Looking at a Tesla Electric Car Lease? Be aware of the May 2026 update to their Model Y “4680”

Be aware of the May 2026 update to their Model Y “4680” if Looking at a Tesla Electric Car Lease

With headlines, like this one from  Bloomberg   , suggesting that “Chinese Brands Snap Up Record 15% of Europe’s Electric-Car Sales”, you would think that some of our better known and existing manufacturers may be feeling the pressure.

But that is not a wholly reflective analysis on the state of EV sales in the UK. While it is true that the litany of Chinese EVs heading into the UK are having an influence – BYD, Jaecoo, Changan, Omoda, Xpeng – a recent resurgence from more familiar brands like BMW with their iX3, Audi with their Q6 and the VW Group with the Cupra Raval, VW ID.Polo and Skoda Epiq, has seen a return to more staple manufacturers.

Of course, the aggressive pricing by the Chinese brands on some of their fantastic cars does hurt. But at the same time, it is increasing competition and quality, which ultimately increases the quality of the product a UK driver can enjoy.

However, another more seminal electric car maker still deserves recognition – Tesla. As per the SMMT stats, the American powerhouse, under the guidance of Elon Musk, are still a force to be reckoned with. Registering 12,570 vehicles up to April 2026 in the UK, the Tesla brand still accounts for 1.65% of the vehicles registered so far this year.

With the recent 7-seater announcement for their Model Y, which we covered in our blogs, even more quality battery vehicles are set to be registered by personal and business leasing customers. But for May 2026, UK leasing cohorts needs to be aware of TWO big changes.

The first announcement, on 22 May 2026, was that Tesla have changed their policy and approach to the Full Self-Driving (FSD) Capability on their vehicles. Up to 21 May 2026, this was a feature which UK customers could pay to add to their Model 3 and Model Y at the point of order.

The FSD includes Autosteer, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, Lane Change, Navigate on Autosteer, Dumb Summon, Actually Smart Summon, Autopark and Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control. Moving forwards, UK customers can still utilise this feature on the Tesla website BUT the customer will have to subscribe to the new subscription package (this package contains the exact same features). The subscription will be a monthly-rolling subscription, with no minimum duration requirement, and will be priced at £99 per month.

This can be added or removed via the Tesla app according to the driver’s needs. In addition, the Enhanced Autopilot will stop being offered on the Tesla website and app for both New and Used vehicles. However, drivers who already have the features will maintain all the functionality.

The great news by this update is that 1) the FSD will no longer influence the P11D for company car and salary sacrifice drivers; and 2) the subscription is more flexible and functional. To be clear, FSD is still a supervised function in the UK, so not all the autonomous features can be utilised.

Introducing the new Tesla Model Y 4680 electric car lease

The second update is that the Tesla Model Y Premium RWD will now be the “Tesla 4680” model. This refers to the 4680 cylindrical battery cells. This method is about improving energy density and reducing the production costs. The vehicle previously used the Panasonic 2170 cells but this is being presented as a more functional approach to production.

While there is a mix of opinion on the pros v cons for the updated 4680 cell approach on the Model Y, this has been confirmed across all of UK and Europe. As such, drivers need to be aware of the adjusted battery format, range and charging which we have set out below:

•  Juniper Premium RWD 4680 - with a usable battery of 74 kWh this RWD SUV offers 220kW (295hp), top speeds of 125mph and 0-62 times of 5.6 seconds. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 240 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 335 miles (on a full charge) - 290 miles combined . The 11kW AC allows for 0-100% charging times of 8 hours with the 250kW DC enabling 10-80% in 36 minutes. The Tesla 4680 has no confirmed Bidirectional charging. It has a 159 mpg equivalent, 854L cargo volume (2138L with the seats down) and towing capabilities are 750kg (Unbraked) and 1600kg (Braked) The heat pump is available as a standard option. 

As you will note below, the updated 4680 offers around 15 miles less real-world combined range and, due to the charging curve, takes around 8 minutes longer to rapid charge:

•  Juniper Premium RWD Panasonic - with a usable battery of 79 kWh this RWD SUV offers 220kW (295hp), top speeds of 125mph and 0-62 times of 5.6 seconds. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 255 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 355 miles (on a full charge) - 305 miles combined . The 11kW AC allows for 0-100% charging times of 8 hours and 30 minutes with the 250kW DC enabling 10-80% in 28 minutes. The Tesla 4680  has no confirmed Bidirectional charging. It has a 156 mpg equivalent, 854L cargo volume (2138L with the seats down) and towing capabilities are 750kg (Unbraked) and 1600kg (Braked) The heat pump is available as a standard option. 

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