Tesla Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive (2018-2026)

A great car amongst best I’ve ever owned including Maserati, jaguar and Mercedes. Show details

This is my second Tesla and it is without doubt the best one yet. The 2024 Model 3 Long Range Highland has taken everything to another level! The technology is incredible. It has several cameras that act as a built-in dashcam and sentry mode for security, giving me complete awareness and peace of mind on the road and when parked. The sound… Read more

system is the best stock system I have ever experienced in a car. The infotainment is next level and super responsive (absolutely no lag) everything in instant and I love having all the features on a large screen. There is even a screen in the back for the kids which keeps them entertained on longer trips and also allows them to control climate and play video games.

The ride is smooth, quiet and extremely comfortable. The safety and security features are second to none and the performance is outstanding. It is fast, responsive and a thrill to drive every single day.

On top of all that I am saving thousands in petrol costs and there are no servicing requirements like a traditional car. Ownership is effortless and stress free and Tesla's care team are fantastic, they're only ever a call/text away if I have a question or need help.

Tesla is miles ahead of the competition and the Model 3 Long Range Highland proves it. It is the perfect combination of technology, comfort, safety and performance.

The best car i've ever owned – Best car I ever owned. By far the best car ever and we don't have a charger at home we live in an apartment and we charge out near the shopping centre. All the auto updates are very helpful. Can't knock it. Show details

Experience of Cars – Tesla’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its electric powertrains, which produce zero emissions. The vehicles also offer impressive range, with the Model S Long Range covering over 370 miles on a single charge (Seattle Weekly). This efficiency, combined with Tesla’s Supercharger network, makes long-distance travel feasible and convenient for EV owners.

The best car that keeps getting better – Once of the safest cars to own, amazing car to drive, great features and gets better every month with software improvements. Show details

Excellent EV, does everything extremely well – Just an excellent EV, I can easily achieve the rated efficiency (140wh/km) and the performance is amazing. Upgraded sound system is unreal in the Long Range - significantly better than any MB/BMW I’ve owned in the past. Auto gear selection with brake pedal confirmation is super easy to use. Thought I wouldn’t like the indicators but after a day… Read more

or so it’s second nature, and no stalk is great with clean/minimalist lines in the interior. Ventilated seats are a huge addition over 2023 model, as is the rear screen (Bluetooth headphones means the kids can watch a movie in the back while parents listen to music on the stereo). It has surpassed all my expectations. And Tesla supercharger network just works (I can’t speak to other charging networks, maybe they’re OK, maybe not).

Amazing Machine – The order process is a breeze. No pushy salespeople trying to rob you blind. They even honoured a price drop of approx $6000 after I’d paid my deposit (before collection). This thing is so easy to live with, hop straight in and drive. The lack of buttons/switches is a bit of a learning curve, but now that I’m used to it, I don’t think I could go… Read more

back to a “normal” car. Build quality is definitely on par with the Japanese/Koreans now.

The car combined with the app is awesome. It’s been super cold lately where I live, & there’s nothing quite like hopping into my preheated Tesla on a miserable day. I can imagine the reverse of that would be amazing in summer.

The rear wheel drive is probably adequate for most people, but we went with the long range for the power increase & AWD for the horrible roads in our area. So quick, but comfy and handles incredible. Has all the comforts you’d want, and all the toys. The music system is incredible.

Need to kill some time?! No worries, play one of the included game, or jump on Netflix/Disney/YouTube etc!!

Keeping charged is way less complicated and stressful than what you may think. Buying a Tesla means you’re buying access to the best charging network.

