Tesla extends warranty coverage as competition intensifies
American car-maker Tesla updates local warranty terms to better match market expectationsThe News
Tesla Australia and New Zealand has announced a new five-year/unlimited-kilometre new-vehicle warranty for Model 3 and Model Y, replacing its previous four-year/80,000km coverage.
The Key Details
• Applies to all new Model 3 and Model Y deliveries from January 1
• Unlimited kilometres for private use, five years/150,000km for commercial use
• Includes five years of roadside assistance
• Battery and drive unit warranties remain unchanged
The Finer Details
Tesla’s updated ‘Basic Limited Vehicle Warranty’ brings the EV brand closer to prevailing market standards. It previously offered an eight year warranty on EVs but cut that in half in 2019.
Now it offers a five-year warranty for private buyers and the new coverage removes kilometre limits altogether for the first five years of ownership for both the Model 3 and Model Y.
Vehicles used for commercial purposes such as rideshare – Uber, Didi – or courier work will be covered for up to 150,000km over the same five-year period.
Tesla Australia and New Zealand director Thom Drew said the change was designed to align with local expectations and provide greater confidence for buyers, particularly as competition in the electric vehicle market continues to increase.
Battery and drive unit coverage is unchanged, remaining at eight years with either 160,000km or 192,000km limits depending on the variant, and a minimum 70 per cent battery capacity retention guarantee.
The brand also offers mobile tyre repair, on-the-spot tyre replacement and a 24/7 loaner wheel service via its roadside assistance network.
The Road Ahead
The extended warranty takes effect for all new deliveries from January 1, positioning Tesla more competitively in a market where longer warranty periods are increasingly common across both established and emerging brands.
Drew said the new setup follows recent local ‘global firsts’, including the launch of Full Self-Driving or FSD (Supervised) in right-hand-drive markets, and is designed to better align with Australian and New Zealand buyer expectations.
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