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Tesla MODEL 3

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Tesla Model 3 Australia, Review, Interior, News, For Sale & Colours

If ever there was a headline-grabbing electric car, the Tesla Model 3 was it. Launching internationally in July 2017, and in Australia in 2019, the Model 3 promised electric car mobility for the masses, with the most aggressive pricing yet for any Tesla vehicle.

Its biggest talking points have always been its battery driving range, straight line performance and high-tech, minimalist cabin design – but the Model 3 also offers surprising practicality due to its smart design.

The Tesla Model 3 line-up currently starts at $61,900 for the Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and ranges through to $71,900 for the range-topping Model 3 Long Range.

This vehicle is also known as Code name: BlueStar.

Tesla MODEL 3 Price and Specs

The price range for the Tesla MODEL 3 varies based on the trim level you choose. Starting at $61,900 and going to $71,900 for the latest year the model was manufactured. The model range is available in the following body types starting from the engine/transmission specs shown below.

Year Body Type Specs Price from Price to
2024 Sedan —, Electric, 1 SP AUTO $61,900 $71,900
2023 Sedan —, Electric, 1 SP AUTO $53,350 $88,990
2022 Sedan —, Electric, 1 SP AUTO $55,440 $97,350
2021 Sedan —, Electric, 1 SP AUTO $54,230 $96,690
2020 Sedan —, Electric, 1 SP AUTO $48,400 $94,820
See All Tesla MODEL 3 Pricing and Specs

Tesla MODEL 3 Interior

The Model 3 received an upgraded interior for the 2024 model year, with increased soft-touch materials, new fabric highlights and ambient interior lighting. The minimalist theme continues, with a 'stalkless' steering column and massive 15.4-inch central touchscreen.

Tesla MODEL 3 Interior

Tesla MODEL 3 Colours

There are five colour choices for the Model 3, white, black, blue, grey, and red. The interior can also either be chosen in either black or white.

  • Peal White
  • Solid Black
  • Deep Blue
  • Stealth Grey
  • Ultra Red
To confirm current colour availability, please check the manufacturer's website.

Tesla MODEL 3 Accessories

Standard items on the base Rear Wheel Drive include LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels with aerodynamic covers, a 15.4-inch central touchscreen, dual wireless chargers, always online connectivity with built-in navigation and matching phone application, ambient interior lighting, synthetic leather interior trim, six-way power adjust for front passengers with heating and ventilation, and heated outboard rear seats.

Tesla MODEL 3 Accessories

Tesla MODEL 3 Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Tesla MODEL 3 here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

  • How do Tesla cars work?

    It’s a popular barbecue or front bar topic of discussion: How do Tesla cars work? Fundamentally it’s pretty simple; they work like any other car, but they use an electric motor in place of an internal combustion engine. And instead of filling them with petrol, you recharge the batteries with electricity. There are other differences, too, but that’s the simplest definition of what is a Tesla, and the one that allows it to operate on fully renewable energy on some cases.

    Tesla is a company founded by Elon Musk, the same guy that invented PayPal. So the company has plenty of money behind it. As well as cars, Tesla makes home storage batteries (for storing rooftop solar power) and is investing in all sorts of renewable technology and electrical components.

    Over time, the Tesla cars product has evolved from a small sports car converted to electric, to clean-sheet designs for modern electric cars, SUV, pick-ups and even a semi-trailer than runs on electricity. But which ever Tesla you’re talking about, they all use a common philosophy.

    That starts with a battery. In the case of Tesla’s current designs, that’s the latest lithium-ion battery tech. Connected to that is either a single electric motor or a pair of motors that power either the rear wheels or all four wheels respectively. Just like a slot car, you feed power to the electric motor and the car moves. Of course, a slot car doesn’t carry a battery, it picks up its power form the track it runs on, but even that could be a thing of the future for electric cars which might be able to wirelessly collect power through the road surface. It’s not as far off as you might think.

    Other differences between a Tesla (and any other mainstream electric car) and a conventional car as we know it include bakes that recoup energy as the car slows (which is used to recharge the battery on the run) and the electrification of every system that is handled mechanically by a conventional car (brake boosting, power steering, heating etc).

    Another major difference is that the Tesla drivetrain doesn’t feature multiple gears in its transmission. Because the electric motor offers maximum torque from standstill, the Tesla only needs one gear to achieve lots of acceleration and ample top speed.

