Tesla reintroduces more affordable ‘Standard Range’ versions of Model S and X

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Tesla’s Model S configurator, showing the newly available Standard Range version. | Screenshot by Jon Porter / The Verge

Tesla now sells “Standard Range” versions of its Model S and Model X, lowering the starting price of both vehicles by $10,000 for anyone prepared to compromise on the distance either car can drive before needing to be recharged. The Standard Range Model X starts at $88,490, versus $98,490 for the next model up, while the Standard Range Model S starts at $78,490 versus $88,490. The changes to Tesla’s website were initially spotted by Electrek.

The main compromise with these models is their range. The Model X’s Standard Range version lists an estimated range of 269 miles, a 79 mile reduction, while the Model S’s Standard Range edition has an estimated range of 320 miles, 85 miles less than the step-up version. The Standard Range models also list slightly slower 0-60 accelerations, and lower peak power.

Screenshot by Jon Porter / The Verge

The standard range version of the Model X.

Tesla previously offered Standard Range versions of the Model S and X, but dropped them in 2019 and Electrek notes that they’ve remained absent following the 2021 refresh of both models. The electric car company is bringing them back amidst a period of price cutting across its lineup that’s also impacted its more affordable mass market Model 3 and Model Y cars. Reuters notes that just this week Tesla cut prices of two versions of its Model Y in China.

Electrek points out that it’s unclear whether the new lower-range Model X and Model S cars have physically smaller batteries, or whether their capacity is software-locked (raising the possibility that buyers might be able to pay to unlock their capacity after purchase). But one Electrek commenter points out that the listed weights of both Standard Range models are the same as their more expensive counterparts, suggesting minimal differences in hardware.

The Model S and X are notable for being the oldest cars in Tesla’s current lineup, with the S having been introduced over a decade ago in 2012, and the X having launched in 2015. Tesla’s website reports that both the Model S Standard Range and Model X Standard Range will ship from September in the US.