The Tesla Model Y L has gone on sale in China, a version of the world’s top-selling electric vehicle (EV) with a longer body and a six-seat layout.
The Model Y L, with L for ‘Long’, adds 150mm to the standard five-seat Model Y Long Range AWD version’s 2890mm wheelbase but is 184mm longer overall, with its six seats in a two-plus-two-plus-two layout.
Compared to the five-seat Model Y, the L also sits 34mm higher, adds 2mm of ground clearance (169mm) and is the same width despite having a 20mm wider front track yet 12mm narrower rear track.
There’s also more luggage space, with a claimed 2539L against 2138L for five-seat versions, with the extra dimensions pushing weight up 96kg to 2088kg.
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The Model Y L is offered only with a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain, using a 142kW front electric motor and a 198kW rear electric motor powered by an 82kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NCM) battery as in the Model Y Long Range AWD.
Compared to its shorter sibling, it has an additional 1km of range on the CLTC cycle for a total of 751km.
Tesla also claims the extra space and weight costs only 0.2 seconds against the five-seat Model Y in the 0-100km/h sprint, at 4.5 seconds.
While all Teslas currently sold in Australia are made in China, the Model Y L’s launch there doesn’t necessarily mean an Australian arrival for the larger Model Y just yet.
“Model Y L is a China-specific product for now. We will continue to assess new products for our market as they become available,” Tesla Australia told CarExpert.
The L is priced at ¥339,000 yuan ($A72,723) making it the most expensive Model Y, above the ¥313,500 ($A67,253) ask for the Long Range AWD version.
That’s an 8.1 per cent premium, with the Model Y Long-Range AWD priced at $68,900 before on-road costs, suggesting a price of around $75,000 before on-road costs for the Model Y L.
Other changes for the L over the rest of the Model Y range include continuously variable dampers, a 16.0-inch centre touchscreen (up 0.6 inches) and an 18-speaker audio system, up from 15.
The arrival of the Model Y L is China comes as Tesla faces more competition from rivals including the Xiaomi YU7 – which was launched in China in July at ¥1000 ($A215) less than the entry-level Model Y RWD’s ¥265,500 ($A56,956) price.
In Australia, pricing was announced for the Model Y-rivalling Zeekr 7X electric SUV earlier this month, and it undercuts the Tesla by $1000 to start at $57,990 before on-road costs. First arrivals are expected in October.
The Model Y remains at the top of EV sales in Australia year-to-date, however last month the BYD Sealion 7 outsold it for the second time in 2025, with the BYD outselling the Model Y and Model 3 combined.
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