    The electric motor these days is a pretty neat piece of gear and is virtually maintenance free. It also has the potential to last a lot longer than an internal combustion engine. The batteries are also much better these days and as well as being vastly more energy-rich (their output per kg) they charge more quickly and battery life can easily be half a million kilometres. Some car-makers now offer a ten-year warranty on battery-packs. Tesla in Australia offers up to eight years battery warranty (depending on the model) but, crucially, up to 240,000km of cover guaranteeing that the battery will retain at least 70 per cent of its original capacity at that point.

    Perhaps Tesla’s biggest claim to fame is that it took electric cars from golf carts to a product that was sexy and in demand. The company was way ahead of the curve in this regard, but now it seems the rest of the world is catching up, and the Tesla car has more serious competition now than it ever did.

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  • Where is Tesla made?

    While the city of Detroit, Michigan is the cradle of the North American car industry, electric-car maker Tesla has always marched to the beat of its own drum. So even though it’s a US based entity, Tesla’s worldwide view and its inherent mould-breaking attitude means that its factories are in some interesting locations. But how many are there and in which countries?

    Tesla currently has three giant plants across the USA, as well as a plant in China. Some of these plants make the Tesla cars we’re familiar with, while others are responsible for battery and solar technology production. Tesla is also building a fourth North American plant as well as a European gigafactory in Germany, while rumours of a second Chinese plant are also doing the rounds.

    Given that Tesla cars are the brand’s most visible, recognisable products, the question usually revolves around where are Tesla cars made? In that case, the answer is the firm’s original gigafactory in Fremont (near San Francisco in California) which builds the Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y as well as components for other Tesla products. The original gigafactory in Fremont is a huge facility (as are all Tesla factories) employing something like 10,000 people. It was once the site of a General Motors manufacturing plant and then a Toyota/GM joint production facility.

    The Shanghai plant in China, meanwhile, is the other half of the answer to 'where are Tesla cars built'. That plant produces whole cars, including the Model 3 and Model Y and is slated to produce the forthcoming Telsa Pick-Up which has been pushed back to 2022 at the earliest.

    Tesla’s plant in Sparks, Nevada (Near Reno) is largely a battery factory with production of batteries for Tesla cars as well as its Powerwall home-storage battery. The Sparks plant is also a motors factory, producing the electric motors that power Tesla vehicles. The Tesla Semi (delayed but due soon) is also expected to be built at the Nevada plant.

    Another Gigafactory is located in New York state, in the city of Buffalo. This concentrates on assembly of solar cells and modules as well as the superchargers that allow Tesla vehicles to be charged quickly in the field.

    The factory under construction in the USA now is located at Austin, Texas and will be used to built the Model 3, Model Y and the Pick-Up. The new factory in Berlin, meanwhile, is very close to completion and will initially be used to build the Model Y.

    Tesla has always been a brand surrounded by rumours, and these days, these seem to involve a second Chinese plant. The company has also established an Indian business unit, suggesting that a gigafactory on the sub-continent might also emerge.

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  • What is the ordering process for a Tesla Model 3?

    Tesla certainly does things differently, starting with the cars themselves and extending right throughout the entire purchasing and ownership experience. Basically, Tesla has no dealerships per se, so, to buy a brand-new Tesla you go to the website, create an online account, design the specifics (options and colours) of the car you want and then place your order. And it’s all done electronically.

    You then have three days to make any changes to the car’s specification, after which it’s pretty much locked down and Tesla will have begun assembling the bits and pieces that you’ve ordered. It’s after this three-day period that you’ll actually talk to a Tesla employee, who will guide you through the paperwork, payment options and delivery details.

    In a way, it’s no different to any other form of online shopping but it does presume that Tesla buyers are also internet savvy enough to trust this process. After all, we’re not talking about pocket-money here, are we?

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  • What electric car should I buy?

    We can understand your feelings about the centrally-mounted screen in the Tesla, though you do get used to it surprisingly quickly.

    As for the other models you’ve mentioned, we’ve had to get the crystal ball out to attempt to answer you!

    The Polestar 2 will be on sale by the end of 2020, if all goes to plan. The company will be pushing hard to make that happen. 

    The VW ID3 is likely not going to be here until 2021, likely the mid or latter part of that year. It certainly has a lot of potential, and with pricing set to start below $50,000, it could well be The People’s (Electric) Car. 

    There are other options coming, though it depends on your diary and your budget.

    You could consider the Tesla Model S, which may have been around for a while, but that also means it has a more traceable reliability history. It has a digital instrument cluster in the regular spot as well.

    Have you looked at the Jaguar i-Pace? It has a claimed range of 470 kilometres, though it is on the pricey side of the equation, starting from about $125,000.

