Tesla Model Y L captain seats may fold making it a more useful 3-row SUV with larger battery

Tesla fans have long clamored for a true three-row SUV, but the EV maker is now saying that the best it can do is a Model Y L.

The upcoming six-seat version of the Model Y five-seater actually has a seven inches longer wheelbase and is taller, so Tesla didn't just throw two child seats in the trunk and call it a family SUV like before.

It has provided more leg space and headroom for the passengers who could be sitting in four captain chairs in the first two rows, and two regular-sized seats in the third that are not like the ones of the six-seat Model X.

Tesla Model Y L specs and seating configuration

According to a Tesla China insider who's been correct about vehicles coming from Giga Shanghai before, the seating configuration of the Model Y L will be unlike anything we've seen from Tesla so far.

There will still be two captain chairs with arm rests in the second row, but the third row will now sport individual separated seats as well. In the six-seat Model X the third row consists of two seats joined together, practically an offset bench, so that a taller passenger can sit comfortably in the middle with their legs stretched out.

In the Tesla Model Y L, however, that second row of seats is motorized to move back and forth so that the knee spacing between rows can be adjusted. The seats themselves are reportedly with an entirely new design and ventilated, though it doesn't become clear if that goes for the third row as well.

Said third row, however, now allegedly sits lower than the other two. Coupled with the increased vehicle height and the redesigned C-pillar, this means that passengers in the back seats could have as much headroom as those in the first rows for a change.

The Model Y L specs will reportedly include a larger battery with up to 90 kWh nominal capacity, which would be a 20% increase over the current pack that powers the Model Y. Tesla has also equipped the Model Y L with dynamic electromagnetic suspension, so that it is more comfortable to ride in for passengers.

All Model Y L rear seats may fold

What about cargo, though? The problem with Tesla's faux three-row SUVs is that their size is still not nearly large enough for the category. They can't really accommodate both more than five adult passengers and cargo in the trunk, as there isn't that much of a trunk space left.

Granted, a compromise can still be reached if all rear seats folded into a flat surface, so one can haul passengers or cargo. Tesla, however, allows folding only of the third bench in the Model X, and that doesn't free enough cargo space up.

If the captain chairs in the second row of the six-seat Model X or Model Y L folded, that would be a whole different ball game and make Tesla's pseudo "3-row SUV" category much more useful as such.

This is precisely what Tesla China is hinting at. The company's senior executive Grace Tao Lin, who is in charge of government affairs, public relations, marketing and branding for Greater China, posted that the six-seat Model Y L will be a "full-scene 6-seat luxury SUV."

Those privy to the local automotive lingo now say that what roughly translates as "full scene" in English means an all-purpose vehicle in China, or a "vehicle for all scenarios" as another translation pegs the meaning of Grace's words.

In short, the Model Y L will be a three-row SUV whose seating configuration allows hauling both passengers and cargo around, likely by folding all four rear seats flat. The rumored ability to move the second row back and forth also serves as a tangential confirmation.

The 2026 Model Y can fold its back seats with the touch of a button. Its pressing also sends the front seats forward so that the back bench can go completely flat, allowing for a Model Y air mattress to fit comfortably in the resulting surface, for instance.

Tesla might be preparing something similar for the Model Y L, but with all four rear seats folding flat automatically, which would be a rather welcome development.