Tested: 2026 Tesla Model Y BaseAndi Hedrick - Car and Driver7/14/26 UPDATE: This review has been updated with instrumented test results.6/3/26 UPDATE: Tesla, for whatever reason, has decided to rename the Model Y Standard to simply Model Y. We have updated this review to reflect that."We want a less expensive Tesla Model Y!"The monkey's paw curls.Tesla has just introduced a new base version of the Model Y, briefly (but no longer) known as the Standard. Sliding in at $41,630 as of this writing, the entry-level Model Y represents a $5000 discount over the former entry-level model, the newly renamed Model Y Premium RWD (née Long Range RWD).Andi Hedrick - Car and DriverThe Model Y is already a big seller. But, as anyone in the business world will tell you, the line must always go up. Reaching high is no problem—margins are easy to pad, and folks generally pay a premium for properly fast or fancy kit. But reaching low? That'll require some give on both sides. The 2026 Tesla Model Y aims to hit that base-model sweet spot by shaving a few key features (and body parts) in the pursuit of a more palatable price tag.What's Changed? As It Turns Out, a LotIt's easy to notice the lower-cost Model Y's missing bits from 20 feet out. The wide light bars that connected both ends of the headlights and taillights are gone, and the slim front lights now contain everything—running lights, signals, low beams, and high beams. Does that make the front end look a little more like a half-used bar of hotel soap? Perhaps. But the rear looks good. The wheels are also smaller; standard fit is a set of 18-inchers, with 19s as optional equipment.Andi Hedrick - Car and DriverWe hope you like gray, black, or white paint, because that's all that's available. A keen eye will pick up on the fact that the only Model Y you're seeing here is blue, which happens to be none of the aforementioned paint colors. That's because blue was available—until a few days before this story first published, at which point it was deleted from the palette and replaced with gray.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe base Model Y's power hardware is also affected. The battery loses some capacity; a reduction in the number of cells connected in parallel within each module brings net capacity down to 70 kWh. EPA-estimated range for the rear-drive base Y stands at 321 miles with the 18-inch wheels and 303 miles with the 19s. That's a step down from the Model Y Premium RWD, which can reach 357 miles with its 19-inch wheels (20s will drop that range to 344 miles). Charging is less robust, too, but not by much; peak charging rate at a Supercharger is now 225 kilowatts, down from 250.While we weren't able to range-test a rear-drive variant, we did take an all-wheel-drive base-model Y on our 75-mph highway route, where it achieved a middling 240 miles, 54 miles beneath its EPA estimate. Given the RWD model's higher federal estimates, we expect that variant to offer a bit more highway range.Tesla tells us the Model Y makes 300 horsepower and that its output is slightly less than that of the Model Y Premium, but it hasn't specified by how much. Thankfully, at the test track, the RWD Model Y only needed 5.9 seconds to reach 60 mph. (For extra context, a Model Y Long Range RWD we tested in September managed 5.1 seconds.) That time drops even further with the AWD base model, which we recorded at a zippy 4.4 seconds to 60.Andi Hedrick - Car and DriverWe haven't even made it into the new Model Y yet, where you'll notice the penny-pinching the most. The seats replace some of their vegan leather with a pleasant textile. The front seats lose their side-mounted controls (which have been moved to the central touchscreen), as well as some adjustability. The front chairs also lose ventilation, while the rears are no longer heated. Rear-seat passengers also lose their 8.0-inch touchscreen, so they now must adjust the climate vents by hand like plebeians. Ambient lighting remains for the footwells and door pockets, but elsewhere is removed. The HEPA filter is also gone. Speaker count drops from 15 to seven, and the subwoofer went on holiday.Andi Hedrick - Car and DriverThe center console receives a Cybertruck-style redesign, featuring a large open tray, high-mounted device chargers, and decent under-armrest storage. Okay, that one isn't a downgrade. Nor is the redesigned steering wheel, which gains manual adjustability to go with its honest-to-God turn signal stalk. A win for sensibility.AdvertisementAdvertisementPerhaps the wildest change of all is the panoramic glass roof, which has been given the Cask of Amontillado treatment. Tesla has not removed it, only sealed it off; look up in the entry-level Y's cabin, and all you see is a headliner. Apparently, it was more cost-effective to just hide the glass panel instead of replacing it with, you know, an actual roof. Tesla also shoved a bunch of noise-mitigation material up there, which is good because some of the acoustic laminated glass has been replaced with regular stuff.On the Road: Smooth OperatorSure is a lot of missing stuff, right? You know what else is missing? Ride harshness. Even though the Premium's frequency-based adaptive dampers aren't present here, the entry-level Model Y's ride quality is fabulous, whether it's wearing the standard 18s or the optional 19s. It's clear this model is tuned to be plusher, and the result is as advertised.Andi Hedrick - Car and DriverOur test cars' Hankook Ion Evo all-season tires offered modest road adhesion—0.86 g around our skidpad for both rear- and all-wheel drive—but the base Y is still fun to chuck around. The small-diameter steering wheel reacts quickly off-center, and there isn't a whole lot of body roll. Accelerator tip-in and the first couple of seconds of acceleration can feel a little lazy, but it gets better once you gain a bit of speed. Unsurprisingly, the new Y is also the lightest Y on offer; the RWD variant tipped our scales at a svelte 4004 pounds, while the AWD model isn't much portlier at 4204 pounds. Stops from 70 mph came in around 175 feet for both models, which is acceptable.One thing left nearly unchanged is the 15.4-inch central touchscreen, which carries the same in-house tech stack as every other modern Tesla. Once you get over the lack of smartphone mirroring, it's a slick system—besides, the apps you use in CarPlay are probably available as native Tesla apps. Its nav system did a commendable job routing us around Austin's notoriously godawful traffic at peak rush hour too.Andi Hedrick - Car and DriverWhile we still prefer to do our own driving, we know some folks would rather eliminate the tedium than trudge through it. Thankfully, despite extensive use of the paring knife, Tesla retained all the hardware and software necessary for its "Full Self-Driving" assisted driving mode. If you don't spring for that costly subscription-based option, which runs $99 per month after a free one-month trial, you still get adaptive cruise control—but no autosteer. Well, the autosteer is there, in the sense that the car is built to do it, but you can't access it unless you buy into FSD. That's a bit of a bummer, because it's included on other trims, but it's hardly the first time Tesla has locked owners out of part of the car they just bought. At least you get the battery's full capacity this time around.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe online configurator for the base Model Y is already live on the Tesla website. While you'll have to make do with fewer creature comforts than you find on other Model Y variants, we don't think any of the cut content is a deal-breaker. As far as mainstream electric SUVs go, this one's pretty swell.➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029