Tesla is preparing to launch the Model Y L in South Korea after the six-seat SUV cleared energy efficiency certification with the Korea Energy Agency, regulatory filings showed on Friday.
A camouflaged Model Y L was spotted on a South Korean highway the same day, as the Elon Musk-led company finalises the road testing of the China-exclusive model in the country.
The South Korean launch comes as Tesla also prepares to begin sales of the three-row SUV in Australia and New Zealand later this year, expanding a model that has been available only in China since August 2025.
Korean Certification
The Korea Energy Agency filing identifies the vehicle as the Model Y L, registered by Tesla Korea Co Ltd as an imported multi-purpose electric passenger car with all-wheel drive and seating for six.
It rides on a 3,040 mm wheelbase with a 1,635 mm track width and a curb weight of 2,090 kg.
The battery is a 97.25 kWh NCM unit supplied by LG Energy Solution — a departure from the CATL lithium iron phosphate cells used in many of Tesla‘s Chinese-market vehicles.
The filing certified a range of 543 km on a single full charge, with a combined energy efficiency of 5.6 km/kWh.
City driving efficiency was rated at 5.7 km/kWh and highway efficiency at 5.4 km/kWh. The vehicle received an overall energy efficiency rating of Grade 2.
China Origins
The Model Y L — a three-row version of Tesla‘s best-selling model — launched in China in August 2025, with deliveries beginning the following month.
It is priced from 339,000 yuan ($49,000), approximately 75,500 yuan above the entry-level five-seat Model Y.
The six-seat SUV quickly became a best-seller in China’s competitive three-row segment, with 2025 allocation selling out ahead of year-end.
When asked at the time of the Chinese debut whether the model would be available in the United States, CEO Elon Musk said it would not “start production in the US until the end of next year,” adding: “Might not ever, given the advent of self-driving.”
International Rollout
The Korean certification follows a series of regulatory approvals across multiple markets in recent months.
In December, the six-seat variant was granted approval for sale by the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW), marking the first time it was considered for markets outside China. In February, Australia’s Road Vehicle Regulator approved the model, with Tesla subsequently confirming the Model Y L will launch in both Australia and New Zealand in 2026.
According to the Australian approval documents, the model will be available in both front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive variants — suggesting a broader range of configurations than the all-wheel drive version certified in Korea.
Regulatory approval typically precedes a model’s official launch by several months. No pricing has been disclosed for any market outside China.
No further updates on a European launch have been announced since the Dutch approval in December.
Competition
In South Korea, the Model Y L will enter a market where Tesla already sells the five-seat Model Y.
The six-seat version will compete with a growing range of electric three-row SUVs from Korean and Chinese manufacturers.
In Australia, the Model Y L will face the Kia EV9, priced from AU$97,000 ($68,700), the Hyundai Ioniq 9 from AU$119,750 ($84,800), the Volvo EX90 from AU$117,235 ($83,000), and the Geely-backed Zeekr 009 ranging from AU$115,900 to AU$139,900.
The more affordable plug-in hybrid Hyundai Santa Fe starts from AU$53,400.