For anybody on the fence about purchasing an Tesla, seriously just go test drive one. 4 months from purchase date and I still look for every excuse to take it for a drive :) Feel free to use promo code: https://ts.la/colin903369 for $750 off and 90 free days of advanced autopilot :)

How good is this car – We bought the Tesla 3 dual motor to replace my old Camry. I didn’t want a new car till I could get rid of the three car seats in the back in my old faithful, required to pick up three of our nine grand children. Well that time came and we ordered a white with white interior. No kids with anything in their hands or mouth allowed. The car is a… Read more

dream to drive, quiet and comfortable. The screen is large enough to see what is happening, there are limited controls to worry about and because it is plugged in at home, super economical. You need to get used to the fact that you do not need to use the brake, just take your foot off the accelerator and it will stop. It alerts you to possible dangers. I am told “this is the safest car on the road. Let’s hope that is true. There are numerous driving options to choose. The “Chill” sets it to a similar feel of a non electric car. The one thing it can’t do is tow, but we have another car which we use to tow the caravan. So that solves that. We only got it towards the end of August (a long,long wait) but I can honestly say this the best car I have ever driven. Love it,love it.

Pathetic service support and part’s back up – I would never buy one now that both my son and wife have! My son damaged his rim in a pot hole on the Western highway. No rims readily available and the car was unusable while Tesla tried to get their act together. Although the car is one of the most popular in the range there was not even an exchange wheel available locally and today after doing… Read more

a recomended software upgrade my wife is completely locked out of her car. Missed an important appointment and a minimum of 90 mins before anyone can attend. Remote intervention was also useless through the so called support centre.

Yes - you should buy one – I’ll make this review nice and simple from the start. If you are considering getting a Tesla Model 3, and are reading reviews to help convince yourself that you’re making the right decision, stop reading now, go to the tesla website and put in your order. I can genuinely give that advice because the only bad thing that I can really say about… Read more

this car is that the turning circle could be better.

We made the decision to move to an electric vehicle for a few reasons, part of it was the environmental factor (we live in Tasmania so the majority of electricity production here is hydroelectic) but if I’m honest 80% of the decision was based on ‘cool factor’.

We traded in our 2017 VW Golf and ordered the Model 3 (sight unseen - no test drives) in November 2021 and 3 months was predicted. COVID struck Shanghai where Australia’s Tesla’s are manufactured and delivery was delayed until April 2022. Leaving out my first-world yuppy frustration over having to wait a couple extra months for my fancy new car (pronounced expensive toy) and delivery day showed up with an emailed the day before.

I have to say that compared to the usual dealership purchasing experience I’m a BIG fan of Tesla’s approach. I personally like fixed pricing because I don’t worry that the guy walking in after me will get the same thing for cheaper because they are willing to threaten to walk out. The whole “did I just get ripped off” sensation is gone when you don’t have to watch someone get up from the desk to “go check with their manager” and come back smiling to tell you that their super mean manager just won’t budge… If you haven’t had this experience than please let me know where you have been buying your cars.

I found Tesla’s website simple and clear, it’s easy to test out different configurations (of which there are only a few) and see the drive away price before committing. A word on advice regarding placing your order, if at any point you are debating taking the higher level option (and you can afford it) I strongly urge you not to talk yourself out of it. We ordered the Long Range model because of the dual engine and the nicer rims more so than the increased range. Since my purchase the silver alloy rims have become an add-on feature for an additional cost but I still like them way more than the hub caps… who gets hub caps anymore. It’s also very important to note that the ONLY real difference between the Performance Model and the Long-Range model is the rims, brakes and a stick on carbon fibre spoiler ($300 online if you want one later).

Back to Delivery day. Personally I loved having old-mate show up to my house with the car on a flat-bed truck, backing it down, loading up my trade in and driving off after a few pleasant words. That said, the Model 3 isn’t like your usual car and if you have the opportunity to pick yours up from a dealership and have someone who knows was they’re doing talk you through setting up your driver profiles and pairing your phones, I absolutely encourage you to do so. I’m pretty techs so I worked it all out, there was a teething period.

Tesla’s onboard computer/central screen includes the user manual and can even be used to access Tesla and YouTube videos to help with setup while you’re in side the vehicle which makes problem solving very convenient.

