Tesla’s Cheaper Model Y Caught On Camera Before Official Reveal

The car was snapped completely undisguised on a U.S. road. Here’s what to expect.

Tesla's 'Mode Affordable' Model Y - InsideEVs render

Photo by: InsideEVs

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Oct 3, 2025 at 4:01am ET

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Tesla is actively working on a “more affordable” Model Y.
The car is expected to have fewer features and a lower price tag than the current Model Y versions.
An undisguised test mule was recently spotted in Texas, wearing Florida license plates.

The “more affordable” Tesla Model Y is getting closer to reality, as attested by a fresh batch of photos showing the upcoming EV testing in the United States completely undisguised.

The photos, posted a few hours ago on the TeslaLounge subreddit by a user named ConfidentImage4266, show a white Model Y driving on a Texas road, while wearing Florida manufacturer license plates.

Right off the bat, the budget Model Y lacks the front lightbar that normally sits between the daytime running lights. What’s more, the main beams have been removed from the bumper and have most likely been integrated into a single headlight assembly. The regular Model Y has very good adaptive headlights, but we don’t know if the cheapo version will have something similar, seeing how the front lights are different.

At the rear, the signature full-width red lightbar is nowhere to be seen. The taillights have also been redesigned, and the tailgate extends further down compared to the regular Model Y.

2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper

The regular Tesla Model Y has a horizontal light bar at the front. The main beams are integrated into the bumper.

Photos by: Patrick George

2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper

At the rear, there's a red reflective lightbar.

Photos by: Patrick George

We don’t know for sure what changes have been made under the skin, but a recent report from prolific Tesla hacker GreenTheOnly suggests that the entry-level Model Y will make a fair number of sacrifices.

Green said he found a solid list of changes in the car’s firmware, including a lack of a glass roof, a much simpler ambient lighting setup, no rear screen, no power-folding side mirrors, a fiberglass headliner, and “special motor configurations.” The slimmed-down Model Y will reportedly be available with both rear- and all-wheel drive, but it’s not clear what this means. The most obvious change would be a reduction in power, but it would also make sense to offer the cheapest version of the crossover with rear-wheel drive only.

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That’s what happened with the short-lived single-motor Cybertruck, which was powered by a rear-mounted drive unit. It also came with fewer features than all the other Cybertruck trims, cloth seats instead of vegan leather, and coil springs instead of adaptive air suspension.

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It’s worth noting that Tesla already has a stripped-down Model 3 on sale in Mexico. That car has a cloth interior with no heated or ventilated seats, no customizable ambient lighting, fewer speakers and less acoustic glass. This will likely happen to the Model Y, too, but we’ll have to wait and see what Tesla cooks up.

If the price is right, the bare-bones Model Y could be a hit. Currently, the most affordable version, the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive, starts at $46,630, including the destination charge and mandatory order fee. In the Cybertruck’s case, the cheapo trim didn’t last long because it cut too many corners while keeping the price tag rather high, so Tesla has to do things right this time if it wants the stripped-down Model Y to have a chance of succeeding.

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