With The Low-Cost $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Gone, Price Creeps Up

Tesla hiked the price of the least-expensive Model 3 underscoring the fact that the $35,000 variant is history.

Price creep: Model 3 Standard Range Plus up $3,000 since February:

• February: $36,990
• May: $39,990

The Tesla Model 3 Performance (AWD) also saw a price hike (via Electrek), it’s now $55,990 up from $54,990.

What happened to the much hyped $35K Model 3?

In 2019, Tesla was actively promoting the $35,000 Model 3 — as was the media.

“We are incredibly excited to announce that the standard Model 3, with 220 miles of range, a top speed of 130 mph and 0-60 mph acceleration of 5.6 seconds is now available at $35,000!” — Tesla press release, February 2019

But that got watered* down, as reports indicate at the time. And by November of last year it was no longer a viable variant when the base Model 3 became the Standard Range Plus (now with 263 miles of range).

While there were some small price decreases for the the Standard Range Plus in February and March, prices have been creeping up ever since.

Those multiple incremental price increases cumulatively add up to a decent price hike.

Though Tesla has been mum on the Model 3 price hikes, CEO Elon Musk in February did say in a Tweet why the Standard Range Model Y was eliminated. “I don’t think the range…meets the Tesla standard of excellence,” he said.

A low-range Model 3 may also be unacceptable to Tesla.

Tesla is also reportedly developing a $25,000 car that would presumably have lower range than its more expensive cars — but that’s likely not a factor because that car isn’t due until 2023, according to estimates.

*Tesla sold a software locked version of the $38,000 Model 3 Standard Range, which was sold by special order with a $3,000 discount.

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