The new Tesla Model Y starts at £44,990 in the UK

Tesla has announced prices for the new Model Y – and it’s £5,000 more expensive than an Xpeng G6

The new Tesla Model Y is now on sale with prices starting at £44,990 (Steve Fowler)

The long-awaited Tesla Model Y will soon be arriving in the UK. We’ve already been hands-on with the new Model Y and you can already see it in Tesla’s London and Manchester Tesla Centres. Now prices have just been revealed with the Rear-Wheel Drive model starting at £44,990.

That new price not only means that Tesla owners will end up paying more road tax due to the incoming Expensive Car Supplement, which affects cars costing more than £40,000 from 1 April, but it puts the new Tesla Model Y at a £5,000 premium over its biggest rival, the new Xpeng G6.

The Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Tesla Model Y will cost from £48,990. That’s £4,000 more than the Long Range Xpeng G6.

The new Tesla Model Y is marked out by new full-width LED light bars at the front and back of the car. (Steve Fowler)

The new Model Y does outpunch its Xpeng G6 on range: the Rear-Wheel Drive Model Y claims a maximum of 311 miles versus 270 miles for the equivalent Xpeng. The Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Model Y will go for a maximum of 387 miles on a single charge, versus the Long Range Xpeng’s range of 354 miles.

Unlike the Xpeng, the Model Y will also be available with all-wheel drive. The Long Range All-Wheel Drive starts from £51,990 and claims a maximum range of 364 miles.

The first new Model Ys to arrive will be Launch Series cars costing £60,990. That version is based on the Long Range All-Wheel Drive version, with more performance (0 to 60mph in 4.1 seconds) but less range (up to 353 miles).

The new Model Y comes with an improvement in overall quality and a new look , featuring cross-car lightbars at the front and back. The rear light uses innovative reflecting technology.

All Model Ys for Europe will be built at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin, skirting European tariffs on models imported from China, which is where Model Ys used to be built.

Tesla has improved quality inside the new Model Y, while new seats and improved sound deadening also feature (Steve Fowler)

A big focus has been put on improving perceived quality and build quality, with softer materials used in the cabin to reduce noise, and a reduction in parts used in the body castings for fewer gaps and improved fitment.

New acoustic glass plus other sound-deadening materials claim to reducedroad noise by 22 per cent and wind noise by 20 per cent. In our hands-on test drive of the new Model Y, you could instantly hear the difference when you get in the car and shut the door.

Another key issue with the previous generation Model Y has been the overly-firm suspension, which Tesla says it has addressed with the new version. The body structure is stiffer, the suspension geometry and has been redesigned and parts from the much-improved Tesla Model 3 have also been used to soften the ride, while still keeping handling responses sharp.

Other improvements include redesigned front seats, now with cooling as well as heating, improved rear seats that recline and fold electrically, an additional front-facing camera for improved driver assistance and safety features, and a new eight-inch screen for rear passengers to control their own heating and ventilation, to watch videos or play games with separate Bluetooth connectivity for headphones

New Model Ys are expected to start reaching UK customers in April or May, but until then ‘legacy’ Model Ys are still on sale with prices starting at £45,630.