Tesla Model Y L Review Australia 2026: Price, Space, Range and the FBT Catch

The Tesla Model Y L is the cheapest way into a three-row electric car in Australia, and on most measures it’s the best one under $90,000. The short version of this Tesla Model Y L review: Australia gets it for $74,900 before on-road costs, and that buys six seats, a claimed 681 km of range, 250 kW DC charging and, for the first time on an Australian Tesla, vehicle-to-load. It’s a stretched Model Y, not a new car, and that’s mostly a good thing.

It’s also selling fast. The Electric Vehicle Council counted 22,239 Model Y sales in Australia across 2025. In August 2026 alone, Tesla sold 6,414 Model Ys, and 3,236 of them were the Model Y L (carsales, reporting Electric Vehicle Council data, September 2026). Buyers have worked out what it is: a family car that doesn’t cost $100,000.

There are two catches worth knowing before you order. The third row suits kids better than adults. And if you plan to buy through a novated lease, the Model Y L sits almost exactly on the $75,000 line where the EV tax exemption changes from April 2027. That second point matters more than most reviews let on.

Tesla Model Y L review Australia: price and specs

The Model Y L comes in one trim, a dual-motor all-wheel-drive Premium, at $74,900 before on-road costs as of September 2026 (Tesla Australia). That’s $6,000 more than the five-seat Model Y Long Range AWD. Paint options cost $1,500 to $2,600, and the alternative interior is $1,500.

Spec	Tesla Model Y L (AU)
Price (before on-roads)	$74,900
Drive	Dual-motor AWD
Power and torque	378 kW / 590 Nm
0 to 100 km/h	5.0 seconds (claimed)
WLTP range	681 km (19-inch wheels)
Battery	About 88.2 kWh gross (not confirmed by Tesla)
DC fast charging peak	250 kW
AC onboard charger	11 kW
V2L	Up to 3.3 kW via adaptor
Seats	6 (2+2+2)
Boot	420 L behind row three, 1,076 L behind row two, 2,423 L max, plus 116 L frunk
Towing (braked / unbraked)	1,588 kg / 750 kg
Length / wheelbase	4,969 mm / 3,040 mm
Warranty	5 years unlimited km; battery 8 years / 192,000 km

Sources: CarExpert and Zecar launch coverage (March 2026), EV Central and CarsGuide reviews (March and September 2026). Prices as of September 2026.

Tesla hasn’t published the battery size. CarExpert and CarsGuide list 88.2 kWh gross. Other Australian outlets quote 84 to 85 kWh, so treat the exact figure loosely. The range figure is the one that matters, and 681 km WLTP is the longest of any three-row EV on sale here.

Drive-away prices vary by state. Owners have reported figures in the high $70,000s to low $80,000s, but get a quote for your own postcode. Stamp duty and registration differ a lot between states.

What’s good about the Model Y L

The Model Y L’s biggest strength is value. No other electric car with more than five seats costs less. The Volkswagen ID. Buzz Pro LWB starts at $80,990, the Denza D9 at $85,990 and the Kia EV9 Air at $97,000, all before on-roads.

Range that covers real trips. A 681 km claim translates into real distance. CarsGuide averaged 14.5 kWh per 100 km across 2,142 km in its long-term test, published in September 2026. On its battery that works out to roughly 590 km. Zecar measured about 13.9 kWh per 100 km on the freeway in May 2026. For comparison, a Kia EV9 claims 443 km WLTP in Air form.

The middle row. Those second-row captain’s chairs are the best seats in the car. They’re heated, ventilated and power adjustable, and there’s an 8-inch screen for rear passengers. Kids can walk through to the third row without anyone folding a seat.

V2L, finally. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) means using the car’s battery to power appliances. The Model Y L supplies up to 3.3 kW through an adaptor at the charge port. That’s enough for a camping fridge, a kettle or power tools. It stops at 10 percent battery so you can still drive home. Reviewers describe the adaptor as optional, so confirm whether it’s in your delivery.

Charging. A 250 kW DC peak puts it among the faster-charging family EVs, and it has native access to Tesla’s Supercharger network. The 11 kW onboard charger means a three-phase home wallbox fills it from empty in about eight hours. On single-phase 7 kW, it’s more like 12 to 13 hours, which still covers an overnight top-up for normal weekly driving.

Warranty. Tesla moved to a five-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty for Australian deliveries from 1 January 2026. The battery is covered for eight years or 192,000 km, with at least 70 percent capacity retained.

What’s not so good

The third row is the weak point. EV Central described getting into it as best left to the little ones, and there’s modest luggage space behind it with all six seats up. At 420 litres, the boot beats most seven-seat SUVs with the back row in use. Adults, though, will want the middle row on a long trip.

