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What’s it like?
While in no way the originator of electric vehicles (EVs), Tesla nevertheless was probably the company which did the most to drive the popularity and desirability of such machines through the 2010s, culminating in the launch of arguably its most important car towards the end of the decade – the Model 3. It has always been the most affordable way into Tesla ownership as the smallest EV the company makes so far, and while there are plenty of rivals for the car today – including the BYD Seal, Polestar 2, BMW i4, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Kia EV6 – the Model 3 managed to get to market before them all. Here’s how to bag a good used example of one.
Which model to go for?
Before going into the motor and battery options for the Tesla Model 3, it’s perhaps worth reminding you that while it might look like a big hatchback in shape, it isn’t in fact that type of car; in truth, it’s a saloon, because the boot is hinged below the rear windscreen and is a separate compartment to the passenger cabin.
That aside, it’s still a huge cargo area and there’s a load of room onboard for five passengers to get comfortable in the Tesla’s minimalistic cabin – a place dominated by the huge, central touchscreen up front that controls nearly everything on the car. This includes the fabled tricks it can perform, such as displaying a roaring log fire on the display, making the indicators sound like reindeer bells (one for Christmas), or performing whoopee cushion noises from the speakers.
There are then three main configurations of Model 3. The Standard Range Rear-Wheel Drive version has a 57.5kWh battery and a 283hp motor, allowing for a range of up to 438km and a 0-100km/h time of 5.8 seconds. Most would have opted for the twin-motor (all-wheel drive, or AWD) variants when buying new, however, with a Long Range AWD increasing the battery pack capacity to 75kWh and the range to 549km, while the 0-100km/h time dropped to 4.4 seconds.
For those fans of full EV speed, the Tesla Model 3 Performance is the choice. You sacrifice some range (530km), but power is up to 462hp, meaning the 0-100km/h time comes down to 3.4 seconds.
Charging speeds are suitably rapid, thanks to Tesla’s proprietary Supercharger network and the high rates of DC replenishment the Model 3 can take. The Standard Range can charge up at 170kW, while the dual-motor versions have 250kW capability.
Does anything go wrong?
There have been question marks over the build-quality checks performed on Tesla’s cars over the years. And the Model 3 can reportedly have issues with the onboard electronics (specifically the infotainment screen, which is crucial to operating various functions on the car) and sensors, as well as bodywork problems. It’s best to inspect any used Model 3, especially one which has done 100,000km and more, carefully to check everything on it works, then take it for a test drive and listen out for excessive rattles or squeaks. If there are any present, you might want to look for another example as chasing them down to resolve them will not be the work of a moment, nor cheap.
There have been four recalls for the Tesla Model 3 so far. These have been for the possibility of the bonnet opening when the car is moving at speed; an issue with the lower control-arm fasteners that may affect the alignment; a potential defect with the seatbelt mounts; and a problem with the brake-calliper connectors not being correctly torqued up.