Few car makers have changed the Australian market as quickly as Tesla. It sold its first car here as a niche sports car maker and, little more than a decade later, built the country's best-selling electric car. The story of Tesla in Australia follows the company's own growth, from a hand-assembled roadster to a mass-market SUV, with a few models arriving and leaving along the way. This guide covers where the company came from, how each model reached local roads and what that history means for anyone buying a used Tesla today.
Where Tesla began
Tesla was incorporated on 1 July 2003 as Tesla Motors, Inc., by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning 1. The company is named after the inventor Nikola Tesla 1. Elon Musk led its first funding round in February 2004 and became chairman, and he was named chief executive in 2008 1. A 2009 settlement lets five people, including Musk, call themselves co-founders 1.
The company listed on the NASDAQ exchange on 29 June 2010 1, the same year it began selling cars in Australia. It changed its name to Tesla, Inc. in February 2017 1, reflecting a business that by then included energy storage as well as cars. Its headquarters are now in Austin, Texas, where its Gigafactory Texas is located 1.
The Roadster: Tesla in Australia begins
Tesla's first car was the Roadster, built from 2008 to 2012 2. It was based on the Lotus Elise chassis, and about 2,450 were sold worldwide 2. Cumulative production reached 1,000 cars in January 2010 2, a few months before the first Australian deliveries were due. Each car carried a 53 kWh lithium-ion battery made up of 6,831 small cylindrical cells, which gave it a rated range of 393km on a charge 2. Lotus built the bodies at Hethel in England, and final assembly for cars sold outside North America took place nearby at Wymondham 2. Right-hand drive production began in early 2010, first for buyers in the United Kingdom and Ireland 2.
Australia was one of its markets. In May 2010, GoAuto reported that Tesla planned to start delivering the Roadster from a new Sydney store in August that year 3. The car had been re-engineered into right-hand drive and altered to accept 240 volt power 3. Tesla claimed a full recharge took about 3.5 hours from a 240 volt outlet 3, and the store was to be owned by Tesla itself 3. For the launch, Tesla quoted a range of 380km and a claimed time of 3.9 seconds to reach 97km/h 3. Pre-orders were open, with cars expected about three months after ordering 3.
That ownership model mattered. It meant Tesla would sell the car itself, from its own store, rather than through a separate dealer business 3. Production ended in early 2012, when the supply of Lotus-built bodies ran out 2, and the 2012 cars were sold in limited numbers in Europe, Asia and Australia 2.
The Model S launch in 2014
The Model S was Tesla's first car designed from the ground up. It went on sale in the United States in 2012, with deliveries starting there in June that year 1. A large five-door sedan, it was a very different proposition to the two-seat Roadster. In Australia, Renew Economy reported in November 2014 that the official launch was set for 9 December in Sydney, and was expected to include the first Model S deliveries 4. The launch was also to cover showrooms and the fast charging network 4.
The Supercharger network
Fast charging was central to Tesla's pitch. The company introduced its Supercharger network on 24 September 2012, with six stations in California 1. At the time of the Australian launch, Tesla had more than 200 Supercharger stations in the United States, Asia and Europe 4. For owners, fast chargers along the highways were the key to long trips in an electric car, and the plan put them on the agenda from the first day 4.
The Model 3 and the move to the mainstream
Tesla's next car was aimed at a much larger market. It was announced in 2016, with deliveries starting in July 2017 1. Australian buyers waited until 2019 for right-hand drive cars 5. In late August 2019, Tesla Australia said the first vehicles were being delivered 5. One early Sydney owner's car was a Standard Range Plus model 5, and New Zealand deliveries began a day ahead of Australia's 5. Early buyers also pointed out that Australia did not have the seven day, full refund return policy Tesla offered elsewhere, and Musk replied on social media: "Should be. Will fix." 5
That car changed who could buy a Tesla. Instead of a large luxury sedan, buyers could choose a mid-size car, and a used example is now one of the more common ways into electric motoring.
