Tesla’s “standard” models are here, and they’re still expensive AF

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Tesla just dropped its “Standard” versions of the Model Y and Model 3, and honestly? The pricing strategy feels like peak Elon trolling.

Tesla announced its new, more affordable “Standard” versions of the Model Y and Model 3 on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, primarily through its official X account.

The Model Y Standard starts at $39,990, while the Model 3 Standard is priced at $36,990—both about $5,000 cheaper than their corresponding Premium models.

However, these lower-cost trims achieve their price point by omitting some premium features previously standard, such as Autosteer, certain lighting upgrades, and enhanced audio systems.

Sure,these stripped-down variants are about $5,000 cheaper than the flagship models, coming in at $39,990 for the Model Y Standard and $36,990 for the Model 3 Standard.

But they’re still pricier than a bunch of competitors and cost more than Teslas did before the federal EV tax credit yeeted itself into oblivion on September 30.

Here’s the kicker: these “affordable” Teslas are actually about $2,000 more expensive than what you could’ve snagged just a few months ago.

Meanwhile, the Nissan Leaf is sitting pretty at $29,990, and the Chevy Equinox EV starts at $35,100. Heck, even Jeff Bezos-backed startup Slate is gunning for the mid-$20,000s range.

Remember when Musk promised a $25,000 Tesla back in 2020? Yeah, that dream got Thanos-snapped in April when Tesla reportedly killed the affordable NV91 project.

Musk’s latest hot take? Building cheaper non-autonomous cars is “pointless” now.

The competition is getting spicy, especially from Chinese automakers like BYD, whose Seal starts at around $35,600 in China and whose Seagull hatchback can be had for a mere $7,000 in some European markets.

Tesla’s feeling the heat so much that beating last year’s sales numbers looks like an uphill battle.

Plot twist: Used Model 3s are now averaging just over $25,000—basically hitting that magical price point Musk promised, just not how anyone expected. Sometimes the secondary market does what the primary market won’t.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com.