Want your Tesla painted black? That'll be an extra $1,000, please

[Devolz]

A new Tesla isn't cheap, even if you opt for baseline option, but until now it's been possible to ease the strain on your wallet by opting for a black paint job rather than the flashier silver or blue options. That's about to change though, with the cost of a dark finish shooting up by $1,000 (around £800, AU$1,400).

The price hike is scheduled for next month, so if you've been mulling a new purchase and fancy turning to the dark side, you'd better move quickly.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the change on Twitter, but didn't give a reason for the pricier paint.

Ups and downs

Musk was quick to shut down suggestions that the company might start to offer cars in other colors, noting that adding new shades would make future servicing difficult, leading to "a long tail of hurt".

The company has made several tweaks to its pricing in recent months. In March it dropped the price of an entry-level Model 3, and in April Musk tweeted that the price of cars equipped with Full Self Driving mode would "increase substantially over time".

It's also worth bearing in mind that, despite the name, Full Self Driving isn't the same as full autonomy, and you can't get away with cruising along a busy highway at 65mph while fast asleep, no matter how much you paid for it.