Last August, Tesla customers who were ordering the Model S sedan and Model X SUV were greeted with a pleasant surprise. Apart from a price cut, Tesla also removed all the charges for the two flagship vehicles’ paint options. This meant that even premium paint options like Ultra Red became free of charge.
The free paint options provided the Model S and Model X with a perk that is not found in the electric vehicle maker’s two mainstream vehicles, the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover. It was also well appreciated by customers who were purchasing the Model X Long Range, which has a starting price of $79,990. With all the vehicles’ paint options being free, customers could acquire a Model X Long Range in Ultra Red paint and still qualify for the IRA’s $7,500 federal point of sale incentive.
As per observations from the Tesla community, the electric vehicle maker has now retired the Model S and Model X’s fully free paint option. As can be seen in the two vehicles’ order pages, only Stealth Gray paint is free of charge today. Pearl White Multi-Coat, Deep Blue Metallic, and Solid Black cost an extra $1,500, and Ultra Red is now a $2,500 option.
With the recent update, Tesla customers who wish to qualify for the IRA’s $7,500 federal point of sale incentive must order their Model X Long Range with Stealth Gray paint, 20” Cyberstream Wheels, a 5-Seat All Black Interior, and a round steering wheel. Changing the paint of the Model X Long Range or opting for the vehicle’s other options would result in the all-electric SUV being priced beyond the federal point of sale credit’s $80,000 threshold.
The Model S and Model X are Tesla’s flagship vehicles, but they are not being distributed fully worldwide. Since the introduction of the vehicles’ current variants, which include the Model S and Model X Plaid, the two flagships have been unavailable to Right Hand Drive (RHD) countries. And in May last year, Tesla formally dropped the Model S and Model X from its Australian and New Zealand websites. Similar updates were also reported in locations such as Hong Kong and Singapore.
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