Tesla Model Y exceeds government EV rebate thresholds

The long-awaited Tesla Model Y will finally hit customer hands from August this year, with a starting price that puts it beyond the threshold for various State rebates.

The base Tesla Model Y kicks off at $68,900 before on-road costs including GST, with more details available in our price and specs story here.

At first, we thought this was tantalisingly close to the $3000 rebate threshold in Victoria ($68,740 or under), or New South Wales and South Australia ($68,750 or under).

In other words, we thought that if Tesla cut its price by just $160, it could save buyers in these three regions $3000 via a government payment. Maddening!

But this actually doesn’t appear to be quite the case, because Tesla’s $68,900 price excludes a national delivery fee and ordering fee. With these included, the base vehicle subtotal jumps to $70,625 excluding on-road costs (local stamp duty, CTP and registration).

• Base Tesla Model Y price: $68,900
• Delivery fee: $1375
• Order fee: $350
• Vehicle subtotal (dutiable price): $70,625

The fine print for the NSW and Victorian $3000 rebates at least state clearly the dutiable amount on which the threshold is applied includes delivery costs.

“The dutiable value of a vehicle is the total amount paid (including GST) for the vehicle, which includes delivery costs, accessories and options added to the vehicle… and any other charges or fees levied by the dealer on the purchaser,” the NSW Government states.

Likewise, the Victorian Government’s Ts and Cs clearly state that dealer or OEM delivery charges are bundled into the purchase price for assessing eligibility criteria, as the image above shows.

“Any ZEV purchase where the dutiable value is above $68,740 will not be eligible to receive the subsidy,” it adds.

In other words, it looks like Tesla didn’t thoughtlessly miss the threshold cap by a few pineapples. We’ve reached out to Tesla Australia for comment.

MORE: Everything Tesla Model Y MORE: What electric car buyer incentives are available around Australia?