Important tip that I don’t remember seeing in any of the videos that I watched, your Model 3 will come with 2 credit card keys. The car is actually primarily dependent on these, in that you MUST have at least one of these keys with you when you go to pair a driver to the car. The profile will be paired to the physical credit card key as well as your mobile phone (which it connects to via Bluetooth so keep that on at all times). There are plenty of forum discussions about why the credit card is actually the master and after reading through quite a few opinions, I’m resigned to accepting that it does make sense. To be clear, once you have set up your phone and paired it to the car with the assistance of the credit card card key, you DO NOT need to keep the credit card key with you to drive the car. ***I keep one of the key’s in my wallet so that if I need to loan the car to someone else I can do so without giving them my phone and it also makes for a good safety net in the event that you lose your phone or the battery dies***

Moving on, I’m going to call it a User Experience rather than driver experience, is a little different. Certainly driving the car is just like any other and anyone who can drive an internal combustion engine (ICE) car can drive this. The stick-shift is on the right side of the steering wheel which is hardly a new concept as column shifters make me think of 1970’s station wagons but were the normal long before that. The car has P- Park, R - Reverse, N - Neutral, D - Drive… that’s it, not super complicated. The car has no parking break, when you put the car in park one is engaged for you, imagine that. The car also has an automatic hill break to keep rolling back or forward when stopped on a hill in traffic which does not make the car feel locked when you are ready to move. (Indicator control, high beams and windscreen wiper are controlled by the lever on the left side of the steering wheel).

Acceleration is not only shockingly quick but exceptionally smooth owing to the vehicle not having a transmission so there are no gear changes. Acceleration is actually so aggressive that the car comes with “chill” mode to help settle it down. After having some fun with ‘standard’ acceleration mode I find it more pleasant to drive in Chill mode for daily driving because things can feel a bit jerky otherwise.

Coming back to the overall user experience, the centre console screen is where all of the cars controls are found. Importantly, the car is highly automated including automated seat heaters, windscreen wipers and high beams. Essentially the idea is that you go in and set up your preferences when you first start using the car and you really don’t need to touch them again. With the exception of the climate control this actually turns out to work well and I really don’t miss having the ability to control my windscreen wiper speed while I’m driving or controlling my high beams.

Regarding charging, considered getting a Tesla Power Wall and connecting to 3 phase power for faster home charging but after using the charging cable that comes with the car and plugging it into a standard home power point (10 amps) the car is fully charged after being plugged in each night (scheduled to only charge during off-peak power tariff hours). I only use about 50-80km per day on average. Getting in the car each morning with the climate already set to a comfortable level (scheduled using the app) and the vehicle being fully charged is great. Regarding Range, I have no troubles getting 400km range without being conscious of my driving style and 510km from 100% charge being only slightly conscious. For perspective I can do a round trip from Hobart to Launceston and get home with 10% charge left (equals about 50km range which is when the low fuel light would typically come in on most ICE cars).

A quick word on price and value for money, I have been very happy with the fit and finish, driving experience and performance. Rather than trying to give examples of similarly priced vehicles, the best that I can say is that I haven’t been able to find anything else that has the same features and performance at this price point. In fact to find a vehicle with the same sort of acceleration (0-100km/h) you need to be looking at high-end Porsches or Ferraris.

So, good chance if you have gotten this far you are already pretty keen to get a Tesla and didn’t need much convincing. Feel free to post any questions that I haven’t addressed, reviewing a car could go on for a very long time and I have tried to focus on giving an overview rather than focusing too much on any one feature.

Bottom line, go get one, you won’t regret it.

Brilliant design and Build but – Great car even if it was internal combustion but to not have to put $$$ in a fuel tank as well is fantastic. Options for charging are everywhere but only our true friends now have an outside power point. I schedule charging at home off peak or daytime when solar "feed in" is available so we leave with a "full tank" and arrive home empty is very… Read more

cost effective. Road trips tend to be based around NRMA free fast chargers. Intuitive software backing up driver to aid safety and lessen fatigue on long drives is a welcome relief. This is in a performance car category and I feel is just in the Luxury range too but there are 2 things that I feel bug this great design (for Australians)

1 Left hand drive steering column on the right side of the car making the indicator stalk opposite to our other car. Very hard to remember when you drive both kinds of cars however the software does sorta know that when you change lanes at 110kph you don't really want reverse gear!! I feel that the gear shift stalk and the indicator stalk are mechanically the same so maybe this could be a software update to option it to opposite sides? How about it Elon?

