Tesla Model S and Model X won’t be sold in the UK or Ireland “for the foreseeable future”

More than two years have passed since the Tesla Model S and Model X could be bought in the UK, and now the company has confirmed to TopGear.com that neither will be available in right-hand drive here or in Ireland “for the foreseeable future”. Oh.

In that time people could place an order for either car, but only under the proviso that minor details such as the delivery date - and, er, the actual price - would be settled at some point in the future.

Or not, as it turns out. A spokesperson for Tesla tells us reservation and order holders have all been informed of the news, with each offered three alternative options.

They are as follows: customers can choose £2,000 of credit towards a Model 3 or Model Y (in Ireland it’s €2,000), buy a left-hand drive vehicle from Tesla’s existing inventory, or simply cancel their order for a full refund.

And it’s not just the UK and Ireland that have been affected. Reports emerging from Australia (another RHD market) are suggesting the situation is the same there too.

It’s a different story in North America, where both the Model S and Model X were facelifted in January 2021, introducing a new trim line-up, performance enhancements and a refreshed interior. Which included that controversial ‘yoke’ steering wheel, lest we forget.

Production of right-hand drive never materialised, however, and now there are serious doubts about whether they’ll ever be built at all.

Which also suggests the 1,020bhp Tesla Model S Plaid - which we tested in Track Package guise last week - will never make it here in RHD either. Boo.