A fortnight ago in April, thousands of Australian-bound Tesla Model Ys had left Shanghai on a ship, heading towards Australia as early order holders received delivery dates for their new and improved Model Y SUV.
Now, reports the first deliveries are starting next week, along with nationwide test drives becoming available to interested drivers looking at buying Australiaās best-selling EV.
In a post on X, Tesla Australia and New Zealand said: āGuess what just landed down under. New Model Y available for Test Drives Australia wideā.
At the same time, order holders of the new 2025 Model Y are reporting that deliveries for the Launch Series variants of the car are starting as early as next week.
This was shared by Roland from Zappedu on X: āLooks like deliveries happening next week!ā.
Sydney and Melbourne deliveries appear to be happening quite close to each other with an order holder from Melbourne confirming that they are expecting to pick their car up within the next fortnight.
This news on the test drives and customer deliveries comes less than four months since orders opened for the refreshed Model Y.
The new Model Y now starts from $58,900 before on-roads for the single-motor RWD variant that can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds.Ā
A top-spec dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant sees the pricing at $68,900 before on-roads that shaves that time to just 4.8 seconds.
The AWD variant comes with a bigger battery which can deliver up to 551 km of range, instead of 466 km seen on the RWD variant.
These new variants are $4,500 less than the special Launch Series vehicles, which Tesla threw in a few goodies, such as free paints, upgraded badging, and an acceleration boost for the AWD variant.Ā
The Launch Series trim is also expected to be the first arrivals into Australia, with deliveries commencing as early as next week.
The 2025 model features multiple upgrades over the previous generation Model Y.
These include improved range, faster acceleration, updated exterior styling with new paints, interior lighting, ventilated front seats, rear passenger controls and entertainment screen, powered second-row reclining seats, upgraded suspension, upgraded acoustic glass for a quieter ride and much more.
In April, we drove the Long Range variant of the new car and are reassured that it has had some significant improvements under the skin on top of the styling updates on the outside.
These make the new car a great choice for those looking to get into their first electric car or upgrade their existing EV. With test drives now open, interested drivers can check it out themselves.
See also:Ā Tesla new Model Y review: Stunning efficiency, lots of space, but still no V2L
RizĀ 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.