2 Sound proofing and road noise. The brilliant sound system is hampered at speed by road noise. I know this is very subjective due to road surface and tire size and type but an old 1974 XJ6 Jaguar with a push button radio was way quieter that this you could hear the analog clock ticking on the dash at 110kph. Both are in the luxury car category but nearly 50 years apart. Low profile tires may compromise comfort for performance and have seen others attempting additional door seals and 18" wheels to minimize this factor. (I ordered 18s but got 19s from new) You can creep through the car park and there is no noise at all of course. The 2022 model has been upgraded with laminated front door window glass I presume to address some of this but I may put heavier floor matting and consider 18" wheels when there worn out.

Overall this is a fantastic car and if you can get one go for it .... its only the kids inheritance .... the planet I mean.

Like going from an analog phone to a smart phone – I remember going from an old Nokia to a smartphone and the world changed dramatically. This was the same for when we bought our first Tesla. The world changed. Each week you find out another thing that just makes sense. And with petrol prices going past $2 I’m so glad we made the choice to go electric. Show details

Great car. 4.5 stars – 1. Range and Towing Mileage around 550km on a full charge with a mix of motorway and urban driving. Less in summer when using aircon. If you drive just around urban areas and/or conservatively greater range could be achievable. No detectable deterioration in battery/range to date. I'm advised you should see much of this during the first 2 years.… Read more

