Model Y Standard in at under £40,000. Its £41,990 price tag mirrors the price in Euros, although the conversion from Euros to Pounds means the equivalent car on the continent is priced at under £37,000. The only difference in specification is the 19-inch wheels that Tesla says help towards the new car’s excellent residual values.

However, with most cars being bought on finance, Tesla is currently offering the Model Y on a 36-month lease with an advance fee of £3,588 and monthly rental of £299 with an 8,000 mile a year mileage limit.

The Tesla Model Y used to be the world’s best-selling car and the aim with the new Model Y Standard is that it can reclaim that position, also making it also one of the UK’s favourite EVs.