Cheapest Model Y is now officially rated for longer range on a charge

Tesla seems to be pretty conservative or, rather, realistic, with its homebrew electric vehicle range estimates.

Until it waited for the EPA to subject the base Model Y RWD Long Range version to its new and grueling range test routine, it gave the cheapest Model Y a 320-mile range estimate of its own.

The EPA is done testing the vehicle according to its updated, stricter standard, and the official Model Y RWD LR range estimate is the whopping 337 miles now, or 5.3% higher than before the official number.

Needless to say, Tesla quickly updated the Model Y Long Range RWD entry with the new estimate, making its cheapest Model Y that has the longest range of the versions it sells an even more irresistible choice that can now be had for under $35,000 with inventory discounts.

In Europe, Tesla has been selling a cheapest-to-drive RWD Model Y with an even longer, 375-mile range equivalent since the spring, but that is on the local WLTP cycle that is typically about 10% more generous than the EPA standard. The European 375-mile Model Y RWD LR version is made with the 2170 cells Tesla uses for the AWD version, which on US soil qualifies it for the full US federal government tax credit.

Tesla went through a bad experience with the base Model 3 RWD with Chinese LFP battery that it just deprecated as it actually became more expensive than the AWD model that qualifies for the full tax credit amount.

The Model 3 RWD LR version that is now its cheapest has also the longest, 363-mile range among the two bestselling Tesla models. Needless to say, the longest range on a Tesla car still goes to the base Model S that is rated for the whopping 402 miles, but then again it sells way less than the Model 3 and Model Y as its pricing starts from $74,990.

The EPA recently introduced a new electric vehicle range testing standard update that places more emphasis on the less efficient highway driving to align its testing routine with the reality of the American driver's habits.

Tesla then had to revise some of its official Model Y range estimates down, so the fact that the base Model Y RWD is now rated for 337 miles of range on the new EPA cycle is all the more impressive.

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