2024 Tesla Model 3

Tesla’s EVs balance range, performance, and price in ways that older, established manufacturers can rarely beat. Models range from affordable sedans up to an SUVs and a pickup truck that can be optioned to cost over $100,000. One major advantage that Teslas have over other EVs is the company’s Supercharger network of charging stations. Unlike most public EV chargers, which can require brand-specific apps and accounts, in a Tesla, charging is comparatively seamless. Its software updates can provide meaningful upgrades. After a poor result in our braking test, an update reduced our Model 3’s 60-to-0 braking distance from 152 feet to 133 feet. Brand-wide issues include unintuitive controls that rely on touchscreens, average or below-average reliability, and build quality that is below what Consumer Reports finds in similarly priced EVs. Those factors can make purchasing a used Tesla a gamble.

The latest model to join Tesla's portfolio is the Model 3 sedan, positioned as the most affordable car in the line. The Model 3 with the 60-kWh battery promises an EPA-rated 215-mile range, swift acceleration, and a full suite of standard advanced safety features. There is also a higher-performance 75-kWh version with dual motors. All Model 3s come equipped with the Autopilot suite of advanced driver-assistance features that can be enabled with an over-the-air software upgrade. Sized and priced to compete with the BMW 3 Series, the Model 3 seats five in its stark cabin. The dash is barren, with the exception of a massive, landscape-oriented touch screen. 

Changes for 2019 included new software updates such as a Sentry Mode which uses the car's cameras to monitor the car's surroundings. Dog mode is also new and it runs the AC when a dog is left inside. A display on the car's screen asks by-passers not to break a window to save the dog. Other changes for 2019 included Tesla's new Navigate on Autopilot software, which lets drivers choose whether the car can automatically change lanes without their input. The Model 3 received its first major freshening for the 2024 model year, seven years after it originally hit the market. The ride has been improved but the controls are more distracting to use. For 2025, the Standard Range Model 3 has been dropped.