Tesla’s Canadian Model 3 page now displays significantly lower specifications than it did last month, with peak charging speeds and battery warranty distances both reduced following the launch of a new Premium Rear-Wheel Drive variant built at the Shanghai Gigafactory.
The Tesla Canada Model 3 page currently shows peak DC charging at 175 kW and a battery and drive unit warranty of 8 years or 160,000 km, according to the company’s website on Friday.
Previously, the Model 3 page displayed peak DC charging at 250 kW and a battery and drive unit warranty of 8 years or 192,000 km.
“From 250kW down to 175kW. From 192000 km down to 160000km,” a Reddit user wrote on the TeslaCanada forum. “What a joke.”
The charging speed claim has also been revised, with the page now indicating up to 259 kilometres added in 15 minutes — down from 271 kilometres.
Tesla has not publicly announced the spec changes, leading to several customer complaints on social media over the last few days.
Tariffs Led the Switch
The reductions come amid Tesla’s decision to import Canadian-market Model 3s from its Shanghai factory rather than its Fremont, California plant.
The supply chain shift was made possible by the trade agreement Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached in January, which replaced Canada’s previous 100% surtax on Chinese-built EVs with a 6.1% tariff under a 49,000-vehicle quota.
The 6.1% Chinese EV tariff sits well below the 25% Section 232 national security tariff currently applied to US-built vehicles entering Canada — a 18.9 percentage point gap that gives Tesla a clear financial incentive to source from China.
Tesla pulled all US-built Model 3 inventory from its Canadian website in early March, signalling the Shanghai pivot.
The new Premium Rear-Wheel Drive variant launched on May 1 at C$39,490 base — the cheapest Tesla vehicle ever sold in the North American market.
The variant uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry sourced from Chinese suppliers, distinct from the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry used in the higher-spec Long Range and Performance trims previously sold in Canada.
LFP batteries typically deliver lower peak charging speeds than NMC chemistries due to different thermal characteristics, which industry observers have noted may explain the 175 kW maximum power displayed for the new variant.
Customer Backlash
The undisclosed website revisions have prompted complaints from Tesla customers on Reddit’s r/teslacanada community.
A post on Thursday flagged the spec changes, drawing dozens of comments from buyers who said they had placed deposits while the higher figures were displayed.
“Changing specs is one thing, but altering the warranty mileage is a blatant moral issue for those who have already placed their orders,” the original poster wrote.
Several commenters suggested they were considering cancelling their reservations or contacting OMVIC, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council.
Tesla’s order agreement contains language addressing the timing of warranty terms.
“The warranty version applicable to your Vehicle is that which was in effect when the Vehicle was first delivered or picked up from Tesla directly,” the agreement states, according to text shared by a buyer on the Reddit thread.
That clause permits Tesla to apply revised warranty terms at delivery rather than at the time of order.
The Communication Gap
The mechanical reality is that the Premium RWD is a different vehicle from the Long Range RWD that previously occupied the same listing — different battery chemistry, different motor configuration, and different country of manufacture.
However, customers who placed reservations during the transition window have raised the question of which specifications applied to their orders.
The Premium RWD Model 3 lists at C$42,132 once delivery and other fees are included.
The 0-100 km/h acceleration figure remains listed at 5.2 seconds on the Canadian page.
In China, where the same Premium RWD variant is sold, Tesla’s website lists the model with a 6.1-second 0-100 figure.
The arrival of the first Shanghai-built Premium Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3 vehicles in Canada is expected later this month, with first customer deliveries planned to begin next month, depending on the location and configuration.
