Tesla Model 3 Review & Prices

The Tesla Model 3 has cemented its place as an go-to family car at this point, right up there with the VW Golf and Nissan Qashqai amongst school-run royalty. The Model 3 received a comprehensive update in 2023 with sleeker, sharper styling on the outside, better interior refinement and most importantly the addition of longer-range versions.

The Model 3 is a highly desirable electric alternative to the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Audi A5, or the electric Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Polestar 2. The Model 3 is to family saloons what the iPhone was to the mobile phone industry: fewer buttons, more screens and a status symbol in its own right.

Unlike an iPhone however, the Tesla Model 3 has rather excellent battery life regardless of which model you chose. The Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive version of the Model 3 is the one which really excels when travelling far, as Tesla says it can reach around 436 miles on a single charge - making it one of the longest-range EVs on sale in the UK.

Yet the Model 3 is still much cheaper than any other long-range EV, and it’s not just value for money that makes it stand out. Slim headlights and C-shaped taillights give the latest Model 3 an even stronger identity than it had when it was launched.

Tesla Model 3: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 318-436 miles
Efficiency: 4.4-5.0 miles per kWh
Battery size: 60kWh / 79kWh
Max charge speed: 250kW
Charge time AC: 7hrs 34mins, 0-100%, 11kW
Charge time DC: 27mins, 0-80%, 250kW
Charge port location: Left side rear
Power outputs: 245hp / 320hp / 351hp / 460hp

Inside is much the same it’s always been though, with an interior dominated by its enormous 15.4-inch central touchscreen - which happens to be the infotainment system, driver’s display and heater controls all-in-one. It can be frustrating to get to grips with, but the infotainment has a slick interface and is easy to use once you’ve wrapped your head around it.

Build quality in the Model 3’s interior is good - if not quite up to par with German alternatives - and the lack of any design features minus the large screen is a little bland. That being said, a full-length panoramic glass roof gives the impression of even more headroom than the Model 3 has - and it avoids being dark and dingy inside.

Boot space in the Model 3 is phenomenal too at 590 litres, giving it more luggage space than any of its close alternatives - 100 litres more than the Kia EV6, for example. You also get a sizeable frunk in the Model 3, with enough space for a small trip to the shops or a couple of backpacks.

The Model 3 is also rather pleasant to be behind the wheel of, with the latest version smoothing out lumps and bumps in the road - with minimal wind and road noise at motorway speeds too. If you’re inclined to carve some corners in an electric sports saloon then there’s also a dual-motor, rapid Performance version of the Model 3 - which we've also driven.

All Model 3 versions are comfortable to drive on tight roads, with light steering and effortless low-speed performance taking some of the stress out of city traffic. If you’re inclined to make the most of the Model 3’s long range then the Full Self-Driving Capability is an option to consider, as it’ll keep up with traffic for you on the motorway but also read stop signs and traffic lights.

Once legislation changes, Tesla says that Model 3s equipped with this system will be able to get you around without even having your hands on the wheel - but at almost £7000 it’s a shockingly expensive option. When it comes to options however, the Model 3 isn’t short of standard kit. Heated and cooled seats, a touch-screen display for rear passengers and wireless charging make even the most basic Model 3 a pleasant car to live with.

Regardless of spec, it’s a very capable family saloon - check out how much you could save on one with our Tesla Model 3 deals. Alternatively, have a look at our used Model 3 deals or other used Tesla models. We can even help you sell your car when it’s time to change, too.

It might have a reputation for being a pricey premium brand, but the Tesla Model 3 is actually very competitively priced amongst similarly sized electric cars. Perhaps the most natural alternative is the BMW i4, but this starts at the same price as a Long Range AWD Model 3, while the Kia EV6, Polestar 2 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 all start at a bit more than the Tesla, with top-spec, long-range versions that are considerably more expensive. The Volkswagen ID3 is closest on price, but its interior feels much cheaper and less high-tech, and it's also a smaller car.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance starts at around £60,000, and even that feels like pretty good value, considering the BMW i4 M50 kicks off at £70,000, though the Kia EV6 GT is only about £2,500 more than the Tesla.

All this being said, it's easy to push the price of the Model 3 up. If you want a black and white interior, fancy paint job or bigger alloy wheels, all are expensive extras. And it's more money again for the enhanced Autopilot package or 'Full Self-Driving' capabilities.

