2026 Tesla Model Y L goes on sale in Australia

Australia and New Zealand are the first markets outside of China to take the stretched three-row version of the Model Y, the 2026 Tesla Model Y L, with the six-seater EV carrying a $6000 premium over its shorter, less spacious sibling. Available to order now, the new entrant has few direct rivals at its $74,900 plus on-roads price point, and the company says the Model Y L’s arrival should deliver sales growth to counter last year’s slump.

Just six months after deliveries of the three-row Model Y began in China, Tesla has now not only confirmed right-hook production for its stretched EV SUV – it’s gone ahead and performed a stealth launch of the model in Australia and New Zealand.

In terms of equipment, the L is largely identical to the two-row Model Y Premium AWD.

The extra money is almost entirely spent in the rear half of the car, grafting in a 150mm wheelbase stretch, a larger Nickel Manganese Cobalt battery (Tesla won’t confirm exactly how much bigger, but government filings say it’s an 88.2kWh unit), and of course, an extra row of seats.

The rear bodywork is also unique. Though the Model Y’s eggy styling remains, the L’s bum is inflated around the tailgate, rear doors, and roof to provide comfortable headroom for that third row.

The Model Y L deviates from the three-row norm by putting two individual captain’s chairs in the second row instead of a three-person bench, which leaves a central aisle for passengers to enter the third row through.

The result is a maximum capacity of six rather than seven, but the trade-off is easier movement through the cabin for entry and egress as no seats need to be folded or slid for third row access.

The second row also features motorised inboard armrests, controlled either through the eight-inch screen on the back of the centre console, or via a button on the seat base.

The second-row seats also electrically adjust for fore-aft slide and recline via controls on the outboard side of the seat base. They’re both ventilated and heated, and there are a pair of cupholders and USB-C ports in the middle, plus a face-level air vent on the B-pillar.

The third row is no penalty box either. They’re heated too, their backrests have a few degrees of (electric) recline, two USB-C ports are provided, face-level vents supply fresh air, and a couple of cupholders are also integrated with the outboard armrests.

All four rear seats also fold electrically either via the control screen or a set of buttons in the boot, and – critically for family buyers – all are equipped with ISOFIX and top tether anchorages.

With all seats up, there’s 420 litres of luggage space behind the third row. Fold it down and cargo capacity swells to 1076L, while stowing both the second and third rows creates a massive 2423L volume. The frunk adds another 116L to the cargo tally.

With a dual-motor AWD powertrain as standard, performance is brisk. Tesla quotes a 0-100km/h sprint of just 5.0 seconds, enabled by its combined outputs of 378kW/590Nm.

Range is a claimed 681km on the WLTP cycle, with DC fast charging up to 250kW supported.

It also offers vehicle-to-load capability via an accessory adapter, making it the first Tesla in Australia and New Zealand to do so.

Weighing 2088kg, the Model Y L is only a modest 96kg heavier than a similarly-specced five-seater, but Tesla has nevertheless equipped it with adaptive dampers, making it only the second Model Y variant to receive the ride-enhancing technology besides the halo Performance.

Unlike the Performance, the L’s damper tune prioritises ride comfort, with a specific ‘Rear Comfort’ suspension setting offered alongside the default ‘Dynamic’ mode.

The arrival of the Tesla Model Y L comes at a time when competition in the five-seat EV SUV space is steadily squeezing Tesla sales lower and lower.

With greater cabin comfort and three-row practicality, the Model Y now regains a competitive advantage against the Chinese brands that have been cutting its grass, with no direct all-electric competitors even at its mid-$70K price point.

To find another all-electric three-row SUV, punters would need to budget around six figures, with the Kia EV9 Air being the closest three-row rival in Australia at $97,000.

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