New $45,900 Tesla Model 3 RWD Is Australia's Cheapest EV Sedan

Tesla has added a new entry-level Model 3 to its Australian line-up. The Model 3 RWD is priced from $45,900 before on-road costs.

That makes it the cheapest electric sedan on sale in Australia. It is $9000 cheaper than the Model 3 Premium RWD, which previously opened the range and now sits in the middle of the line-up. The RWD can be configured on Tesla's Australian website from today, with customer deliveries due to start from mid-to-late October 2026.

Tesla Model 3 price and range in Australia

The Model 3 range now has four variants. All prices below exclude on-road costs.

*Prices are before on-road costs.

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What the Model 3 RWD loses

Tesla has cut the price by removing some interior features found in the Premium RWD.

• Front seat ventilation has been removed.
• The 8.0-inch rear touchscreen is gone. Rear passengers previously used it to adjust climate and media settings.
• Ambient lighting is limited to the footwells. In the Premium, it runs across the dashboard.
• The seats use textile inserts instead of full leatherette upholstery.
• The sound system has seven speakers instead of nine.

Two USB-C outlets remain in the rear, with one more at the front of the cabin.

What still comes standard

The Model 3 RWD keeps most of the equipment buyers expect from the Model 3. Standard features include:

• Panoramic glass roof
• Hands-free power boot lid
• Matrix LED headlights
• Power-folding exterior mirrors
• 16-inch touchscreen with embedded media apps, Grok AI and Pet Mode
• Wireless phone charger
• Heated, power-adjustable front seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Heat pump
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring, including a blind-spot camera

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Range and performance

The Model 3 RWD uses the same battery as the Premium RWD. Despite this, it has a claimed WLTP range of 572km. That is 52km more than the Premium RWD.

Tesla has not detailed why the cheaper variant goes further on the same battery. Its 18-inch wheels and lighter equipment list may contribute, but this has not been confirmed. Tesla recently lifted the European Model 3's range to 572km by fitting lower rolling-resistance tyres.

The Model 3 RWD accelerates from 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.2 seconds.

The Model 3 Performance has also received a small range increase. Its WLTP figure rises by 29km to 600km.

Updates for the Premium and Performance

Tesla has also updated the rest of the Model 3 range for model year 2027 (MY27).

• The Premium and Performance gain a new 16-inch front touchscreen.
• Both get a dark headliner and a new Zen Grey interior option.
• The Premium can now be optioned with 19-inch Dark Nova alloy wheels.

Vehicle-to-load now available on every Model 3

All Model 3 variants now support Powershare, Tesla's vehicle-to-load (V2L) system. It lets owners power small appliances from the car's battery.

Owners need to buy the optional Tesla Outlet Adapter from the Tesla Shop to use it. The feature is only supported on MY27 vehicles. Older Model 3s cannot be retrofitted.

Paint, wheels and options

The Model 3 RWD comes standard in Pearl White multi-coat paint. Diamond Black costs $1500 extra, and Stealth Grey costs $1900 extra.

The only wheel option is an 18-inch Prismata alloy.

Buyers can add a Full Self-Driving (Supervised) subscription for $149 per month.

How the Model 3 RWD compares with the BYD Seal, Mazda 6e and Kia EV4

The table below compares the entry-level version of each mid-size electric sedan. Prices exclude on-road costs.

*Prices are before on-road costs.

The Model 3 RWD is the cheapest of the four and has the longest claimed range, though only by 2km over the BYD Seal Premium. The Seal Premium has a larger battery and more power, but costs $7090 more.

The Seal Premium became the entry point to BYD's electric sedan range after BYD discontinued the Seal Dynamic in June 2026. The Dynamic was priced from $46,990 before on-road costs.

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The Mazda 6e GT and Kia EV4 Air are both priced at $49,990. The 6e GT has a 78kWh battery and a claimed 560km range. It is built by the Changan Mazda joint venture in China.

The Kia EV4 Air has the smallest battery of the group, at 58.3kWh, and a claimed range of 456km. It is the only front-wheel-drive car in this comparison. Kia offers the longest vehicle warranty of the four, at seven years with unlimited kilometres.

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Warranty

All Model 3 variants are covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty. The battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km, with a minimum of 70 per cent capacity retention over that period.

Model Y also updated

Tesla has also updated the Model Y for MY27, with new paint colours and quicker acceleration times. The Model Y is Australia's best-selling EV.

The Model Y Performance is now sourced from China instead of Germany. It was previously the only Tesla sold in Australia not built in China.

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