Model Y RWD and AWD Finally Get the Black Headliner and 16-Inch Screen
Tesla upgraded the Model Y RWD and AWD trims with two features that should have been standard from the beginning: an all-black headliner and the 16-inch center screen. Both were previously exclusive to the Premium trim. Prices didn't change, so this is just a better car for the same money.
What Actually Changed
The 16-inch screen matters more than the headliner. The Model Y interior is built around that display, and running the smaller screen on base trims always felt like a deliberate downgrade designed to push buyers upstream. The black headliner is more cosmetic, but it makes a real difference in how the cabin reads, especially with a dark interior.
RWD starts at $39,990. AWD is $41,990. If you ordered recently at the old spec, well. That's how Tesla goes about these things.
What You're Still Not Getting
The gap between RWD/AWD and Premium narrowed, but it didn't close. Acoustic-lined windows, ventilated seats (A/C seats), the glass roof, and more storage all remain Premium territory.
I've driven without ventilated seats in July and it's the kind of omission that goes from theoretical to very real the first time you fold yourself into a hot car. If you're somewhere with an actual summer, that's probably your deciding factor regardless of what happens with the headliner.
Range Numbers
RWD rates at 321 miles, AWD at 294 miles. The AWD gives up 27 miles for dual motors, which is the standard efficiency trade-off. Dry pavement most of the time? RWD at 321 miles is genuinely practical. Weather country? AWD makes the better case for itself.
Buying Decision
If you were already looking at RWD or AWD and the smaller screen or lighter headliner bothered you, that objection is gone. Same price, better spec. The comparison to Premium still holds if you need ventilated seats or acoustic windows, but for buyers who can live without those, the gap just got meaningfully smaller.
And if Model 3 is also in your shopping window: Tesla is running one year of free Supercharging on the Model 3 Premium and Performance through June 15, 2026. Peak Supercharger rates are running $0.45 to $0.60 per kWh right now, with some stations recently bumping from $0.44 to $0.49, $0.52, or $0.54. At average mileage, that's roughly $1,000 to $1,500 in charging value. The Model 3 Premium starts at $42,490, AWD at $47,490, Performance at $54,990. It's a real number attached to a real deadline.
Source: Teslarati