Tesla drops the $41,990 Model Y AWD in the US, making all-wheel drive start at $49,990
The entry-level dual-motor Model Y has gone from Tesla's US configurator after about nine months. The cheapest AWD Model Y is now the Premium at $49,990, and Premium deliveries have slipped into 2027.
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Tesla has removed the $41,990 Model Y All-Wheel Drive from its US online configurator, Electrek reports. The cheapest all-wheel-drive Model Y you can now order is the Model Y Premium AWD at $49,990, an $8,000 step up. Tesla has not explained the change.
What is left
TeslaNorth, which checked the US configurator with a Seattle ZIP code, found the entry-level Model Y offered only as the $39,990 Rear-Wheel Drive, alongside the $45,990 Premium Rear-Wheel Drive and $49,990 Premium AWD. It notes that the change does not by itself establish that the trim is permanently discontinued or that remaining inventory is unavailable. Electrek says some base AWD units can still be found in Tesla's inventory.
The base AWD launched in February, according to Not a Tesla App, as a $2,000 option over the RWD, with the lowest range in the lineup at 294 miles and the same pared-back interior as the RWD. Electrek adds that both Premium trims now cost $1,000 more than they did in February.
Delivery windows slip
Not a Tesla App reports that all Model Y Premium trims are sold out for 2026, with new orders showing January to March 2027 delivery estimates, and that the six-seat Model Y L now shows February to April 2027. TeslaNorth's configurator check found the same windows, and stresses that these are estimates for the configurations it checked.
How rivals compare
Electrek points out that Chevrolet's 2027 Equinox EV LT 1 AWD starts at $40,295 before destination and Ford's Mustang Mach-E Select AWD at $40,795, putting both well below the cheapest all-wheel-drive Model Y now listed.
Analysis: with Premium orders already pushed into 2027, focusing build slots on higher-priced trims is one plausible reading, as both Electrek and Not a Tesla App suggest. Tesla has not said which explanation is right.