You can absolutely tow up to around 900kg. Tesla does not install, so you will need to find an independent. I have seen SR models set up to tow both jet skis and box trailers. This is legally considered a "high powered" vehicle - it is not really designed as a towing vehicle. 2. Tech Not for the truly technophobic! But if you can browse the web and send an email then there should be little difficulty for you. I have come to prefer all controls centralised as opposed to being spread across an instrument cluster, infotainment screen and air setting console. Except for drive functions (eg. forward, reverse, park) you can do many things by voice control, which works quite well. The internet browser no longer works "full screen". Could this have been done to keep Netflix and Disney+ happy? I'd suspect they would much prefer you to be using/paying for their services than streaming elsewhere. 3. Physical Characteristics The ride is on the firmer side - but this is considered a "performance" vehicle. Steering is excellent and is more akin to a gaming experience. Current speed and speed limit I would prefer to be displayed larger. You quickly adapt to glancing left instead of down to check your speed. You can also choose to set up an adjustable chime warning if you are starting to exceed the detected speed limit. Note that, by design, only the passenger side reversing light is operational. Obviously a few dollars in cost saving per vehicle there! All models now rely on vehicle cameras for AutoPilot/FSD functions. LiDAR is no longer installed and older vehicles have had it disabled (via software updates). This makes the vehicles more prone to occasional unnecessary "phantom braking". Shadows seem to be the primary cause. Heat through the glass roof is of little concern. The overheat function works well and you can leave aircon on when leaving the vehicle or turn it on via your app at any time. I have taken the vehicle through a QLD summer and would not purchase any Tesla or aftermarket shade. 4. Delivery Vehicle took twice as long for delivery as salesperson indicated at test drive. No surprises there! I have read that they have moved deliveries away from the storefronts in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane due to the high number of deliveries. I was given some "free" SuperCharger km as vehicle was not fully charged on delivery - insufficient chargers at the store for the number of deliveries at the time! 5. Acceleration/Variants If you want to blow away another $3K you can do an after delivery software upgrade to take 0-100km down to 3.9sec. This will reduce your vehicle range. This is not possible for the single motor SR model. Below 4 sec 0-100km is on the verge of physically uncomfortable. It absolutely "freaks out" anyone who hasn't been in a dual motor EV before - there is a more respectable "Chill" acceleration mode (in which case purchase the SR model). I use "Chill" mode when I have friends in the vehicle. If your budget can't stretch to a Long Range AWD, I think the Standard Range represents very good value for most buyers and it's range and features currently blow away other EVs in the sub $65K price range. I was advised, on delivery, that, in Australia, the variant sales split is 50% for the SR, 20% for Long Range AWD, and 30% for the Performance model. 2022 models onwards of the SR will have slightly slower acceleration and slightly more range than the 2021 model. 6. Build Quality This was previously a 5 star review until the rear windscreen gasket started to detach after 4 months. Both the windscreen and gasket were replaced under warranty. Tesla stated that the gasket had been "overcut" during installation and that they had not seen this at my local service centre before. They originally quoted me $1150, for what was a warranty repair, until I cancelled the service and was able to speak/text directly with Australian support staff. Australian models, coming from Shanghai, do appear to be of better quality than US built models. 7. Full Self Drive/Enhanced Autopilot Absolutely not ready for general use, especially in urban areas. I was advised by Tesla salesperson when placing my order NOT to purchase FSD. You can do this via your phone app after delivery. A monthly FSD subscription service is being trialled overseas. I would not purchase the Enhanced Autopilot either. May be of use to drivers doing lots of freeway or motorway driving. This reportedly works quite well. Summon and Smart Summon are little more than "party tricks" you would be unlikely to routinely use. The AutoPark feature is slow and does not work particularly well - like all manufacturer's attempts. Best to buy all software upgrades after delivery to avoid paying luxury car tax on these at point of purchase. 8 . Servicing There is genuinely no scheduled servicing required unless you live in a very cold area (brake fluid needs to be checked every 12 months). Otherwise they "like to see" the vehicle every couple of years - aircon filter change and general condition check. For some servicing Tesla may be able to attend your home/work at no extra charge. Wiper blades/fluid and tyres are your responsibility. If you use "one pedal" driving the brake pads are reportedly rated to last as long as the vehicle and any mechanic can change these. 9. Charging Overseas experience is that 80% of charging is conducted at home or work. The average Australian daily commute is under 40km. This will take some 2 and a bit hours on a standard home power point (charging cable included from Tesla at no cost). Few people will need to purchase and install a faster charger for home. You are likely to only need to use public chargers when on very long day trips or holidays - or you live in an apartment with no personal/communal power points. Most accommodation providers are happy for you to plug into a power point at no cost. Some are now installing Type 2 chargers for free use by guests. High speed (50kW to 300kW) chargers generally cost around $0.30-40/kW. 10. Cost Savings Minimal vehicle servicing. All EVs are mechanically simple vehicles. There are no oils, belts, transmissions, cooling systems, fuel injection, exhausts, etc. Expect to pay only around 20% of your current petrol/diesel costs if using paid public chargers or off the grid. Obviously less if you are using your own solar or free chargers. 11. Software Updates After the occasional software update the vehicle has, a couple of times, set one or two preferred settings back to a default. In particular I have noticed the braking mode reset to "Creep". 12. Carbon Offsets Information is difficult to source, however it would appear that the CO2 footprint for the production and eventual recycling of a BEV is around 50 tonnes. Certified carbon offsets would currently be around $900 over the full life of the vehicle. You may care to consider this. 13. Alternatives to this vehicle (I'm not a Tesla/Elon fanboy!) There are a number of manufacturers which have announced the intention of making BEVs available in 2022 in Australia. Supply is likely to be quite constrained. The Polestar (by Volvo) is worthy of consideration, and at a similar price point to Model 3s. It has also been around for a couple of years overseas. I'd suggest you perhaps have a slight preference for a vehicle which is designed from the ground up as an EV.

Great tech, Boring interior, distracting centre screen – There is no doubt that the electric drivetrain is excellent, however that is about the only thing that is truly excellent. In a word, the interior is boring, there is no instrument cluuster which means that any GPS navigation, desire to change the music, or warnings are flashed up on a screen that is positioned in such a place as to distract you… Read more

from the road.

