Used Tesla Model 3 Performance long-term test: report 4

The car 2019 Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Performance | 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 42,573 List price when new £56,545 Value on arrival £16,500 Official range 329 miles Test range 282 miles

9 August 2025 – For eating seating my Tesla takes some beating

I’m so sorry… after vowing in the first piece I wrote about my Tesla Model 3 not to mention Elon Musk, I can’t resist.

How could I after hearing from What Car? consumer editor Claire Evans what a brilliant job my car did when she borrowed it to lug around six child seats for a test? It is, I thought, as though father-of-at-least-14 Musk ordered the Model 3 design team to use baby carriers as a storage benchmark.

Anyway, Claire told me: “I’ve had trouble fitting child seats into cars in the past, because they’re quite bulky, but the Model 3 was excellent. I didn’t expect all six to go in, but they did, so I was pleasantly surprised.

“I used the Isofix mounts on the outer back seats for two of the child seats and used the seatbelt to secure another one in the middle.

“Then I put one in the front passenger seat and two in the boot. The lack of a hatchback opening wasn’t too much of a problem for me, because the Model 3’s saloon-style boot opening is relatively wide and a couple of the child seats were able to be folded up.”

There is indeed loads of storage space available in the Model 3, including a ‘frunk’ under the bonnet with more than enough space for charging cables, plus the long main boot itself. There’s also what I think of as a secret compartment: a deep well under a lift-up panel in the boot floor.

As a result, I wasn’t even close to running out of space for luggage when I packed for me and two other adults for a weekend away.

However, my own attempt to get a seat into the Model 3’s boot wasn’t such smooth sailing.

This time it was an adult seat: a bulky office chair. I hoped I wouldn’t have to take the chair apart to get it in, but in the end that proved to be the only option. The Tesla Model Y SUV would have had no trouble with its lift-up tailgate and much taller boot aperture, but not the Model 3.

Personally, I’d rather stick with the Model 3, because it’s more fun to drive than the Model Y. But it’s worth considering access if you’re shopping for an electric car. Take a seat if you have to.

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