Oliver Haslam on May 12, 2023, 2:42 pm

Tesla Cancels All Right-Hand-Drive Model S And Model X Orders

Tesla has contacted customers with outstanding orders for right-hand-drive Model S and Model X electric vehicles, according to a new report.

The cancellation means that people who already had an order in with Tesla will now have to either choose a Model 3 or Model Y or look elsewhere for their next EV.

The news comes as some Tesla customers receive emails telling them that right-hand-drive vehicles are no longer an option. They can instead choose to buy a car from inventory if one’s available or even choose a left-hand-drive vehicle instead. The latter option seems unworkable for those who drive on the left side of the road.

Countries impacted by this change include the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Ars Technica reports that one UK publication has been able to confirm with Tesla that it is no longer making Model S and Model X vehicles with the steering wheels on the right due to reasons related to quality control, although it isn’t clear what that means or why Tesla couldn’t just fix the issues at source.

However, Ars does suggest that this could all be related to slowing demand for the Model S and Model X — the cars haven’t had a meaningful refresh in years and have been caught up by other high-end options from the likes of Porsche, BMW, and Audi.