Prices for certain variants of Tesla’s entire electric car range – including the Model 3, Model Y, Model X, and Model S – have increased on the EV maker’s website in the US.
It is the first price hike for Tesla cars in the US for 2022, although other markets including Australia have been hit twice by price hikes in recent months.
Only one model of Tesla’s most affordable vehicles, the Model 3, has increased in price. The price of the Long Range variant has increased by $US2,500, from $US54,490 to $US57,990 – about $A82,583 at today’s rates.
Meanwhile, the costs of the Model Y Long Range and Performance vehicles increased by $US3,000 and $US2,000 respectively, to $US65,990 and $US67,990 – $A96,824 at today’s rates.
Tesla’s premium electric cars – which do not currently have explicit pricing in Australia, although they are available to order with an indefinite wait time – were also hit with price hikes.
The price of the Model S dual motor AWD Long Range increased by $US5,000, from $US99,990 to $US104,990 ($A149,516 converted). The price of the tri-motor Plaid Model S remains the same: $US135,990, or $A193,663 at today’s rates.
The Model X dual motor AWD received the biggest price increase, going from $US114,990 to $US120,990, or $A172,301 at today’s rates.
The US price hikes come as Tesla boss Elon Musk declared he had a “super bad feeling” about the economy in an email to staff, and decided to trim Tesla’s staff numbers by 10%. The US Federal Reserve increased interest rates by 0.75% on Thursday (Australia time). It was the biggest interest rate hike since 1994.
Tesla prices in Australia
The price rise has not hit the Australian market as yet, but local prices have risen twice since the start of 2022.
In March, the price of the Model 3 in Australia increased by up to $4,000. It was the second price hike within a matter of weeks, after the price of the Model 3 was bumped up by $1,000 from a all-time low of $A59,900 to $A60,900.
The entry-level RWD Model 3 now costs $A63,900, while the Long Range starts at $A76,200, and the Performance starts at $A88,900 – all before on-road fees and taxes.
The Model 3 electric sedan is also now joined in Australia by the Model Y electric crossover, which was made available for order last Friday.
It is available in just two variants: the RWD Model Y and the Performance Model Y. The entry-level Model Y is available from $A68,900 in Australia, while the Performance variant is available from $A93,900 before on-road costs.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.