Model S — tri-motor flagship
Model S Plaid
2021–2026Production ended 2026 — the quickest sedan Tesla built4-door, 5-seat electric performance sedan
Three motors, three carbon-sleeved rotors, a sub-2-second sprint.
Overview
The Plaid is the three-motor version of Model S: one motor at the front and two independently driven motors at the rear, each with a carbon-fibre-wrapped rotor sleeve that lets it spin past 20,000 rpm. It was the quickest production sedan in the world when it launched in 2021 and stayed the benchmark until Model S production ended in 2026.
The story
Plaid arrived in June 2021 as the answer to a question nobody had quite asked: what happens if you give Model S three motors? One at the front, two at the back, each with a rotor sleeve wound in carbon fibre so it could spin past 20,000 rpm without bursting. The result was 1,020 hp, a 1.99-second sprint to 60 mph, and a car that could run a 9.23-second quarter mile straight off a showroom floor.
It also arrived with a yoke instead of a steering wheel, no gear selector, and a screen turned sideways — a set of decisions Tesla spent the next few years quietly softening, adding a round wheel option in 2023 as buyers kept asking for one.
Prices swung hard: $129,990 at launch, up to $149,990 in 2022 as demand outran supply, then down to $89,990 in 2023 as competition arrived. A $20,000 Track Package with carbon-ceramic brakes and track tyres finally unlocked the 200 mph top speed the car had been advertised with from the start, and in 2024 a Plaid lapped the Nürburgring in 7:25.231 — quicker than any four-door production car had managed. When Model S production ended in 2026, the Plaid went with it, still the quickest sedan the company ever built.
Full specifications
Powertrain
- Motors
- Three — one front, two rear, each with a carbon-fibre-wrapped rotor sleeve
- Peak power
- 1,020 hp (760 kW)
- Rear drive
- Independent rear motors with torque vectoring
- Battery
- About 100 kWh on a 400 V architecture
Performance
- 0–60 mph
- 1.99 s with rollout, on a prepped surface
- Quarter mile
- 9.23 s at 155 mph — the quickest production car tested when it launched
- Top speed
- 163 mph standard; 200 mph with the Track Package fitted
- Nürburgring
- 7:25.231, set in 2024 with the Track Package
Charging
- DC fast charging
- Up to 250 kW on V3 Superchargers
- Added range
- About 200 mi in 15 minutes
- Home charging
- Up to 11.5 kW onboard AC charger
Body & interior
- Seating
- 5 seats
- Steering
- Yoke as standard from 2021; a round wheel became an option in 2023
- Displays
- 17-inch centre display, 12.3-inch driver display, 8-inch rear display
- Brakes
- Carbon-ceramic brakes with the Track Package
Production
- First deliveries
- June 2021
- Built at
- Fremont, California
- Ended
- 2026, alongside the rest of Model S production
- Track Package
- $20,000 option — carbon-ceramic brakes, track tyres and the 200 mph top-speed unlock
Records and firsts
- The quickest production sedan in the world when it launched — 1.99 s to 60 mph
- The first production car with three carbon-fibre-wrapped rotor sleeves, letting each motor spin past 20,000 rpm
- The first Tesla rated at a 200 mph top speed, with the Track Package fitted
- Lapped the Nürburgring in 7:25.231 in 2024, quicker than any four-door production car at the time
- Ran a 9.23-second quarter mile at 155 mph — quicker than most supercars of its era
Every version
| Version | Years | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaid | 2021–2022 | $129,990 | Launch trim — yoke steering, a 396 mi range claim and a 1.99 s sprint |
| Plaid (round wheel) | 2023–2026 | $99,990 | Optional round steering wheel and a 348 mi EPA range |
| Plaid with Track Package | 2021–2026 | + $20,000 | Carbon-ceramic brakes, track tyres and the 200 mph top-speed unlock |