Tesla takes the scissors to the new 2026 Model 3 Standard to make it more affordable

For a long time, Tesla’s customers and fans have been calling for a new, more affordable model that would help drive the adoption of electric mobility among those with a tighter budget. Well, that model is here now, although it is probably not what many were expecting.

The American manufacturer has not designed a new, more affordable and smaller vehicle from scratch, as many had requested, but has opted to take what it already has and take the scissors to it, cutting features and characteristics to reduce production costs. This is how the new Model 3 and Model Y Standard arrive on the market.

The new Model 3 Standard (we’ll talk about the Model Y Standard in another post) is now available on the Tesla website configurator, for the moment only for the United States, although it is to be expected that it will soon arrive in Europe as well. This new version is now the most affordable in the range, with a price in that market that starts at 36,990 dollars.

Goes further with less

Tesla has further improved the efficiency of these new Standard versions, so that in the case of the Model 3 it can offer up to 321 miles of EPA range (517 km). And all this despite the fact that the battery pack capacity in these Standard versions has been reduced from 79 to 69 kWh. Let’s remember that the immediately higher version with that 79 kWh battery pack capacity offers an EPA range of 363 miles (585 km), so the difference between both versions is less than 70 km.

The cuts made by Tesla do not, however, affect only the battery pack. On the outside, the new Standard version of the Model 3 comes with 18-inch wheels instead of 19 (which are now optional), and the exterior rear-view mirrors are manual. But apart from these small details, we won’t find many more differences.

On the interior equipment level, however, the restrictions are greater. The seats are no longer fully vegan leather, but incorporate textile elements, and the door trim is also somewhat more austere. Likewise, the front seats are heated but not ventilated. The sound system does without the two subwoofers, which will reduce the impact of the bass, and also reduces the number of speakers from 15 to 7. We also do without the ambient lighting, as well as the screen for the rear seats, and the steering wheel adjustment becomes manual instead of electric.

The first Tesla without Autopilot as standard

Apart from all these cuts, one of the shortcomings that owners of this new Standard version of the Model 3 will probably miss most is the free Autopilot. In the North American market this new version can be equipped with the brand’s full self-driving system by paying an additional 8 thousand dollars, but it does not include the basic autonomous driving capabilities that the higher versions offer as standard.

The reaction on social networks and forums to the launch of these new Standard versions of the Model 3 and Model Y from the company’s customers and fans does not seem to be very positive, as many consider that saving the 5,500 dollars that the higher version costs is not worth it, now called Premium with rear-wheel drive, considering everything that is lost.

My personal opinion on this is that this version is probably not aimed at private users, but rather at company fleets, car rental companies and taxi fleets. For use as a taxi, for example, all these limitations are not a big problem and in some cases may even be positive, who wants a screen for the rear seats in a taxi?. And having partially fabric seats is practically an advantage in this case.

Technical specifications of this car

SedanTesla Model 34 versions · from 36,990 €