Cheaper Model Y Juniper refresh versions go on sale with the longest ever range on a RWD Model Y

Tesla has now put the cheapest RWD Model Y Juniper version up for preorder, just a few weeks after the inaugural and exclusive facelift version went on sale at a much higher price.

In the US, the Model Y Juniper is still sold as a Launch Series edition that costs $60,000, but comes with FSD, premium wheels, and exclusive badging. 

In Europe, where FSD is not available, Tesla has now launched the most expensive AWD Long Range version at a price of €52,990 in Germany, as well as its cheaper RWD siblings.

New Model Y Juniper RWD price and specs

Sales might not be going very well there, so Tesla is not wasting a minute and has now released all Model Y Juniper refresh versions, including the base RWD version.

The cheapest 2026 Model Y trim costs €44,990, or 15% less than the most premium trim. Perhaps the most intriguing Model Y facelift version, however, and the one the US in unlikely to get, remains the exclusive Long Range RWD version.

Tesla Model Y with the longest range

• 386 miles (WLTP)

The new Long Range RWD variant comes with a much larger battery and a record 386-mile Model Y range. It, however, likely carries an LFP battery made by Chinese battery manufacturers like CATL or BYD, so Tesla is unlikely to release it in the US as long as the made-in-US federal tax credit subsidy exists.

For comparison, the Long Range AWD Model Y Juniper is rated for 364 miles of range on a charge there, but that is on the European WLTP cycle that is about 10% less demanding than the EPA ratings test in the US.

Still, the 2026 Model Y Juniper LR AWD trim also comes with better range than its predecessor that was rated for 600 km (373 miles) of range on 19-inch wheels at that same WLTP cycle.

The new Model Y facelift uses the same batteries Tesla placed in its predecessor, so the extra range comes from the improved aerodynamics and efficiency, rather than a battery capacity bump that Tesla says would've made its price prohibitive for a mass market electric vehicle like the Model Y that is its bestseller.

2026 Model Y Juniper RWD prices and release date

• May-June

Despite that Tesla has now posted the specs and prices of the RWD Model Y Juniper versions to give European buyers a choice to go lower than the AWD trim, it will release them later than the premium Model Y.

For the Model Y with the longest announced range - the RWD LR version - the release date is pegged as far out as June, despite that early adopters can order one right now for €49,990.

That Long Range Model Y RWD version has a more powerful rear motor and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds despite the larger, heavier battery.

The cheapest Model Y Juniper trim accelerates in 5.9 seconds and, while that might seem like a little sacrifice for paying five grand less, it also has the smallest battery and the shortest range of just 310 miles on the WLTP cycle.

Tesla now says that the cheapest Model Y will be released in May or June, unlike the premium Long Range AWD trim that is coming in March.

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