Used Tesla Model 3 Performance long term test: report 1

The car 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance Dual Motor | Run by James Tute, Content Editor

Why it's here To see if running an older Tesla is hassle-free or a headache, and whether full Supercharger access is a game-changer

Needs to be Wieldy enough for city-centre driving, comfortable on long trips and as fun to drive as its performance tag suggests

Mileage on arrival 40,181 Mileage now 40,612 List price when new £56,545 Value on arrival £16,500 Official range 329 miles Test range 250 miles Options None

8 June 2025 – Time to Supercharge my electric car driving...

Will the Tesla Model 3 open electric-car ownership to the masses or prove to be an over-hyped fad? That was the big question posed by What Car? in 2016 as we eagerly awaited the arrival of this futuristic American import that promised to save the planet – and look cool doing it.

For a while, spotting a Tesla was a real “Wow!” moment, like catching sight of a Ferrari F40 or Jaguar E-Type. Today, though, you can’t cross the street (or order an Uber) without tripping over a Model 3.

One of the millions of cars to have rolled off a Tesla production line is my new, used car – a 2019 Performance version with around 40,000 all-electric miles on the clock.

Almost as astonishing as the fact that this unassuming blue saloon can sprint from 0-60mph in a smidge over three seconds is the price. Less than £17,000 buys you a decent-sized electric car in great condition with an official (as-new) range of more than 300 miles.

And while there are plenty of other used bargains out there, most don’t have full access to Tesla Superchargers – they can just use a few selected sites opened up to non-Teslas. That’s an exciting prospect because I don’t have a home EV charger so I rely on the public charging network. Having unrestricted Supercharger access will open up hundreds more sites to me.

In fact, I’m going to attempt to do all my charging with Tesla devices to see how the experience compares with using other networks. So far I’ve "filled up" twice, and early impressions are that my Model 3 is pretty smart.

I can find a charger using the dedicated phone app and send the location to my car. When I’m ready to go, it’ll direct me there while preparing the battery temperature for the most efficient charging.

The Model 3 is known for being one of the more efficient electric cars, but will that prove true in this older example? To find out, I’ll be keeping a close eye on how many miles I’m getting from a full charge of the battery, both on my low-speed commute from Central London to Twickenham, and on longer motorway journeys.

And I’ll try to work out whether using the slower (but still pretty quick) Chill driving mode saves much electricity over sticking with the very fast standard setting.

I’ll also be assessing whether all the on-board tech – including Tesla’s Autopilot adaptive cruise control system – proves to be a welcome helping hand or an unhelpful distraction.

It’s important to note that the infotainment system I’m experiencing is much more advanced than when my car was new. Regular software updates see to that, and from what I’ve seen so far, it’s pretty well-designed.

I’m not, though, a big fan of Tesla’s decision to keep the number of physical controls to a minimum by making you set everything using the huge infotainment screen – but maybe I’ll get used to it.

One thing that will, I’m sure, cause me mild irritation every time I go for a drive is the fact that I need to use the touchscreen to make the electric door mirrors fold in and out.

I do that every time I drive through the narrow gates to the car park at home, and on many cars I can control the mirrors with a switch by the electric window controls. But not the Model 3.

I’m also baffled by how tiny the on-screen buttons to raise and lower the air-con temperature are. Two big fingerprint-sized blobs – one blue, one red – would easily fit on the display.

Still, tech and minimalism aside, my car’s interior is impressive. It’s finished in pale pretend leather and very well lit thanks to the glass roof. In fact, it’s as different as day is to night to the fundamentally sound but rather dark interior of my previous car, a Peugeot e-208.

The driver’s seat is well padded and easy to adjust electrically using real switches on the side, so hopefully it’ll keep me comfy on 200-mile trips up to my home town in Cheshire. I’ll let you know if not.

And, of course, I’ll look out for any reliability issues. My car is no longer covered by its main warranty, but Tesla’s eight-year battery cover, guaranteeing 70% capacity, is still in force.

Having proved to be as important a car as many expected, rather than the over-hyped fad some predicted, the Model 3 has a lot to live up to.

Let’s see how it performs over the next few months. Oh, and I promise I’ll write all about it without mentioning Elon Mu… Doh!

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