Now it is entirely possible that this is the safest vehicle in which to be a distracted driver, but it would be safer still if it didn't have everything on a centre screen, and had just a couple more buttons for sensible features like the windscreen wiper speed.

Drive it once and you're hooked - the future of motoring – Extraordinary performance, precise handling, quiet, comfortable, eco-friendly, OTA software updates, one-pedal-driving, inexpensive to run and very efficient. Two interstate trips in the first 6 weeks ownership proved the Model 3 LR to be the perfect car for 800km at the wheel - never arrived more relaxed thanks to the quiet ride and Autopilot. … Read more

Two stops at Tesla Superchargers (10 + 25 minutes) were timely breakfast, lunch and especially toilet stops, so we stayed longer than the car needed. Newer EV chargers being installed on highways are capable of even faster charge rates, but already it's a rush to fit in a hot pie, coffee and a restroom visit on the current hardware.

First 2400km or so of Supercharging can be free for this long range Model 3 if ordered using a referral link, so this, plus complimentary hotel, winery and shopping centre Tesla Destination chargers meant these two trips cost nothing in 'fuel'.

At home, excess solar generation recharges the car on sunny days, so the ongoing 'fuel' cost for around town or a 'day out' is essentially free with a low solar FIT. Charging overnight is another option for some using cheaper night rates. Regenerative braking slows the car while feeding power back into the battery when coming down hill and when pulling up to the lights, so it is possible to arrive with more charge than you started with, depending on the route.

The regenerative braking means the actual brakes rarely get used, let alone worn out, so servicing is measured in years, apart from checking tyre tread and washer fluid. Every 2 years it's recommended to check the brake fluid and swap the cabin air filter, and at 6 years an A/C filter - a fraction of the cost of one 'oil change' (plus the list of other 'parts' and services) in other cars.

Only problems encountered in 4 months of ownership was a slight dimple on the steering wheel 'leather', broken frunk liner clip, a tiny 'nib' in the paintwork and recently a loose sunvisor clip. All fixed in a few minutes under warranty and booked in with a few taps on the Tesla phone app. Another tap on the car's navigation screen (or a voice command) also brought up the quickest route to the local Tesla Service Centre.

While the design, inside and out, is understated, the minimalist look hides a huge amount of very high tech and redundancy. There's the Autopilot system (auto-steer, adaptive cruise control, etc.) and voice commands for many functions with ever more arriving in frequent, free, over-the-air updates.

Almost everything can be controlled from the huge central screen, however a phone app is also capable of controlling many features. On a 45C day it's nice to be able to turn on the A/C in the car parked out in the hot sun, while still in the shops. Ten minutes later, despite the full glass roof, the car is a breezy and comfortable 20C inside.

Remotely heating the car in cold weather will also be welcome, and for those who bought the Full Self Driving package their Model 3 might also be summoned to drive itself across a wintry carpark on a rainy day.

The rear boot opening isn't the largest, however it goes back a very long way so it actually holds a lot of shopping or luggage. Add to that, under the main boot floor, lift a large panel and there's even more boot space for a cabin bag, charging cable, picnic hamper, raincoats, etc. Then there's the front boot - the 'frunk'. Since there's no engine, there's room up front for a few more shopping bags.

There's no key, as such, for a Tesla - your phone, linked to the car on delivery, is the key. There are also two 'credit' cards that come with the Model 3 and these are backups should your phone fail. Placing one of these in certain places on the car unlock and 'start' it. If you have neither a phone or a card, then calling your partner or even Tesla (on someone else's phone!) can allow them to unlock and 'start' the car remotely for you.

The purchase experience is similarly 'remote'. Done on-line all the way through to a delivery to your door if there's no Tesla Store handy. Even in-store there's no hassling, commission-chasing salespersons, popping off to 'chat with their manager for a special price for you', as in a typical car dealership. Just pleasant Tesla people showing how things work, pointing out options and organising test drives. Fixed price, no pressure and no advertising - just very happy customers.