Tesla’s most affordable Model S is now even more affordable

Tesla dropped the price on their entry-level Model S, with a $5,000 discount to the 75kWh version, which now starts at $69,500. The price drop comes as Tesla stops selling the 60kWh model, which it discontinued recently and sold only until remaining stock ran out.

The price drop also comes with upgraded standard equipment, meaning you’ll get a better value overall. These include the all-glass overhead roof, and an automatic powered rear lift gate as standard features across all Model S battery options. Electrek reports that in addition to those changes, some other tweaks mean you can only get certain options on higher-priced models now, which it looks like are designed to help make sure the company continues to see a healthy mix of buyers at all points in its pricing matrix.

The Model S still isn’t “cheap” by any stretch of the imagination, but the pricing and option changes do mean your money goes farther at the entry-level for the vehicle lineup. The lesson is this: Patience is rewarded for would-be Tesla buyers – but of course, you need to take the plunge at some point if you want the car, so waiting forever isn’t an option.

Tesla also reached out to tell us it’ll increase prices slightly at the top end of the range, so that the average selling price of vehicles actually ends up being very similar to before. Here’s the full list of changes, including the increases coming April 24:

Model S

  • 75: $69,500
  • 75D: $74,500
  • 90D: $87,500
  • 100D: $97,500 (beginning 4/24)
  • P100DL: $140,000 (beginning 4/24)

Model X

  • 75D: $82,500
  • 90D: $93,500
  • 100D: $99,500 (beginning 4/24)
  • P100DL: $145,000 (beginning 4/24)

Tesla also provided this official statement from a spokesperson:

Periodically we have adjusted pricing and available options to best reflect the value of our products and our customers’ preferences. Today’s updates include slight price decreases to our 75, 75D and 90D models to account for the discontinuation of our 60 kWh models, and next week will be implementing slight price increases to our higher end 100D and P100D models. We expect our total average selling price to remain almost exactly the same. 
 
Price increases for our 100D and P100D models will take effect on April 24, 2017 to best accommodate customers already in the order process, while price decreases for 75, 75D and 90D models will take effect today.