Here's How Much Range The Tesla Model 3 Really Has
By all metrics, the Tesla Model 3 has been a rousing success for the American EV manufacturer. Since its inception in 2017, the Model 3 has sold over 600,000 units in the U.S. alone, according to CarSalesBase. Reviews are positive as well, with outlets like TopGear praising the Model 3 for its impressive straight-line performance, fun factor, and good value for money. It's not a perfect vehicle, though, with gripes about build quality, non-intuitive controls, and cramped rear-passenger seating being common among media and owner reviews.
While electric vehicles generally have some very satisfying performance figures thanks to the responsiveness of electric motors, range is a common concern for prospective EV buyers. Fortunately, lithium-ion battery technology has come a long way since the early days of electric vehicles, with Visual Capitalist reporting that the average range for electric vehicles in 2021 was 217 miles, while range topped out at 520 miles for models with particularly long range.
The range numbers published by Tesla and other EV makers are usually the EPA estimates. EPA range estimates are, however, just estimates — real world results may vary wildly depending on a number of things.
Less than promised, still impressive
Currently, the Tesla Model 3 comes in three variants — the rear-wheel drive base model, the dual-motor all-wheel drive Long Range model, and the dual-motor AWD Performance model. According to Tesla, the base Model 3 should reach 272 miles on one charge, while the Performance and Long Range models step the range up to 315 and 358 miles respectively.
As we've seen with other Tesla models, and highway testing by InsideEVs, range can vary significantly between these models. Among InsideEVs' tested vehicles were a 2021 Tesla Model 3 AWD, which claimed 353 miles range and scored 310 miles, as well as a 2019 Model 3 AWD that claimed 322 miles, but delivered only 290 miles. Both of the Tesla Model 3 units tested by InsideEVs delivered 10-12% less range than Tesla's claimed range.
Car and Driver had a similar experience — its 2019 Tesla Model 3 Long Range came in short of the promised 310 miles, by around 80 miles, over the course of a 40,000-mile test period. Part of this drop in range can be attributed to cold weather throughout parts of the year, since running climate control and battery heating features can both decrease range significantly, not to mention plummeting battery efficiency thanks to the cold.
Car and Driver also found a 6% degradation in range over the course of the three-year-long test. If you're shopping for a Tesla Model 3, you can expect to see about 10% less range than Tesla claims on average, and about 60 miles less than that during cold winters.