► Tesla Model 3 facelifted for 2024
► Prices from £42,990 on-the-road
► Full details, specs, news and advice
The Tesla Model 3 has been revised for the 2024 model year – and we’ve got all the new photos and specs of the facelifted electric car. It’s the biggest change after six years and 2 million sold, underlining the importance of the smaller, cheaper Tesla.
It’s now available in the UK, and will start from at £39,990. Deliveries for the heavily updated car – dubbed ‘Highland’ before being unveiled – will begin in January 2024 if all goes to plan.
It’s become a common sight on UK roads, rising to be the bestselling car overall in some months. The Model 3 has clearly done its job intended by Elon Musk: to electrify the masses. Key changes for the 2024 model year are revised lamps front and rear, and a host of interior upgrades, and we’ll detail all these changes in this article.
You can watch our Tesla Model 3 video in the film below, where road tester James Dennison drives the cheaper, smaller Tesla in London and the countryside, and gives CAR magazine’s verdict. We’ll be driving the revised 2024 Model 3 in the weeks to come.
Read on for everything you need to know about the Tesla Model 3 EV.
Prices and launch date
Two models are coming to the UK and Ireland in 2024: the Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and Long Range All-Wheel Drive, suggesting that Performance models are being quietly shelved for now. Prices for the new car will start at £39,990 for the most basic rear-wheel drive Model, and stretch to £49,990 for the Tesla Model 3 with the longest possible range.
Two additional colours (Ultra Red and Stealth Grey) will be added, and you can see the updated specs and prices below.
| Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive | Model 3 Long Range |
WLTP range 19” Optional Nova Wheels | 318 miles | 390 miles |
Consumption 19” | 212.5Wh/mi | 225.4Wh/mi |
Estimated range 18” Standard Portal Wheels | 344 miles | 421 miles |
Top Speed | 125mph | 125mph |
0-60mph | 5.8 sec | 4.2 sec |
Price | £39,990 | £49,990 |
Compare that to previous specs below and the range is up across the board, although speed remains unchanged. That’s partly down to the updated Model 3’s uprated aerodynamic efficiency. As mentioned, there’s no new Highland-spec Performance trim at the time of writing, though that’ll likely come later.
| Rear Wheel Drive | Long Range AWD | Model 3 Performance |
0-60mph | 5.8 seconds | 4.2 seconds | 3.1 seconds |
Top speed | 140 mph | 145 mph | 162 mph |
Range WLTP | 305 miles | 374 miles | 340 miles |
Starting price | £40,490 | £50,990 | £57,990 |
Wheel options | 18in Aero or 19in Sport | 18in Aero or 19in Sport | 20in Performance |
Drive | Rear-wheel drive | Dual motor all-wheel drive | Dual motor all-wheel drive |
Vehicle warranty | 4 year / 50,000 miles | 4 year/ 50,000 miles | 4 year / 50,000 miles |
Battery and warranty | 8 year / 100,000 miles | 8 year / 120,000 miles | 8 year / 120,000 miles |
Kerbweight | 1645kg | 1847kg | 1847kg |
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The interior and cabin
Most of the improvements to the Model 3 are focused around the cabin, an area where its age was beginning to show compared to the competition. Tesla engineers have introduced premium materials to the fold and updated pretty much everything in the interior: The front seats are now ventilated and all seats are heated as standard.
The centre console – always a highlight of Teslas – still houses a 15.4-inch display, but thinner bezels mean there’s more usable screen area than before. The entire console is now covered in aluminium with improved storage, dual wireless phone chargers and a trio of up-to-date USB-C ports – all capable of pushing out 65W of power. Tesla has also added ambient lighting, a feature found in the majority of its competitors.
Passengers at the rear haven’t been left out when it comes to tech though; an 8-inch screen will allow those in the back seats to access entertainment and other options, with further features to be added via OTA updates.
A new stereo brings 17 speakers, dual subwoofers and twin amplifiers for Long Range vehicles, while basic RWD Model 3s get a single sub and amp. The infotainment supports Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal and Tesla promises better microphones for hands-free calls.
Note also how there is no key: instead you use your phone, or a Tesla credit-card-sized fob, to unlock and start the car. It’s a good example of Tesla focusing on evolution, not revolution. The 2024 facelift is a modest change, emphasising everyday useability over any significant engineering step change.
Tesla Model 3: charging
Tesla recently gave Model 3s with the bigger battery a firmware update which brought faster, 200kW charging capability. It means cars with the top battery can now add a theoretical 850 miles of range in just one hour – if you can find a fast enough charger, that is.
The new European ultra-fast networks such as Ionity, Fastned and Allego chargers should do the job, according to Tesla.
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