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Tesla Model 3

6owners with an opinion
67%of verdicts positive
4/2positive/negative since 2024
5 yrslongest happy owner
2happy after 3+ years

Praised for performance and comfort; criticized for reliability and software.

What owners wrote

Likes itOwned 5 years
Huh? The model 3 didn't come out until 2017 and the model Y came out in 2020. That's literally just four years ago - not 2012. I own a 2019 model 3 and will be replacing it with a 2024. In those 5 years, it's accumulated a bunch of improvements. I don't exactly have a changelog to work with, but here's what I can think of off the top of my head: - more powerful rear motor, 10% faster 0-60, breaking 10s quarter mile - track mode v3 - heat pump - matrix headlights - adaptive suspension w/ frequency response suspension dampers - ryzen media control unit - triple pane glass - heated steering wheel - sport seating - ventilated seats - usb-c ports - rear entertainment system - HW4 - updated wheels/tires - exterior styling updates (front bumper, non-chrome handles, etc...) - interior styling updates (LED lighting, carbon fiber dash, etc...) Oh, and there's also the fact that I'm only paying 70% of what I did the first time around (inflation adjusted).
Likes itOwned 3.5 yearsStill going
> How's your Tesla Model 3 doing, by the way? Not that I'd want to imply your choice of transportation has anything to do with your incredibly unfavorable interpretation of this article and defense of Musk. My Model 3 is great for 3.5 years and 110,000 km. At the time I bought it I felt it was too expensive for what it offered, but as I mentioned I've been advocating against carbon for decades and this was the first electric car available in my country. I bought one of the very first to arrive. And yes, you are implying that somehow the car I drive is influencing my defence of Musk. If you had spent a bit more time examining my post history, you would have discovered that I am a huge SpaceX fan. That would have been at least a plausible argument in favour of your position. But alas, neither does that really affect how I view the article or Musk.
Doesn’t like it
I've tried Tesla FSD a couple of times (free trial in our Model 3) and didn't like it (even though I'm an early adopter who is used to putting up with rough edges; my wife tried it once and wouldn't touch it again). It acted like a nervous new driver. Portland is a tough place to drive, lots of edge cases, so a good test case for Waymo. Having said that, as good as Waymo might be, I'm still concerned about the effect on public transport, which I use when I can. We're in the suburbs but it's good for getting downtown (no parking to worry about) and to the airport, which unlike many US cities is served by rail. We're don't live near a light rail station (wish there were more of them!) but we park and ride. I wish more people would do that, but Americans are obsessed with single car transport and the cities are designed for that.
Likes it
I spent years driving, modifying, and racing V-8 Fords from the mid sixties to the early seventies. I've replaced the 2.3 TurboCoupe with a 351W I built myself. I'm very familiar with muscle cars, both carbureted and FE, with points and with electronic injection, smog-legal and without carbs. My electric family sedan (Tesla model 3 long range) has everything I've ever liked about muscle cars - in abundance. 498 horsepower, a "first gear" that will wind up past 200 kph, instant throttle response. The only thing missing are the impracticalities - the noise, the small back seat, the smell of tires and soot and oil leaking from somewhere. Oh, and the oil changes, and the plug changes, and the stolen catalytic converters, and the coils that go bad, and the fan clutch, and the PCV system, and the fuel/oil/air filter maintenance, and the drive belt, and the injectors, and the exhaust manifold gaskets, and the muffler, and the yearly smog checks.
Likes it
They are among the best in class when it comes efficiency so I don't understand where they are falling short. I've rented EquinoxEV(2024,Model 3(2022), Mach-E(2021 non heat pump) and Bolt EV(2023) for roadtrips and it seemed as if all except Mach-E were pretty good on their estimates. I guess I need to measure miles very closely. Maybe they were all just falling short and I didn't realize. :/
Doesn’t like it
I've owned a Model 3 for years now, and FSD is scary as hell. We haven't paid for it -- and we won't -- but every time we get a free trial of it (mostly recently this past Fall), I give it a whirl, and I end up turning it off. Why? Because it does weird shit like slow down at an intersection with a green light. I don't feel like I can trust it, at all, and it makes me more anxious than just using standard auto-steer and cruise control (which still ghost breaks sometimes). I don't get why anyone uses FSD.
Recommends it
On impulse a few years ago I decided to drive our Model 3 on a multi-state road trip that'd take us through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, up through Oregon, then back to Colorado instead of our perfectly fine ICE car. I use the car mostly for local, sub-50 mile drives, which it excels at, and never considered it as a road trippable car (less because of the powertrain and more because of lack of road trips in general). I have zero regrets about picking the EV at the last minute, and would 100% make this choice again. I assumed, like I imagine most people do, that having to wait while charging would be a deal breaker. I quickly learned to love the wait though. It makes long road trips so much more comfortable when you take a break every 6 hours that's long enough to go for a walk or take a nap. I could employ that strategy with an ICE car, sure, but if I compare my ICE to my EV, the differences between the two in terms of comfort, functionality, and cost of operating put the EV way out ahead of the ICE.