Tesla drops right-hand-drive Model S and Model X production
May 12, 2023 by Paul Barker
Car changing is a big deal
Tesla has announced it won’t be building Model S or Model X in right-hand drive, but UK buyers can buy left-hand drive cars… if they want to
- No Tesla Model S and Model X ‘for foreseeable future’
- Left-hand drive cars offered in UK for immediate delivery
- Three years free supercharging offered as an incentive
- Reservation-holders offered incentive to switch to Model 3 or Model Y
Tesla has dropped right-hand drive production of its most expensive models, with the Model S and Model X now only coming to the UK in left-hand drive form.
Customers that put down a deposit, in some cases in excess of two years ago, have today received an email, giving them the options of a £2000 towards converting their reservations to a Model 3 or Model Y, taking a left-hand drive vehicle or cancelling their order and having their deposit refunded.
“Right-hand drive Model X will not be available in the UK for the foreseeable future”, read the email to one potential customer. Existing customers agreeing to convert their order to a left-hand drive car will get three years of access to the Tesla Supercharger network as an incentive to continue with their purchase.
Left-hand drive cars ready for delivery
Tesla’s UK website is listing new left-hand drive Model S and Model X, with the Model S Dual Motor starting from £95,480, and the sub-2.0-second 0-60mph Plaid kicking off from £114,930.
The Model X starts from £99,930, rising to £124,780 for the Plaid model, which will complete the 0-60mph dash in 2.5 seconds.
See how the Tesla Model X Plaid gets on in a drag race against some supercars…
Tesla seems to have plenty of stock of left-hand drive cars already in the country, listing five different colour choices of Model X, along with both Yoke and regular steering and five-, six- and seven-seat cars. Likewise, stock of the Model S covers five colours, both steering wheel types and in this case, the Autopilot or self-driving technology offerings.
The move to drop right-hand drive production has caused outcry in markets including Australia, Japan, Ireland and South Africa.
Check out Mat’s in-depth review of the Tesla Model S Plaid…
The Model 3 and Model Y are unaffected and continue to be available in right-hand drive form.
Nobody from Tesla was available for comment, and the company has not ruled out returning to right-hand drive production of its most expensive models in the future, a move that would heavily impact the value of these left-hand drive UK cars.
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