From $36K in China to $70K in India: Tesla's steep entry price raises eyebrows

Tesla has finally launched its first showroom in India. The country's financial capital, Mumbai, welcomed the global EV giant with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurating the showroom on July 16, 2025. The store opened its doors to a select group of visitors on Tuesday and to the general public on Wednesday. The company is currently offering its Model Y car in India and is likely to roll out deliveries of a cheaper variant later this quarter.
 
"This is the first launch of Tesla in India. It marks a huge milestone for Tesla globally," said Isabel Fan, the company's senior regional director, adding that charging stations would be set up in Mumbai and the capital, New Delhi, shortly.
 
CEO Elon Musk has criticised India's high import tariffs in the past. But slumping sales in the US and the European Union (EU) have the world's richest man exploring new markets for his cars.
 
The company will likely to sell CBUs imported from China . This makes the Model Y variants start at an on-road price of around $70,000 in India, according to its website, which is significantly higher than the US price of $37,490 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.
 
While Tesla aims to tap the world's third-largest car market, we look at how the price of the renowned Model Y stacks up in different countries.
 
(All prices are in US dollars for the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive variants—the model that will be available in India.)

India
Launched in: July 2025
Price: ~$70,000

United States
Launched in: January 2020
Current price: $37,490

There are four Tesla manufacturing facilities in the US. The factory in Fremont produces the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y. The newest gigafactory in Austin, Texas, is churning out Model Y and Cybertruck. The 'Tesla Takedown' started because of Elon Musk's role in the second Trump presidency, resulting in slumped sales.

United Kingdom
Launched in: Feb 2022
Current price: $65,652

Tesla's Elon Musk problem also reached across the pond. Their car sales in the UK decreased due to Musk's vocal support for far-right parties, such as Reform UK. Tesla's shares dropped over 9 percent after its sales in the EU and UK declined by nearly half in January 2025, bringing its valuation below $1 trillion for the first time since November 2024.

UAE
Launched in: March 2025
Current price: $50,364

Tesla's presence in the UAE since 2017 has become a catalyst that is changing the fossil fuel-based automotive landscape in the Middle East. The Model S and Model X were first introduced in mid-2017. According to media reports, as of 2025, Dubai is Tesla's most developed market in the GCC.

Singapore
Launched in: August 2022
Current price: $59,622

Singapore is another battleground where Tesla must contend with the Chinese EV giant BYD. Tesla recently launched a Category A COE (Certificate of Entitlement)-compliant Model Y variant, specifically designed for Singapore. But even that hasn't deterred BYD from outselling Tesla and even Toyota. In the first four months of 2025, BYD sold 3,002 cars, accounting for 20 percent of total vehicle sales in Singapore, according to government data.

Saudi Arabia
Launched in: April 2025
Current price: $53,319

Saudi Arabia was the latest market Tesla entered before coming to India. On April 10, 2025, the company opened its first showroom and service centre in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Aligning itself with the Saudi government's clean energy transition policies, Tesla is looking to play a larger role in the shift. Apart from Model Y, Saudi customers can also select a Model 3 and pre-order Cybertruck.

Hong Kong
Launched in: September 2021
Current price: $39,064

Hong Kong is another market where Tesla has to fight hard to gain market share. The Palo Alto-based EV maker entered Hong Kong in 2010. According to SCMP Tesla is the top EV brand with about 47 percent market share. But that is being thratened by quicklyt rising BYD.

Germany
Launched in: March 2022
Current price: $59,200

Tesla has a Gigafactory in Berlin where 10,000 employees are responsible for manufacturing Model Y only. However, Musk's involvement and vocal support for far-right politics have led to boycotts and protests. His Nazi salute controversy also resulted in Tesla cars being nicknamed Swasticars. German sales declined 76 percent in February 2025 compared to February 2024. 

China
Launched in: January 2021
Current price: $36,735

Tesla has a super factory in Shanghai, also known as Giga Shanghai or Gigafactory 3. Approximately 20,000 employees are responsible for making Model 3, Model Y, and Supercharger at the facility. The US automaker is also involved in the brutal price wars in the world's largest auto market. According to Reuters, the decline in Tesla's sales extended to an eighth month in May.

Canada
Launched in: June 2020
Current price: $47,364 (Long Range All-Wheel Drive)

Canada imports Tesla vehicles and does not have an in-country production facility. Musk's company is now facing another EV policy problem, thanks to its North American neighbours. One of Canada's current climate change policies mandates that carmakers achieve 20 percent EV sales by 2026 or purchase credits from companies that have exceeded the goal. Since Tesla only sells EVs, all the other carmakers are buying credits from Tesla. But this has become a significant issue in Canada's attempts to secure a tariff deal with the US. According to Politico, local automakers want this mandate scrapped so that they are not under pressure to meet the deadline, and all the money doesn't flow to Tesla.

Australia
Launched in: June 2022
Current price: $38,397

Tesla has trade partners in Australia because it requires a stable supply of lithium for its batteries. In 2022, contracted for 110,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate over four years from Core Lithium's lithium mine in the Northern Territory of Australia. But the same controversial issues have followed Tesla Down Under as well. Sales are plummeting because owners want to distance themselves from Musk's politics. BYD is making inroads in the EV market, starting a price war. In February 2025, a group of Australian buyers sued Tesla with a class action over multiple issues, including battery range, driving assistance, and phantom braking.