The Model Y becomes Australia's top electric car
The Model Y is Tesla's mid-size SUV. Tesla introduced it in March 2019, with deliveries starting in March 2020 1. An updated Model Y was shown at the Everything Electric Show in Sydney in March 2025 7, with local customer deliveries expected to start that May 7. Deliveries were to begin with a launch series, followed by the standard versions 7. The same report noted that orders for the updated car in China had passed 200,000 7. It sold strongly. According to VFACTS data, Tesla delivered 22,239 Model Y cars in Australia in 2025, placing it 10th among all vehicles sold nationally 8. That made it the best-selling electric car in Australia for a third consecutive year 8.
Leaving the range in 2023
Not every Tesla stayed. In 2023, Tesla removed the Model S and Model X links from its Australian website, and the Model S page stated that it was not available to order in Australia 6. The removal came less than three weeks after order holders had been told 6.
That leaves the Model S and Model X as used-only cars in Australia for now. They still turn up for sale, and owners value them, but a buyer should plan for parts and servicing that depend on a model no longer sold new here.
Tesla's big battery in South Australia
Tesla's name is attached to more than cars here. The Hornsdale Power Reserve, about 15km north of Jamestown in South Australia, describes itself as the world's first big battery 9. Its first stage of 100 MW was completed in November 2017 9. A 50 MW expansion followed in September 2020 9. Its owner, Neoen, says the full 150 MW has been upgraded to include Tesla's Virtual Machine Mode 9, which lets the battery help steady the grid in the way spinning generators do.
The site matters to the car story because it shows the same idea at a much larger scale. Large batteries can store energy when it is plentiful and release it when it is needed, whether they sit under the floor of a car or beside a wind farm.
Buying a used Tesla in Australia
A decade of local sales means there are now used Teslas of many ages on the market. The model history helps you work out what you are looking at:
- A Roadster is a rare collector's car from 2008 to 2012, with low production numbers 2.
- A Model S or Model X is a large car that can no longer be ordered new in Australia 6.
- A Model 3 could date from any year since local deliveries began in 2019 5.
- A Model Y could be an earlier car or the update shown in 2025 7.
Checks before you buy
Electric cars have fewer moving parts than petrol cars, but they still need care. Ask for the service history and look at the tyres and brakes, which wear on an electric car like any other. Our guide on why you should never skip a scheduled service explains what a service record tells you.
Think about where you will charge before you buy. A house with a garage makes it easy. If you live in a unit, our guide to EV charging in apartments explains the strata rules and the options. You can also read about Tesla's long-time rival in our history of Toyota in Australia, the maker that put hybrid cars on Australian roads.
Our safety guide for buyers covers meeting a seller and checking a car's history, and the car loan calculator helps you plan the cost. When you are ready, browse the cars for sale on Car Domain.
For more on the early years, GoAuto's 2010 report on the Roadster's arrival captures the moment Tesla first came to Australia. The Driven's report on the first Model 3 deliveries covers the car that took Tesla into the mainstream.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Tesla, Inc., accessed 2 November 2026
- Wikipedia, Tesla Roadster (first generation), accessed 2 November 2026
- GoAuto, Tesla set for August EV debut Down Under, accessed 2 November 2026
- Renew Economy, Tesla to launch in Australia in early December, accessed 2 November 2026
- The Driven, First Tesla Model 3 electric sedans delivered to customers in Australia, accessed 2 November 2026
- The Driven, End of an era: Tesla officially removes its flagship models from Australia, accessed 2 November 2026
- The Driven, New 2025 Tesla Model Y debuts in Australia, as orders surpass 200,000 in China, accessed 2 November 2026
- Drive Tesla Canada, Tesla Model Y Remains Australia's Best-Selling EV For Third Straight Year, accessed 2 November 2026
- Neoen Australia, Hornsdale Power Reserve, South Australia's big battery, accessed 2 November 2026
