2026 Tesla Model Y 'Juniper' spotted cold-weather testing

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• Spied! Is this the upcoming 2026 Tesla Model Y, the one codenamed “Juniper”?
  
• These winter testing shots sure seem to suggest so, and show off some of its new exterior styling
  
• The changes are reportedly more than skin-deep: its interior will also get a refreshen

Think what you may about the Tesla brand and those who lead it, there’s no denying its model lineup forced legacy automakers (for better or worse) into developing electric vehicles which (mostly) work in the real world, instead of the tepid science projects they had begrudgingly been producing for years.

Now, however, there’s a good argument the shoe is on the other foot and that it is those same automakers which are pushing Tesla to roll out revisions and updates to big sellers like the Model Y. For what is the first time since that car’s debut about five years ago, the general public has gotten a peek at major changes for the brand’s bread-and-butter model.

Spotted by an alert Twitter (X) user in a northern latitude, this test mule certainly appears to be the 2026 Tesla Model Y, wearing its expected new front and rear styling along with a few other tweaks. Unlike the old version, this new one is more of a departure from the copy-paste school of vehicle styling employed by developers of the existing Model Y, which shared much with the Model 3 four-door sedan.

A unique headlight bar appears to stretch across the entire front of this test mule, proving that Mercury had it right all along back in the ‘80s. Expressive sculpting in its front bumper remove the blank fish mouth with which the current model is afflicted, though it’s difficult to tell from this distance if those are actual aero aids or simply fake news.

Around back, an area slathered with accumulated snow cover on this test mule, we find taillights spanning the hatchback, with a strip of red that looks a suspiciously like that found on a Hyundai Kona Electric. That being said, this winter tester has much of its rear lamp concealed by accumulated snow; the main lights seem to be vaguely similar to today’s Model Y.

Quick-thinking Redditors also snapped some photos in a different location, this time exposing the changes which are in store for the Model Y’s interior. A squared-off steering wheel is present, which isn’t so bad as the horrible yoke; even Lincoln is getting in on the ‘squared wheel’ trend, and it actually works well if executed properly.

Other changes, such as a redesigned centre console and the banishment of column stalks, mirror what appeared in the revised “Highland” Model 3. This makes sense for costing purposes and economies of scale.

There’s every chance in the world this “Juniper” Model Y will show its face in our market sometime this year.

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