Tesla has raised prices once again in Australia, just a week after increasing them for its two most popular models in Australia. This time, however, the increase has been limited to the dual-motor versions of its vehicles.
For the Model 3, this has meant that the price of the Long Range and Performance variants are now up by another $400:
- Tesla Model 3 Long Range: $76,900 to $77,300
- Tesla Model 3 Performance: $89,900 to $90,300
Last week, the price increase was only for Tesla’s most popular model in Australia, the single-motor RWD variant of the Model 3. Now it’s applied across Australia’s best-selling electric car range.
The Tesla Model 3 has been a fairly big hitter in a vehicle market that’s been dominated by SUVs. SUVs made up over 53% of all vehicles sold in Australia last year.
To kick things off in 2023, the Model 3 had 2,927 sales in January, as EVs accounted for nearly 20 per cent of all new passenger vehicle sales.
At the same time, Tesla’s wait times for the popular electric sedan according to its configurator have been coming down and now sit under 10 weeks.
According to the carloop Tesla wait time tracker for the Model 3, this is the lowest it’s been in Q3 2021.
On Model Y, the price rise this time around was on the only dual-motor variant available to order in Australia:
- Tesla Model Y Performance: $94,900 to $95,300
The latest price rises on Tesla’s dual-motor models show the strengthening of demand for the best-selling EV brand in Australia.
Given the price point of these Tesla models, the luxury traditional car brands in Australia might need to pay some attention to what’s happening and accelerate the availability of EVs if they want to remain competitive.
The high demand for electric vehicle models can only be a good thing for Australian drivers who are looking at making the switch from an ICE car to an EV as it will ensure more options also start to arrive in the market. 2023 so far is shaping up to be the best year for EVs so far.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.