A Hacker Decodes and Reveals More Information on the Upcoming Cheap Tesla Model Y SUV
This hack reveals the inexpensive version of the Tesla Model Y will come with reduced features to create a cheaper baseline vehicle.
Teased for well more than a year, the cheap Tesla model was revealed in 2025 as a Model Y with reduced content, but without any further details. Now a decode of the latest firmware for the Model Y reveals what Tesla is willing to sacrifice to create its cheaper SUV. And it’s quite a lot.
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According to a story from Electrek, hacker “greentheonly,” or just “green”, is a regular and often accurate hacker who decodes Tesla firmware. The latest firmware release for the existing Juniper Model Y allowed the hacker to see the cheap Model Y will be known as the “E41.” It also, apparently, shows much more than the code or model-designation name. Indeed, it also details things Tesla removed to drop the Model Y's price to make it more palatable to the masses. Outside, for example, there will be “simplified” 18-inch wheels that are controlled by a downgraded suspension.
Strangely, the hack reveals there will be no tire pressure monitoring system, but this is a legal requirement for all vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2007 per the FMVSS Rule 138 and the TREAD Act of 2000. It’s possible there won’t be a stem-pressure monitor and the system will rely on wheel-speed sensors to estimate the pressures. This wouldn’t be the first time an OEM would choose an indirect tire pressure monitoring setup, but it does come with some disadvantages. Key among them is the risk of installing a tire that is just a bit too big or small and thereby throwing the system off, while such a setup overall will not be as accurate as direct pressure monitoring. Other exterior feature losses exposed by the hack include no glass roof, no puddle lamps, no power folding mirrors, a new front fascia, and a backup camera that doesn’t feature a heater to clear ice and defog its external lens.
Inside, further downgrades are equally as drastic with a simplified audio package being listed as “essential” and “essential with commodity,” but no further details were discovered as to what those two options mean. There will also be a lack of the “air wave” in the center console, which Electrek says will likely mean second-row passengers will not get airflow control, nor will they get a display for controlling anything else. Further, the headliner will be simplified and made of fiberglass, there will only be footwell lighting in the cabin, and the seats will see only a single-axis control. We're not sure if this means the cheap Model Y will get manually adjusted front seatbacks with powered forward and aft positioning.
So it seems this will be a true, stripped-down Tesla Model Y. As for what it means for pricing, that hasn’t been confirmed and probably won’t be revealed by a firmware hack. As of right now, the cheapest new Tesla Model Y is the Long Range RWD at $44,990. With everything that has been removed for the cheapo version, it might be possible for Tesla to drop the price by nearly $10,000 to get it to the promised $35,000 MSRP. We're interested to see how long the company will sell it for, considering the cheapest version of the Cybertruck—the single motor RWD—was dropped recently after no one bought it. But the smaller Model Y is a much better fit than the larger Cybertruck is for most people looking to get an EV on a budget, so there is a chance the company could sell enough examples to make it available for quite some time.
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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