• Tesla’s efficiency is highly impressive
• Range and battery capacity are industry-leading
• The fastest charging EV in the world

What are the running costs?

How much the Model 3 costs to run depends very much on where you charge it, and your electricity tariff. Public charging for electric cars can be expensive, especially if you want to use the fastest charging technology available, and you don’t have an up-front subscription.

But at least with Tesla, you’re blessed with unfettered access to the best charging network in the business. Find out why we love the Tesla Supercharger network so much by reading our standalone explainer page.

Charging at home is the cheapest way to do it, though. Check out our guide to EV electricity tariffs to get some idea of the deals available.

Range and charging

The Model 3, like all Teslas, can charge at any public charging station or at any Tesla home destination or Supercharger. With a maximum range of up to 436 miles (according to the official WLTP figures) for the Long Range version, the Model 3 can go anywhere, and it has access to Tesla’s vast network of more than 1,000 Supercharger stations.

In terms of efficiency, we rate Tesla highly. What’s more, Tesla improved the car’s efficiency for 2024. Consistently, we’ve seen Model 3s pretty much make the predicted range. Unlike with other electric cars, the number of miles you see on Tesla’s range indicator is often the number of miles you’ll be able to cover.

We can back this up with some real-world stress-testing. Before the Model 3 was updated, we covered 200 miles in the old Long Range model. At the end of the journey it had close to 150 miles left in its metaphorical tank – getting it very close to its WLTP range of 360 miles. The range changes in the cold however, as it does with all electric cars. An EV’s range will typically shrink by 20% in cold weather, and to help the Model 3 out, Tesla uses a heat pump.

Servicing and maintenance

Servicing intervals are dictated by the way the car is used, and scheduled via the Tesla mobile app.

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There are servicing plans available depending on how many miles you intend to cover and, astonishingly, Tesla says, ‘Your New Vehicle Limited Warranty or Used Vehicle Limited Warranty will not be affected if recommended service is not performed.’

Reliability

• Tesla has suffered some well-publicised issues
• Quality and build of the Model 3 has improved
• US surveys haven’t been good for the Model 3

Tesla has earned a bit of a chequered reputation thanks to the Model S and X’s hit-and-miss build quality and electrical issues. The cars’ fundamental reliability is proving to be good, as there are fewer moving parts than on a conventionally-engined car, but Tesla still has some work left to do on tightening up its tolerances in its factories.

It’s worth saying that in the USA, Consumer Reports has reported numerous issues with the paint, trim and body hardware, which raises reliability questions. Early examples seen in the UK had less than perfect panel gaps and door alignment, and elements like the ‘frunk’ need a remarkably strong slam or two attempts to close.

In Tesla’s defence, though, it seems to have improved this on its latest models. There’s a higher standard of fit and finish as well as improved materials used. Tesla is also making a huge investment in the UK, opening more regional service centres and increasing the capacity of its call centres – and we look forward to seeing how effective these changes will be.