This is why your Tesla Model 3 is so expensive: Elon Musk concedes Australian pricing "seems high"

Elon Musk has spoken out about Australian Tesla pricing, conceding the cost of a Model 3 here compared to USA pricing "seems high".

The Tesla boss was using his preferred communication channel, Twitter, and responding to a customer complaint over the cost of the Model 3 Down Under.

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Twitter user EV-HQ tweeted Musk a screenshot of a Model 3 Dual Motor Performance from the brand's Australian site, which lists the drive-away price more than $100,000.

"This is what the (US) $40,000 Dual Motor costs in Australia....... Surely there has to be some way we can cut this cost," the tweet read. 

Musk quickly replied, conceding Australian prices "seem high".

But drilling down on specific costs on the Tesla site does shed some light on local pricing. CarsGuide selected a Model 3 Performance to be registered in NSW, and the $106,620 order attracts a heap of taxes. 

For one, there's a delivery fee of $1375 and an order fee of $150. Then the government applies luxury car tax (LCT) of $5969, stamp duty of $4170, registration and CTP costs of $946 and a local plate fee of $150.

That means there's $12,760 in fees and taxes applied to the sale. LCT and stamp duty costs alone tally $10,139.

In the USA, on the other hand, we're LCT doesn't exist and certain states offer EV subsidies, the exact same car is significantly cheaper. 

In California, the Model 3 Performance will cost you $56,990, before a $2000 subsidy is applied, which will reduce the purchase price to $54,990. Even at today's relatively terrible exchange rates, that equates to $81,796 Australian dollars - a saving of almost $25,000.

The LCT is a contentious tax in Australia, which is charged at 33 per cent of the purchase amount above a $67,525 "luxury car" threshold.