Tesla prices new Model 3 Standard $6,000 less with FSD 14-capable hardware and few downgrades

While every Tesla fan in the US was waiting on the budget Model Y Standard, Tesla also announced a Model 3 Standard to go with it in a surprise move.

The cheapest Tesla car comes with the same range as the Model Y Standard, or 321 miles on a charge from its 69 kWh battery. Compared to the rest of the Model 3 trims that Tesla now calls Premium, however, here the range downgrade is even more drastic.

The Premium Model 3 RWD, for instance, costs $6,000 more, but comes with 367 miles of range, faster acceleration, vented leather seats, and double the colors to choose from.

Tesla Model 3 Standard price and specs

• $36,990

The 2026 Model 3 Standard is priced just $3,000 less than the new Model Y Standard SUV, and Tesla has approached its production cost-cutting spree similarly.

The Model 3 Standard isn't the same variant with cloth seats that Tesla already sells in Mexico, though, so it hasn't just brought it over the border and released on US soil, despite the fact that it also comes with only seven speakers. For starters, it offers dual-tone textile seats with vegan leather accents. The front row seats are heated, as is the steering wheel, which is adjusted manually, while the front seats can only be adjusted on the touchscreen since there is no physical button on them.

The mirrors and rear seats also fold manually, but there is a panoramic glass roof, unlike on the Model Y Standard. All new Model 3 cars now come with a front bumper camera and a washer, including the base Standard trim, which will come ready for FSD 14 out of the factory. There is no HEPA filter, no rear screen, and no matrix LED headlights, too, so Tesla only offers the Model 3 Standard with auto high beams that are not adaptive.

Outside, the Standard trim comes with a set of basic 18-inch Prismata wheels and in Stealth Grey, while the 19-inch Nova Wheels and the Pearl White Multi-coat and Diamond Black colors are paid options.

Model 3 Standard release date

Just like the Model Y Standard, the cheapest Tesla Model 3 trim won't be released straight away. Tesla is listing the December 2025–January 2026 as the timeframe for first deliveries now.

This means that nearly the whole quarter will pass without the revenue from Tesla's cheapest sedan and SUV, which might put pressure on its Q4 numbers. Still, the Model 3 Standard seems like a bit better value than the Model Y Standard, as it lacks fewer features and the price difference with the next RWD trim is larger.

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