Tesla electric cars

The brand that mainstreamed the electric car, selling premium battery-electric vehicles factory-direct.

Tesla was incorporated in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, with Elon Musk joining as lead investor and chairman in 2004 and becoming CEO in 2008. It progressed from the original Roadster to the Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y, and in 2024 led the global battery-electric market. Tesla relocated its headquarters from Palo Alto, California to Austin, Texas in 2021.

Tesla is a pure battery-electric manufacturer with no combustion or plug-in hybrid models. In Australia its range centres on the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV (the Model Y was the world's best-selling car in 2023), with a longer six-seat Model Y L added for 2026, while the older Model S and Model X have been discontinued and a Cybertruck launch remains under evaluation for local design-rule compliance. Tesla also runs Australia's largest fast-charging network, with around 90 Supercharger sites, opened to non-Tesla EVs from late 2024.

premium mainstream BEV

All battery-electric: the Model 3 sedan and Model Y mid-size SUV are the core Australian range, joined by the longer six-seat Model Y L for 2026. Model S and Model X have been retired locally, and the Cybertruck is not yet on sale in Australia.