Item: Used Tesla Model 3 2019-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/jaguar/i-pace/estate/used-review/n19606">Jaguar I-Pace</a> styles itself as an SUV and it is a brilliant electric car with a sumptuous interior and a longer real-world range than some versions of the Model S. That plush interior also has an excellent driving position, while the ride is comfy.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/audi">Audi</a> E-tron is a large SUV that combines those much-loved traditional Audi qualities – such as a top-notch interior – with hitherto unimagined levels of comfort and refinement. The spacious interior is bursting with plush materials and high-tech goodies, too.&nbsp;

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If you're interested in finding a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/tesla?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true&amp;postCode=tw1%203sp">used Model 3</a>, or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a> pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price. 
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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

Hatchback

Tesla is the company that changed the car industry, putting electric cars at the forefront of public conscious – helped by the personality and profile of boss Elon Musk.

Today, Tesla has a wider line-up than ever, with the BMW 3 Series-rivalling Model 3 set to make its products more accessible. Alongside the Model 3, the larger Model S saloon and the Model X SUV continue to turn heads, while a new roadster, complete with supercar-beating acceleration, is in the works.

However, while the cars are all impressive, and for all that Tesla has acted as a catalyst for the more traditional car firms to develop electric vehicles, it’s a firm that continues to attract criticism, most notably for the reliability of its vehicles – a fact verified in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey.

TESLA

MODEL 3

The popular Model 3 is a real game-changer and comes with an impressive range, but it’s a bit pricey used

Used Tesla Model 3

There are no fuel costs, of course. Buying a Model 3 gives you access to Tesla’s own network of Superchargers, which allow you to charge the battery (from 10-80%) in as little as 30 minutes. You have to pay each time, but the price is reasonable, and the Supercharger network is more prolific and more reliable to use than any other. Of course, you can still charge up at any public CCS charging point if you need to, but this method takes longer (around 1hr 15min) for the same 10-80% top-up, whereas a full 0-100% charge at home using a 7kW charger takes around 11hr 45min.

Car tax

All Model 3s have zero emissions and will pay zero tax under the current VED scheme. Being a fully electric car it’s also exempt from the supplementary luxury car tax that conventionally powered cars costing over £40,000 new have to pay.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">Insurance</h3>

Insurance costs will be on the high side, while servicing is required annually or every 12,500 miles and servicing plans are available. A three-year maintenance plan includes three inspections in total – one every 12 months or 12,500 miles, whichever occurs first – and can be paid for up front or in instalments at a cost of £1575.

The Model 3 comes with a four-year/50,000 mile warranty, with the battery and drive unit covered separately for eight years or 100,000 miles. Not only does this warranty cover the electrical bits against faults, it also guarantees a minimum 70% retention of battery capacity.

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Used Tesla Model 3 2019-present

The popular Model 3 is a real game-changer and comes with an impressive range, but it’s a bit pricey used


Prices for the Model 3 Standard Range start at around £37,000 for a 2019 car. Expect to pay more for the two higher models, between £40,000 and £45,000, and around the same for a 2020 version of the standard car. You’ll need upwards of £45,000 for a Long Range or Performance car from 2020.&nbsp;

If you can afford the extra, we’d pick the Performance version. It’s ridiculously fast and has a great range. It’s well equipped, too, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, LED headlights, power-folding mirrors, electrically operated front seats and steering column, heated front and rear seats, a 15in infotainment screen with Google Maps, Netflix and web browsing, among a host of other refinements.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Our favourite Tesla Model 3: Model 3 Performance&nbsp;

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Sufficient range between charges to fit in with most people’s lifestyles – and in the real world, not on some far-fetched official test </li> <li>Quick charging times and compatibility with the most ubiquitous types of public charging points </li> <li>Priced to be within the grasp of more than just the privileged few </li> <li>As with any car, ride comfort, practicality and ownership costs can’t be ignored</li></ul>

We define an electric car as one that runs purely on battery power and has no tailpipe to puff out nasty chemicals. These cars qualify for the maximum plug-in car grant (PICG) of £3500.

The Renault Zoe is one of the most affordable options and has a surprisingly long range of between 120 and 180 miles (depending on the weather and the road type). However, the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen e-Golf are more practical and more accomplished to drive, even if the latter doesn't have a particularly long range between charges.

At the other end of the scale, Tesla’s ground-up EV philosophy – and the American brand’s own network of super-fast chargers – makes the Model S a tempting choice. It has seating for up to seven, an classy interior and a long enough real-world range to make inter-city travel a real possibility.

Electric

Tesla has had a poor reputation for build quality and reliability but there are signs this is changing. The Model 3 finished in first place in our most recent reliability survey in the electric car class, with an overall score of 99.4%.&nbsp;

What went wrong? Interior trim 5%

Tesla's newest model is not only the most dependable executive car, it's also the highest scoring electric car. Just 5% of cars suffered a fault, according to owners. All cars could still be driven and were fixed in a day or less at no cost to the owners.

