Tesla Model Y L Premium 2026 Review

For now, the three-row, six-seat 2026 Tesla Model Y L is only offered in one form priced at $74,900 before on-road costs. It is the Premium grade, all-wheel drive with a long-range battery.

That means there’s no rear-wheel drive small battery budget variant and no head kicking Performance SUV.

For the record, the Tesla Model Y L costs $6000 more than the similarly-specified Model Y five-seat equivalent, but that money doesn’t just go toward grafting on third row of seats.

The second row, for example, is completely different to the three-position bench of the standard Model Y, with a pair of heated and ventilated individual ‘premium’ chairs separated by a walkable aisle, with power-retractable inboard armrests and B-pillar mounted air vents for greater comfort.

Behind them, the all-important third row.

Like the second row, the two back seats are also heated and can be folded electrically, and even feature a reclinable backrest. There’s no seat ventilation, but provision is made for a pair of cupholders, face-level air vents, and two USB-C charge ports. It’s rather impressive.

The climate control system has been beefed up to pump more air through the rear cabin’s extra vents, the 19-inch alloys have a unique design and the suspension features adaptive dampers to improve ride quality. More on this later.

There’s a vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability if you purchase an optional adapter, but otherwise the Model Y L’s feature set looks almost identical to a regular 2026 Model Y Premium AWD. So you get equipment like a big 16-inch infotainment display – the nexus for all of its in-car tech – heated and ventilated front seats and twin phone charging pads up front. The passenger side phone charger is a 30W unit, while the driver’s phone can charge at 50W – both good figures.

But perhaps the biggest differentiator for the Telsa Model Y is the battery.

Tesla won’t officially confirm the Model Y L’s battery size, only to say that it’s physically larger due to the extra wheelbase length and that it uses Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) chemistry.

Government documents suggest it packs 88.2kWh of energy, however, with a claimed range of 681km (WLTP) versus the five-seater’s 600km. Ergo, that circa- 88kWh number sounds about right.

Peak power is an identical 378kW when comparing the Model Y L to the five-seat Model Y Premium, though torque rises to 590Nm – nearly 100Nm more than the five-seat Model Y.

The stretched Tesla Model Y L also benefits from Tesla Australia’s new warranty. In 2026 it was changed from a below-average four-years to five-years.

It might not look like it, but the 2026 Tesla Model Y L is a BIG unit. It’s a massive family SUV.

It occupies a footprint that’s bigger than a Toyota Kluger, and while width is the only dimension that’s shared with the five-seat variant, at more than 2.1 metres from mirror-to-mirror its shoulders are about as broad as a Nissan Patrol.

But while that bulk might be masked by the round (almost pregnant-looking) exterior styling, it’s fairly obvious on the inside.

Some might yearn for seven seats, but the Model Y L’s 2-2-2 seating configuration is easily superior from a usability standpoint. Why? Well, it offers enough space between the middle seats for adult passengers to simply walk through to the third row without folding a single backrest or sliding a seat out of the way first.

Once there, the only spatial compromise is the need to perch your inboard foot in the aisle, as the rails for the second-row seat goes where your foot naturally wants to rest.

Headroom is, remarkably, pretty good in the third row. As a 175cm adult there’s a respectable air gap from my noggin to the hatch glass, and I’ve seen taller folks fit just fine.

If you’re especially long in the torso you might need to slouch, but the packaging is actually rather good (though the seat cushions are a bit flat). There’s even a face-level air vent, a cupholder, and a USB-C port for each third row occupant too, things you don’t always get in the back seat of big SUVs.

The second row is even better.

Acres of legroom, nicely sculpted seats, the added luxe of ventilation and heating, and a B-pillar air vent that isn’t present in the five seaters. It’s really comfortable and relaxing in the second row.

Most critically for family-bound buyers, every seat in the second and third row is equipped with ISOFIX anchorages and top tether mounts. Want to put bubba in the very back so grandma and grandpa can sit in the middle? You can.

Hate having to unhook a child seat from the middle row just so you can slide it forward to access the third row? The Model Y L’s captain’s chairs mean that’s no longer a concern.

Those back seaters will also relish the ride.

When I first drove the Model Y in its earliest incarnation, I was blown away… by how unyieldingly firm it was for a non-performance SUV.

Despite the suspension geometry being identical to the five-seater version, the Model Y L gets standard-fit adaptive dampers and ride comfort and the way it absorbs bumps in the road is pillowy by contrast.

For all that, it still retains decent body control, even when the suspension mode is flicked from the default ‘Dynamic’, to ‘Rear Comfort’.

And yet, with the same fast-ratio steering as the regular Model Y and the supreme perkiness of that dual-motor powertrain, it doesn’t feel like piloting a six-seater La-Z-Boy – it’s still sharp.

It’s probably a good thing that the top of my list of dislikes for the 2026 Tesla Model Y L is the fact that it looks frumpy. It’s got a swollen bum, and I’m not talking about a fashionable BBL, but if that’s the biggest complaint then that means Tesla has largely nailed the important stuff.

That said, sunshades for both the panoramic glass roof and the section of tailgate glass that’s over the third row would have been nice, even though Tesla says its optical coatings mean they aren’t necessary. Maybe in the Northern Hemisphere…

The clustering of every major control – including the transmission selector since the Juniper facelift – may annoy or confuse some, but the interface is at least intuitive for anyone with a moderate degree of tech savvy.

I got used to swiping my finger to go from drive to reverse faster than expected.

This seems like a no-brainer. If you’re considering a Model Y and adding $6000 is financially feasible, then why wouldn’t you opt for the Tesla Model Y L?

You’re not just getting more metal for your money, you’re gaining an interior that’s inherently more useful and comfortable, greater cruising range on a single charge and far better suspension than the standard car.

More to the point, who else is going to give you a proper three-row SUV that’s purely electric for less than $80K on the road? It’s a rhetorical question, don’t answer it. The Denza B8 comes closest, but its $91K RRP is in a different league to the Tesla.

Sure, the Model Y L is not exactly an elegant shape, it’s a bit harder to park, and it’s 0.2 seconds slower to 100km/h that the five-seater. But the compromises of the L seem vastly outweighed by its benefits.

2026 Tesla Model Y L at a glance:
Price: $74,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Dual electric motors
Output: 378kW/590Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 88.2kW (est) lithium ion (NMC)
Range: 681km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 12.95kWh/100km (est)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2026)

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