Short answer: AWD usually has the higher used price, and no source I found shows that RWD loses less as a percentage of its price.
The sources don't cleanly split the two. iSeeCars' Model Y page covers the whole model: about 44.1% lost after 3 years and 55.4% after 5. The AWD-versus-RWD comparisons are older or less formal:
- Long Range AWD: CarBuzz calls it the most consistently cited value-retainer and the most liquid used Model Y. Recharged says AWD examples are in oversupply, which pushes their prices down.
- RWD: iEVChina ranks the 2022–2023 Model Y RWD at about 64% retained value after 3 years, with cheap parts and strong rideshare demand. That is one site's leaderboard, and it covers older RWD cars, not 2026 ones.
- Availability: one 2026 guide says the RWD base trim was dropped for the new Juniper generation in the US, so most used RWDs are 2025 or earlier.
My read: AWD holds the higher dollar value, and RWD may lose a smaller percentage, but the evidence for that is thin. Check the same year, mileage and battery health side by side on a used-car listing site before deciding. The earlier thread on Model Y leasing and depreciation has more on the iSeeCars figures.
Also discussed here:
- From a cost standpoint which is a better financial approach to leas…
- How long backlog of Tesla model y is there
- I wanna test drive a brand new Tesla Juniper model Y for 30 days.
🕒 As of October 2026