The Tesla Model 3 offers fantastic acceleration and impressive cornering ability, but it can’t quite match the best sports saloons for overall handling and cornering excitement

In town

Any Model 3 is impressively quick away from the lights, but it’s not all about speed here, it is also easy to drive thanks to light controls and a suspension that is still firm, but more comfortable over most road surfaces, and brakes that make it easy to come to a smooth stop, unlike many other EVs. Visibility is slightly marred by rather large front door pillars, so you’ll have to get used to peering around the blind spot at junctions.

The comprehensive Basic Autopilot driver assist system includes traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, front and rear parking sensors and a blind spot warning feature, all useful tools when navigating tight and congested city streets. Add on the optional Enhanced Autopilot feature, and your Model 3 will park itself, and the Smart Summon feature can even guide your car to you in a car park.

On the motorway

Motorway driving is smooth and refined, while performance is either impressive or excessive depending on the version you pick. Adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning are standard, and the optional Autopilot system will drive the car for you as long as you keep a hand on the steering wheel. 

With even the standard Model 3 capable of 318 miles on a charge, it’s good to know that the front seats are comfortable and supportive on longer trips. The panoramic glass roof also makes the interior feel airy, especially for passengers in the rear, while the fact that you now get acoustic glass all around means there's less wind and road noise to contend with.

On a twisty road

The rear-wheel-drive base model is already faster than most similarly-priced cars, and it handles twisty roads with confidence. The low centre of gravity makes it feel planted around corners, but the steering feel isn’t quite up there with the more expensive Ford Mustang Mach-E, nor the BMW i4.

The suspension is able to soak up rutted road surfaces without too much trouble, though, and although the rear-wheel drive version delivers enough oomph to put a smile on your face, it's the all-wheel drive versions that will really make you giggle. The improved suspension means that the Tesla is more composed over bumps, which gives you more confidence to have some fun in the corners.

If you want the most fun you can have in a Model 3, a new Performance version was announced in April 2024. It has some suspension and brake upgrades to go with more power that should make it more capable in corners – check back soon for our verdict once we've been behind the wheel.

You won’t have any trouble fitting four adults and a fair amount of luggage into the Model 3, but accessing the glovebox or adjusting the steering wheel via the touchscreen seems a bit overcomplicated

You get a fair amount of storage space in the Model 3, starting with a pair of large front door bins that will take big water bottles and even smaller handbags. The central cubby incorporates a tray with two USB-C ports, and you get another covered storage compartment as well as two cup holders. 

A padded section ahead of these storage bins gives you a place to store and wirelessly charge your phone. You’ll need to use the massive 15.4-inch touchscreen to unlock the glovebox though, which seems a bit overcomplicated. 

The front seats offer plenty of adjustment, and the steering wheel can be positioned to suit just about every shape and size (though this has to be done through the screen, too).

Space in the back seats

Passengers in the back can make use of two smaller yet still useful door bins, and the central armrest folds down to reveal a set of cupholders. There are also front seat-back pockets and centrally mounted air vents with USB-C ports located under them, which are powerful enough to keep a laptop going.

Your passengers will be more comfortable in the back of the new Tesla Model 3 than in the old one, thanks to seats that recline more, though there's still not a great deal of under-thigh support. That's where the complaints end though because it's much quieter and more comfortable than before, and you get a screen between the front seats to control the ventilation and music, which feels more special than most alternatives.

The two outer seats come with ISOFIX anchors, but they're a bit tricky to find the mounting points. A BYD Seal is a better option for fitting a child seat.

Boot space

The Tesla Model 3 has a massive boot with a capacity of 594 litres, so you can fit comfortably more stuff in the back than any similar cars you might consider, with the Kia EV6 being well behind at 490 litres and the BMW i4 offering 470 litres. Other options don't get close, with the Polestar 2 offering 405 litres, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 coming with 401 litres, and the Volkswagen ID3 sitting at 385 litres.

What's more, there's a front bonnet that's also bigger than you get elsewhere, with some electric cars not even having stowage space up front. In the Tesla you get an extra 88 litres, considerably more than the Kia EV6's 52 litres.

There’s still nothing quite like the interior of a Model 3, aside from another Tesla. It’s ultra-minimalist and the material quality is good, if not in the league of its German alternatives

Stepping into the cabin of the Tesla Model 3 is a lesson in minimalism and uncluttered design that no alternative offering has yet mastered. You don't even get stalks behind the steering wheel anymore – the indicators are buttons on the face of the wheel, and you select drive and reverse by swiping the touchscreen.

To access the various functions – both minor and major – you will need to make use of that huge 15.4-inch touchscreen jutting out of the centre of the dashboard. It all looks very futuristic, but having to delve through menus to access everything from the music volume to seat heating and even steering wheel adjustments can initially be a bit frustrating.

