The Tesla Model Y gets a range boost, reaching up to 373 miles per charge

An all-new version of the Tesla Model Y is expected sometime next year, but that hasn’t stopped Elon Musk’s company from continuing to develop the current car.

A new Tesla Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive is now on sale, boasting a maximum range of 373 miles per charge. That’s 42 miles more than the Long Range All-Wheel Drive model with its 331 mile range. The new two-wheel drive is cheaper too at £46,990, £6,000 less than the all-wheel drive version.

The Tesla Model Y Long Range All-Wheel Drive car remains on sale, as does the £59,990 Performance All-Wheel Drive Model Y. The new Long Range car replaces the old Rear-Wheel Drive model.

Tesla claims an impressive average efficiency figure of 4m/kWh for a car on 20in wheels, that rises to 4.17 when 19in wheels are fitted. The 373 mile range figure is also for a car on the smaller wheels, dropping to a still impressive 351 miles if you fit the more expensive bigger wheels.

Those figures are still some way off the Tesla Model 3’s maximum range of 390 miles. The figures also suggest that if Tesla decided to sell a Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3 it could well crack the 400 mile barrier.

The new Tesla Model Y will charge at speeds of up to 250kW at one of Tesla’s 150 Supercharger locations. Performance is just as quick. The Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive will get from 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds, on to a top speed of 135mph.

Like the new Model 3, this latest Model Y is built in Tesla’s gigafactory in Berlin. We’ve seen an improvement in build quality for cars coming out of the German plant, which is one of Tesla’s newest factories.

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Buyers can choose from five colours with those two wheel options, while standard black or optional black and white interiors are also offered. Every car gets Tesla’s famous and impressive 15.4in touchscreen and an equally impressive 13-speaker audio system.

As we’ve experienced, Tesla’s built-in navigation system works brilliantly to advise drivers on where they might need to charge on a journey and for how long to complete their trip. The Tesla app lets users pre-programme the navigation, set the temperature inside the car and even let the car park itself via the Summon feature.

The Tesla Model 3 currently sits at the top of The Independent’s list of best electric cars.