Tesla has officially launched Australia’s longest range EV with the new Model 3 2026 Long Range RWD variant offering an incredible 750 km on a single charge.
The range – helped by an increase in the size of the NMC battery to 84 kWh – would provide 230 km more range than the entry-level RWD, and 121 km more than the Long Range AWD variant, currently available in Australia.
Both these models are already the most efficient EVs in their class – in terms of kilometres travelled per kilowatt hour, and now the Long Range AWD will be added to the lineup with a big boost in range.
This unique variant will start at $61,990 before on-roads. It slots in between the entry-level RWD model and the Long Range AWD variant.
It will be available in multiple colours, with Pearl White being the standard option. Other optional colours include the new Diamond Black, Deep Blue, Stealth Grey, Quicksilver and the company’s halo Ultra Red. The standard interior will be black, with the white interior option also available.
Two wheel options are also availabl,e with the 18-inch Photon wheels included as standard and the 19-inch Nova wheels being optional.
It’s also worth noting that the larger wheels will reduce the range from 750 km to 691 km, still ensuring this variant remains class-leading.
This new variant can be ordered on Tesla’s online configurator as of Friday with first customer deliveries expected in November.
Early test drives of this car are also expected to begin in late October at Tesla showrooms across the country.
At the same time, the company has upgraded its 2026 Tesla Model 3 Performance, boosting its range from 528 km to 571 km, or just over 8%.
Even with this range upgrade, the new Model 3 Performance will maintain it’s price of $80,990 before on-roads.
This new Model 3 performance will feature an updated Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) battery pack that will deliver an increase in range.
There will also be a black Tesla badge across the bonnet, highlighting the new 2026 model with the added range.
Along with that, the high performance model’s drivetrain will deliver up to 343 kW of power and a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 3.1 seconds as well as the top speed of 261 km/h.
That setup makes the new 2026 Model 3 Performance one of the most exciting performance handling EVs on the Australian market. Orders for this top-performance variant also open today.
Even with this increase in range, these variants, along with all Tesla EVs, can easily be charged at any of the over 1,000 supercharger stalls across Australia and New Zealand.
That network, of course, is growing with over 30 sites rolled out in the last year, helping Tesla and thousands of non-Tesla EV drivers get around every week.
The newest models will also have the recently launched full-self-driving (FSD) Supervised capability and with subscriptions around the corner, it could be a very exciting phase for the company’s growth ahead.
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.
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"It’s also worth noting that the larger wheels will reduce the range from 750 km to 691 km" I have not understood the attraction of this. Woohoo I've got bigger wheels!
Actually the Long Range AWD option no longer appears on the configurator.
I will bet it comes back.…. Just a matter of time.
(When we ordered our 2019 Model 3, there was only the SR+ (ie: RWD) and the performance. There was also no white interior option. Both of those became available to order before we actually took delivery.)
Long Range AWD is still available in the US, where there is a lot of snow.
In Oz, the Long Range RWD is cheaper, has more range, and acceleration is nearly as good. I would have bought it had it been available last year.
LR AWD will be back but with different batteries, just like the new Model Y LR. It has had 2 different batteries (suppliers) since release in Australia with the latest having WLTP 600km
750km? Yet studies have shown the actual range is on average, 14% lower than quoted - so 645km! And that would be around town with lots of regenerating, not on the open road. Unlike Ice vehicles which use less 'fuel' on the highway, EVs use more. Plus if t's raining, hot or cold.
'Real-world highway range for Tesla vehicles is generally 15-30% less than the EPA estimate'
Are you sure about ICE vehicles fuel use?
Less fuel in that on the highway you're in top gear while in town in lower gears or stopped in traffic burning hydrocarbons and not going anywhere.
Even if the range is just over 600kms on the highway, I'd find that more beneficial on a roadtrip compared to my current standard range M3.
Long range is very welcome. I am disappointed that they're using NMC; all that rare earth metals, especially Cobalt. Wish they'd keep with innovations like sodium iron phosphate pyrophosphate (NFPP), or solid state batteries. My next EV will not use rare earth metals and will have 1000km real world range. But for people keen to get into EVs for the first time, this is a relatively affordable long range option.
Cobalt is not a “rare earth” metal. Neither is nickel or manganese. Facts matter, and those “facts” are wrong.
Do you even know why “rare earths” are called that? It’s not because they are “rare”, in fact most aren’t particularly “rare” at all.
There are 17 “rare earth” metals:
Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium, Scandium and Yttrium.