    Indeed, a high price tag is a common theme among those EVs with big battery capacity and expansive driving range, because you’re basically covering the cost of the batteries with your money.

    For instance, there’s the Audi e-tron quattro, which is due here in early 2020. That model will have a range of “more than 400 kilometres”, and - we suspect - a price tag above $120,000. 

    The Mercedes EQC is about to go on sale, too. Range for that mid-size SUV is pegged at about 450 kilometres, but again, you can expect a high price tag.

    If 2021 isn’t too long to wait, there’s the Volvo XC40 Recharge coming then. Based on our previous experience with Volvo XC40s, it’ll be a great small SUV, with predicted range of 400km - though we think that’s understating it, because it has a 78kWh battery pack, and it has AWD too.

    At the more affordable end - though admittedly still not quite meeting your expectations for range - there’s the very impressive Hyundai Kona Electric, which has a WLTP range of 449km, and a price tag of around $65k. It isn’t all-wheel drive though.

    And MG is about to launch a real upstart in the segment, with the ZS EV hitting showrooms soon for $46,990 drive-away, albeit with a range of 262km. It’s also FWD only. 

    The Mini Cooper SE will also arrive in mid-2020, with pricing set to be less than $60k. But again, a range of 270km will likely rule it out for your needs, and its 2WD as well.

    Another new small EV due next year is the Mazda MX-30. Pricing is still to be confirmed, and range isn’t great at about 300km. It’s FWD too. 

    In short, at this point in time - and out towards the end of 2020 - it looks like you’ll either need to spend a big amount of money on a premium EV to get the best range possible, or you’ll have to get used to the Model 3’s screen. You could always get an aftermarket head-up display fitted…

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See All Tesla MODEL 3 Q&As
Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.

Tesla MODEL 3 Speed

The Model 3 can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.1 seconds in base Rear Wheel Drive form, or 4.4 seconds for the all-wheel drive Long Range.

Tesla MODEL 3 Dimensions

The dimensions of the Tesla MODEL 3 Sedan vary according to year of manufacture and spec level.

Year Body Type Height x Width x Length Ground Clearance
2024 Sedan 1441x1933x4720 mm 138 mm
2023 Sedan 1443x1933x4694 mm 140 mm
2022 Sedan 1443x1933x4694 mm 140 mm
2021 Sedan 1443x1933x4694 mm 140 mm
2020 Sedan 1443x1933x4694 mm 140 mm
The dimensions shown above are for the base model. See All Tesla MODEL 3 Dimensions

Tesla MODEL 3 Boot Space

The Model 3 has a boot capacity of 594 litres, although this includes the under floor storage and large side storage areas behind the wheel arches. It also has an 88-litre frunk for additional storage.

Tesla MODEL 3 Wheel Size

The Tesla MODEL 3 has a number of different wheel and tyre options. When it comes to tyres, these range from 235x45 R18 9 for Sedan in 2024.

Year Body Type Front Tyre Size Front Rim Rear Tyre Size Rear Rim
2024 Sedan 235x45 R18 9 235x45 R18 9
2023 Sedan 235x45 R18 235x45 R18
2022 Sedan 235x45 R18 235x45 R18
2021 Sedan 235x45 R18 235x45 R18
2020 Sedan 235x45 R18 18x8.5 inches 235x45 R18 18x8.5 inches
The dimensions shown above are for the base model. See All Tesla MODEL 3 Wheel Sizes

Tesla MODEL 3 Engine

The Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive has a 208kW/350Nm electric motor on the rear axle, while the Long Range adds a second motor for a combined output of 366kW.

Tesla MODEL 3 Seats

The Tesla Model 3 is a five-seater, with synthetic leather interior trim, six-way power adjust with heating and cooling for the front two passengers, and heated outboard rear seats.

Tesla MODEL 3 Seats

Tesla MODEL 3 Fuel Consumption

The Tesla MODEL 3 is available in a number of variants and body types that are powered by Electric fuel type(s).

Year Body Type Fuel Consumption* Engine Fuel Type Transmission
2024 Sedan Electric 1 SP AUTO
2023 Sedan Electric 1 SP AUTO
2022 Sedan Electric 1 SP AUTO
2021 Sedan Electric 1 SP AUTO
2020 Sedan Electric 1 SP AUTO
* Combined fuel consumption See All Tesla MODEL 3 Pricing and Specs for 2024

Tesla MODEL 3 Range

The Model 3 can travel 513km measured to the WLTP standard in base Rear Wheel Drive form, or 629km for the Long Range.