We gave the Carscoops website a mid-life facelift this year, and we’re pretty pleased with the way it turned out. But if we’re honest, it’s missing one thing, and that’s a live tracker for Tesla Model 3 and Y prices, a bit like financial websites have live market prices. Because those damn Tesla numbers change so often we can barely write fast enough to keep up with them.
The latest round of price updates has chopped the cost of a base, single-motor Model 3 in the U.S. from $40,240 to $38,990, but if you’re eligible for the full $7,500 of tax credits the price falls to just $31,490. You need to add a $1,390 destination and a $250 order fee to that figure, but you’re still talking about an on-the-road price of $33,130, which is seriously tempting.
Elsewhere in the lineup, the Model 3 Long Range gets an identical $1,250 reduction, taking it from $47,240 to $45,990, but the Model 3 Performance benefits from a $2,250 drop, meaning it now comes in at $50,990. Like the single-motor sedan, both of those dual-motor, all-wheel drive variants are cool as far as tax credits are concerned.
Related: Tesla Launches New Base Model Y RWD In The U.S. Priced From $43,990
There’s good news for liftback fans, too. Tesla added a new single-motor version of its Model Y to the SUV line earlier this week and that sticks with the same $43,990 price we reported at the time. But the Model Y Long Range drops below $50k following a $2,000 cut that slides to a more affordable $48,490. And that’s before tax credits are factored into the equation.
That new saving on the Long Range only makes us more sure that it’s the pick of the Model Y line, even if does command a $4,500 premium over the base SUV. Because while the base Model Y is only rated at 260 miles (418 km) of range, which is probably going to translate to not much more than 200 miles (322 km) in real use or cold weather, the Long Range has an EPA range of 330 miles (531 km).
For those who do live in northern states, the AWD LR’s traction advantage could be a big deal, and of interest to all buyers regardless of location, is the fact that there’s also a big gulf in performance between the two cars. While the dual-motor LR can reach 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.8 seconds, the new base car needs 6.6 seconds. That also compares unfavorably with the new base Model Y unveiled in China last week. Despite also having only one motor and two-wheel drive it can reach 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.9 seconds.
These latest price cuts arrive on the back of news that Tesla’s Q3 sales fell short of expectations, and are seen by industry watchers as a device to ensure as many cars as possible are delivered in the final quarter of 2023.