Once you’re all set up and have configured the shortcuts and layout to your tastes, it is as easy to navigate as your smartphone. The screen is very responsive, has bright and clear graphics and the sat nav uses Google Maps which is about as user-friendly as it gets. Tesla doesn’t offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but you may not actually miss it – that just goes to show how intuitive it all is. We still wouldn’t mind a physical button for the glove box though.

A nice touch is the double wireless phone charger beneath the dashboard, which means you and your passenger don't have to fight over charge. There's also a USB-C slot to top up the old-fashioned way, too.

Material quality has typically been hit and miss for Tesla, but the new Model 3 has no issues in this regard. Everything feels pretty well put together, and while it's still not quite up there with the likes of BMW and Mercedes, you can have few complaints. Some nice touches that elevate the premium appeal include perforated leather upholstery that allows for a cooling function in the seats, ideal for a hot day.

One thing that is missing is a head-up display. These have become common among most other brands, but not Tesla. It's a shame because it would make it easier to watch your speed, which is currently displayed in the corner of the touchscreen so requires you to constantly glance away from the road.

You can choose from three battery and motor combination for the Tesla Model 3. The first is the standard range model, which has a single motor and rear-wheel drive. With a 0-60mph time of 5.8 seconds it's no slouch, and with an official range of 318 miles it doesn't feel like the budget option at all.

If you want more power and range, though, there is the dual-motor long range model. It has all-wheel drive and can scoot from 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds. A bigger battery means it will travel up to 390 miles on a charge.

However, as it stands, these official range figures are measured with the optional 19-inch alloy wheel design. Tesla estimates that the rear-wheel drive model will go 344 miles on the standard 18-inch wheels, while the long range could go 421 miles.

If you want the most power possible, there's also an all-wheel drive Performance version. It has 460hp, but Tesla reckons it will go from 0-60mph in a ridiculous 2.9 seconds, though we'll have to get behind the wheel to verify this. Regardless, it's sure to be lightning quick, yet despite this and the fact it's only available with 20-inch wheels, Tesla claims a respectable range of 328 miles.

The rear-wheel drive model might not go as far as the Long Range between charges, but it's actually slightly more efficient, so will cost a bit less in electricity for a given journey. Official numbers suggest 4.7miles/kwh is possible, while the dual motor version gets a figure of 4.4m/kwh – either way, that's excellent efficiency. Again, though, the 18-inch wheels should improve these numbers.

During our review of the car, we saw hugely impressive efficiency of 4.6m/kWh in the big battery version. This would result in a real-world range of about 342 miles.

When it's time to charge, the dual motor can top up slightly quicker at 250kW, compared with 170kW for the standard car. Both get to use Tesla's excellent Supercharger network, though.

Company car buyers will find the ultra-low electric car benefit-in-kind rate mighty appealing, while everyone benefits from the fact there's no road tax to pay in the first year.

A Tesla Model 3 Long Range garnered a full five-star Euro NCAP score in 2019, with a very impressive 96% adult occupant score and 94% for safety assist systems. Although this was for the old version, they're similar enough that it still applies.

All Model 3s come fitted with the Basic Autopilot driver assist system which includes traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, front and rear parking sensors and blind spot warning. Adaptive cruise control and keyless entry are also standard fitments.

All models can additionally spec the Enhanced Autopilot feature, which adds a host of extra abilities like semi-autonomous driving and a self-parking system which will park the car for you. A Full Self-Driving Capability option is also available, which includes traffic light and stop sign control and access to future developments like automatic steering on city streets. We would stick with the Enhanced Autopilot option for now.

In the past, the Model 3 has generally placed in the middle of the pack in customer surveys, with owners generally appreciative of the impressive performance and tech, but complaining of patchy build quality and various gremlins in the first year of ownership. Tesla has been hard at work rectifying issues, and this shows with a consistent improvement in more recent surveys and quicker turnaround time when dealing with customer complaints. In fact, the Tesla Model 3 was ranked the second best car to own in the 2024 Driver Power car ownership survey, which is very high praise indeed.

You get a four-year/50,000-mile warranty as standard, this is slightly different to the more common three-year/60,000-mile warranty offered by most premium alternatives. Owner transferable servicing plans are available, with some maintenance tasks being done via over-the-air updates, otherwise the car will alert the driver when a physical visit to a dealership is required. Running costs should be low with just the cabin filter and brake fluid (if contaminated) requiring replacement every two years.