Tesla has once again revised down the specifications of its new China-built Model 3 Premium for the Canadian market, lowering the listed 0-100 km/h acceleration time for a second time and triggering renewed backlash from reservation holders.

Customers complained on social media that Tesla has changed the car’s advertised performance repeatedly without notice.

The change, made to Tesla’s Canadian website on Tuesday, lists the Premium Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3 with a 0-100 km/h time of 6.2 seconds — down from the 5.2 seconds displayed previously.

The figure had already been revised once before, from an initial 4.2 seconds to 5.2 seconds, when Tesla first launched the Shanghai-built variant on the first day of May.

The cumulative effect is a two-second slide in the advertised acceleration figure — from 4.2 seconds at launch to 6.2 seconds now — over the span of roughly three weeks.

The latest revision means the Canadian Premium RWD is now slower than the same variant sold in China, where Tesla’swebsite lists a 6.1-second 0-100 km/h time.

The change also places the Canadian “Premium” RWD below the US standard RWD Model 3, which is rated at 5.8 seconds — meaning Canada is set to receive the slowest Model 3 Premium of any market.

Tesla did not publicly announce the change, and reservation holders were not notified, according to buyers posting on Reddit’s r/teslacanada community.

The acceleration revision accompanies a broader set of downgrades documented in Tesla’s owner’s manuals and regional ordering pages.

The rear drive unit has changed from the 3D6 motor — rated at 220 kW peak power at 5,000 rpm and 440 Nm of torque — to the 3D7 motor, rated at 194 kW at 5,400 rpm and 340 Nm.

That represents a reduction of 26 kW, or roughly 35 horsepower, and 100 Nm of torque.

The change in motor designation effectively confirms what some buyers had speculated about for weeks — that the Canadian car would receive a less powerful drive unit than the higher-spec versions previously listed.

The peak DC fast-charging rate was previously cut from 250 kW to 175 kW, a reduction of 75 kW.

Tesla also revised its charging estimate, with the page now indicating up to 259 kilometres of range added in 15 minutes, down from 271 kilometres.

The battery and drive unit warranty was reduced from 8 years or 192,000 km to 8 years or 160,000 km — a cut of 32,000 km, while retaining the same minimum 70% capacity retention threshold.

Both the charging and warranty reductions were first reflected on the Canadian site on May 8.

Taken together, the changes reduce the car’s power, charging speed, warranty coverage, and acceleration relative to the figures displayed when Tesla first opened orders for the variant.

The repeated revisions have drawn sharp criticism from buyers, many of whom said they placed orders when the higher figures were displayed.

“I don’t want to cancel my order, but if the delivered car has lower specs than what were shown when we ordered — charging speed, battery/drive unit warranty, acceleration/motor, etc. — I think Tesla should at least provide clear written confirmation and some form of goodwill compensation,” one Reddit user claiming to hold a 2026 Model 3 reservation wrote.

Several commenters said they were considering cancelling their reservations or contacting OMVIC, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, with some characterizing the undisclosed changes as a “bait and switch.”

A number of buyers said they had sold their existing vehicles in anticipation of receiving a higher-performance car, only to see the advertised figures fall before delivery.

Multiple buyers reported cancelling their orders outright, while several raised the question of whether Ontario’s consumer protection laws on misleading advertising might apply — though one commenter noted that because the changes were made before delivery rather than after, the practical recourse is a deposit refund rather than compensation.

Tesla’s order agreement allows the company to apply revised warranty terms at delivery rather than at the time of order, stating that the applicable warranty version “is that which was in effect when the Vehicle was first delivered or picked up from Tesla directly.”

The specification reductions stem from Tesla’s decision to import Canadian-market Model 3s from its Shanghai factory rather than its Fremont, California plant.

The supply 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 applied to US-built vehicles entering Canada — an 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 a base price of C$39,490 — the cheapest Tesla vehicle ever sold in the North American market — or C$42,132 once delivery and other fees are included.

Despite the lower price, the variant does not qualify for Canada’s federal Electric Vehicle Affordability Program rebate of up to C$5,000, because the incentive is restricted to vehicles manufactured in Canada or in a country with which Canada has a free trade agreement — a category that excludes China.

The variant uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry sourced from Chinese suppliers, distinct from the nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry used in the higher-spec Long Range and Performance trims previously sold in Canada.

LFP batteries typically deliver lower peak charging speeds than nickel-based chemistries due to different thermal characteristics, which industry observers have noted may explain the 175 kW maximum power displayed for the new variant.

The mechanical reality is that the Premium RWD is a different vehicle from the Long Range RWD that previously occupied the same listing — with a different battery chemistry, motor configuration, and country of manufacture.

The convergence of specifications has led some buyers to conclude that the Canadian car is now essentially identical to the base Model 3 sold in China, sharing the same motor, battery, and rated range.

Several buyers noted that the listed range figure of 463 km matches the Model Y exactly, prompting speculation that the range estimate could also be revised before deliveries begin.

Beyond acceleration, buyers have reported that the Canadian variant carries a nine-speaker audio configuration rather than a previously expected higher count, and a smaller display, based on parts listed against assigned VINs.

Tesla does not appear to have finalized public communication on the full specification set, with company representatives offering buyers inconsistent information, according to multiple accounts on the Reddit thread.

One buyer said a Tesla representative suggested that the first batch of orders could be delivered with the 5.2-second figure while later orders would carry the 6.2-second rating — though the buyer cautioned that the information was unverified.

Tesla has recently begun assigning Vehicle Identification Numbers to the first batch of Shanghai-built Model 3 sedans destined for Canada.

Delivery estimates have been updated to “early June,” signalling that first customer deliveries of the new Premium Rear-Wheel Drive variant are set to begin within a month.

An X user posting under the handle ‘TechLapVolt’ shared the development on Thursday, writing that a VIN was being assigned for the new Premium RWD Model 3 in Canada.

The user, who placed their order on May 4, said their estimated delivery date had been updated to early June, while another buyer who ordered on May 2 reported a delivery window of May 25 to 30.

The arrival of the first Shanghai-built vehicles is expected later this month, with the timing of individual deliveries depending on location and configuration.