Six seats, not seven. If you regularly carry a family of five plus a grandparent and a friend, it simply doesn’t fit. The Kia EV9 and ID. Buzz seat seven.

No CarPlay, no driver display. Everything runs through the 16-inch central screen. There’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and no screen in front of the driver. Some owners don’t mind. Others never get used to it.

Glass roof, no sunshade. carsales noted there’s no built-in shade for the glass roof or the rear window. In a Queensland or WA summer that’s a real consideration, and aftermarket shades are a common first purchase.

Towing is modest. At 1,588 kg braked, it handles a small camper or box trailer. The EV9 is rated to 2,500 kg. Towing also cuts EV range heavily, so plan charging stops if you tow often. Our EV towing guide covers what to expect.

Full Self-Driving is subscription only. FSD (Supervised) moved to a $149 per month subscription on 1 April 2026. The outright purchase option ended on 31 March 2026.

The Model Y L on a novated lease: the $75,000 catch

Plenty of Model Y L buyers are going the novated lease route, and the tax picture is changing. Under current law, the Model Y L qualifies for the full fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption. The FBT exemption for electric cars removes the tax your employer would otherwise pay on a car provided through salary packaging, and it’s why EV novated leases save so much. It applies to EVs priced under the $91,661 luxury car tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles in 2026 to 2027 (ATO).

In the May 2026 Budget, the government announced a phased wind-back (Treasury ministers’ release, 5 May 2026):

Lease starts	EV valued at $75,000 or less	EV above $75,000 (under LCT threshold)
Before 1 April 2027	Full exemption for the life of the lease	Full exemption for the life of the lease
1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029	Full exemption	25 percent FBT discount
From 1 April 2029	25 percent FBT discount	25 percent FBT discount

Treasury released exposure draft legislation in September 2026. It isn’t law yet.

Here’s why this bites the Model Y L specifically. The base car is $74,900, just $100 under the line. Pick any paid paint colour or the alternative interior and you’re over. One novated quote an owner shared this month showed a base value of $76,700 once options were added.

If you sign before 1 April 2027, you keep the full exemption for the life of that lease. The risk is changing jobs. When the plug-in hybrid exemption ended in 2025, the ATO treated a new employer as a new commitment. If the same approach applies to EVs, a Model Y L lease moved to a new employer after April 2027 would drop to the 25 percent discount, and your fortnightly cost would jump. Our guide to what happens to a novated lease when you change jobs walks through that scenario.

Two practical moves if you’re leasing one:

1. Ask your provider for the exact base value it will use, in writing. That figure, not the advertised price, decides which side of $75,000 you’re on.
2. Weigh the lease term against how settled your job is. A five-year lease gets the most out of the exemption, but it also gives you five years in which a job change could cost you.

Run your own numbers in our novated lease calculator, and see our EV FBT exemption guide for the full rules.

Tesla Model Y L vs the alternatives

For the money, the Model Y L is the default three-row EV, and the alternatives mostly win on seat count, not value.

Model	Price (before on-roads)	Seats	WLTP range	Braked towing
Tesla Model Y L	$74,900	6	681 km	1,588 kg
VW ID. Buzz Pro LWB	$80,990	7	452 km	1,600 kg
Denza D9 FWD	$85,990	7	520 km	n/a
Kia EV9 Air	$97,000	7	443 km	2,500 kg

Prices as of September 2026.

Choose the Model Y L if six seats is enough, you do long drives, and you want the Supercharger network.

Choose the Kia EV9 if you tow a caravan, need a seventh seat, or want adults comfortable in row three. Our Kia EV9 review covers it in detail.

Choose the ID. Buzz if you want a genuine people mover with sliding doors and don’t mind the shorter range.

Our best seven-seat electric cars guide ranks every three-row EV on sale, and you can compare the Model Y L specs against the others on our electric vehicles pages.

Running costs and charging at home

A Model Y L is cheap to run if you charge at home. At CarsGuide’s 14.5 kWh per 100 km and a 30 cents per kWh grid rate, 100 km costs about $4.35 in electricity. On an off-peak EV plan or solar, it drops well below that.

The 11 kW onboard charger makes a three-phase wallbox worthwhile if your home already has three-phase power. On single phase, a 7 kW charger is the practical ceiling and still refills a typical day’s driving in a couple of hours. The car doesn’t come with a charging cable, so budget for a wallbox or a portable charger from day one.

Tyres are the running cost to watch. A 2,088 kg SUV with 378 kW wears them faster than a light hatch, so check replacement prices for your wheel size before you choose. Our EV tyre cost guide has typical figures.

If you’re weighing the Model Y L on a novated lease, include realistic tyre and insurance budgets in the quote. Owners regularly find lease quotes underestimate both, and a shortfall in the running-cost budget comes out of your pay later.