Words: Richard Edwards
Published 6 March 2026
Tesla has confirmed that the Model Y L, a longer, six-seat version of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle, will arrive in 2026.
The announcement follows weeks of speculation after homologation approval documents surfaced, and comes after the Model Y L launched in China earlier this year, where it is being produced at Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai.
The Model Y L is longer and taller than the standard five-seat Model Y, with the extra length coming through an extended wheelbase to accommodate a proper third row. Rather than a seven-seat layout, Tesla has opted for a 2-2-2 configuration seating six occupants across three rows. It measures 4,976 mm long and 1,668 mm tall, on a 3,040 mm wheelbase, making it 179 mm longer and 44 mm taller than the standard car. Width remains unchanged at 1,982 mm.
In China, the Model Y L comes in a single specification: dual-motor all-wheel drive with an 82 kWh NMC lithium-ion battery supplied by LG Energy Solution. The front motor produces 142 kW, the rear 198 kW, and Tesla claims a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds. Range is quoted at 751 km on the Chinese CLTC testing cycle, though that standard is considerably more generous than WLTP. On the European WLTP cycle the figure sits closer to 600 km, and we’d expect the New Zealand number to land in a similar area.
The Chinese-spec car features heated seats across all three rows, with ventilated seats in the first and second rows, and cargo space expands to 2,539 litres with both rear rows folded.
Tesla has not confirmed local pricing, but the Chinese lineup offers some clues. There, the Model Y L sits at 339,000 yuan, about 8 per cent above the Long Range AWD at 313,500 yuan. In New Zealand, the Long Range AWD currently starts at $77,900. Applying a similar premium, and accounting for the Model Y L’s additional equipment including a larger 16-inch touchscreen, 18-speaker audio system, upgraded suspension, and ventilated captain’s chairs in the second row, a price somewhere in the $85,000 to $90,000 range would not be a surprise. Like the RWD and Long Range AWD models already sold here, the Model Y L is expected to be sourced from Tesla’s Shanghai factory.
It will be the first time Tesla has offered more than five seats in New Zealand since it dropped the larger Model X from the local lineup. The original Model Y was briefly available overseas with a seven-seat option, but it never came here and was widely criticised for a cramped third row that was really only suitable for small children. The Model Y L’s longer wheelbase suggests Tesla has taken a more serious approach to third-row space this time around.
Tesla has not confirmed a specific arrival date or local range figures, saying only that the Model Y L will become available to customers “this year” and that specification and pricing details will follow in due course.
