Tesla has made a change to its standard paint options for the Model 3 and Model Y in North America. The previous standard colour, Pearl White Multi-Coat, has been replaced with Midnight Silver Metallic. This new paint option comes at no additional cost to customers.
However, for those who prefer other colours, there are additional charges. Opting for Pearl White Multi-Coat or Deep Blue Metallic will cost an extra $1,000 (Rs. 82,011.80), while Solid Black adds $1,500 (Rs. 123,017.70), and Red Multi-Coat adds $2,000 (Rs. 164,023.60) to the starting Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).
It is important to note that while this change applies to the Model 3 and Model Y, the Model S and Model X continue to offer Pearl White Multi-Coat as the standard body colour.
Previously, Pearl White Multi-Coat had been the free colour option for the Model 3, Model S, and Model X since June 2019, and for the Model Y since March 2020. Before that, Solid Black was the default colour which explains why black and white Teslas are so common on the roads.
This shift to Midnight Silver Metallic as the default colour may be a response to requests from Tesla owners. In late 2021, a Tesla owner on Twitter, using the handle @28delayslater, suggested to Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, that the company should change its free colour option due to the abundance of white Teslas on the road. The owner proposed silver as the new standard colour.
Elon Musk responded to the tweet, expressing his intention to discuss the suggestion with his team. Now, a year and a half later, Tesla has indeed made Midnight Silver Metallic the default body colour. Whether this decision was influenced by public suggestions or driven purely by economic considerations is uncertain.
It should be noted that Tesla offers different colour options in various regions worldwide. In Europe, Pearl White Multi-Coat remains the default choice, while Solid Black is the free colour option in China.
Notably, for the Model Y manufactured in Berlin, Germany, Tesla provides two premium paint options: Midnight Cherry Red and Quicksilver. These colours come at a higher price, with the former priced at 3,200 euros (Rs. 284,902.40) and the latter at 3,000 euros (Rs. 267,354.00) in Germany.
In the United States, the most expensive paint option available is Ultra Red, offered for the Model S and Model X for $3,000 (Rs. 246,035.41).