Owner’s view "Everything about this car is superb, and I've had none of the build quality issues of the earlier models"

Tesla as a brand finished in a disappointing 29th place out of 31 manufacturers in the same survey.&nbsp;

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We might be in the midst of a 21st-century <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/large-electric">electric car </a>revolution now but when the history books are written the name <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/tesla">Tesla</a> will certainly go down as one of the most important pioneers.&nbsp;

Initially, the quirky American firm served up the very large <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/tesla/model-s/hatchback/used-review/n996">Model S</a> and the even larger <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/tesla/model-x/hatchback/used-review/n17877">Model X</a>, but the true statement of Tesla’s intent to democratise electric motoring was eventually realised in this <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/executive">executive car-sized</a> Model 3, launched in 2019. It’s perhaps not surprisingly been a runaway worldwide sales success, offering all the high-tech and drama and range and modernism of the larger cars in a smaller and more affordable package.&nbsp;

Three flavours of Model 3 are available in the UK: Standard Range Plus; the Long Range and the slightly more insane, flagship Performance version. The Standard Range Plus is WLTP-certified for 254 miles of claimed range and the Long Range steps that up to 348 miles. The Performance, meanwhile, has a claimed range of 329 miles. Indeed such is the alacrity with which Tesla works, the Model 3 has already been the beneficiary of a mild 2020 facelift.&nbsp;

All versions of the Model 3 come with plenty of luxuries, including climate control, adaptive cruise control, faux-leather seats (heated in the front), an electric tailgate and keyless entry via an app on your smartphone. Go for the Long Range or Performance version and you’ll get heated seats in the back.&nbsp;

Indeed, apart from metallic paint and different alloy wheel designs, the only option you could have added from new was the Full Self Driving Capability. This is potentially misleading, because it doesn't allow you to sit in the back and read a paper while the car takes you to your destination by itself. However, it does allow the car to make lane changes on its own (just hit the indicator), steer itself into a parking space and even be 'summoned' via a smartphone app at very low speeds; for example, if someone parks too close to you in a car park for you to open the doors and get in, you can simply drive the Model 3 out of the space using your phone. Note, though, that full self-driving capabilities are still illegal on UK roads.&nbsp;

&nbsp;On the road, even the entry-level, rear-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus managed 0-60mph in 6.1sec. That's much faster than the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/e-niro/estate/review/n18388">Kia e-Niro</a> or, indeed, a similarly priced petrol or diesel rival, such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/3-series/saloon/review/n91">BMW 3 Series</a>. However, the Long Range and Performance models have four-wheel drive, and not one but two electric motors, so they're even quicker. Indeed, we've timed the Performance, which is our pick of the range, pinging from 0-60mph in just 3.3sec.

As for how far you'll really get between charges, the pre-facelift Standard Range Plus model we tested managed a respectable 181 miles in our <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-car-real-range-which-electric-car-can-go-farthest-in-the-real-world/n18159">Real Range tests</a>. The Long Range and Performance models both have bigger batteries, and the latter (also a pre-facelift model) achieved 239 miles – one of the longest ranges of any electric car we've ever tested, beaten only by rivals that include the Kia e-Niro and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/jaguar/i-pace/estate/review/n122">Jaguar I-Pace</a>.

Tesla claims the facelifted cars should go quite a bit further on a charge: the Standard Range Plus has an official range of 267 miles; the Long Range 360 miles and the Performance 352 miles.

At low speeds, the entry-level Standard Range Plus and the Long Range jostle you around quite a bit. The range-topping Performance version of the Model 3 has sports suspension and massive 20in wheels as standard. Despite this, it’s a more comfortable alternative to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/polestar/2/hatchback/review/n21641">Polestar 2</a> and, perhaps surprisingly, the most comfortable Model 3 on motorways.&nbsp;

The Model 3 handles really well in its Performance guise. The Long Range version handles tidily, too, just with a bit more body lean and a little less grip. However, the Standard Range Plus feels altogether less balanced and less confidence-inspiring than the pricier versions of the Model 3 – despite being lighter.&nbsp;

Being a pure electric car, the Model 3 is, unsurprisingly, whisper-quiet at town speeds. However, there’s quite a lot of tyre noise on faster roads when you can also hear the wind whistling around its frameless doors – despite the double-glazed side windows.&nbsp;

To keep the dashboard on the Tesla Model 3 looking as minimalist as possible, everything from the wipers to the headlights is controlled via the central touchscreen. The downside of this is that even adjusting the door mirrors requires you to delve into the touchscreen and then fiddle around with buttons on the steering wheel.

You get essentially the same touchscreen infotainment system that features in <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/tesla">Tesla</a>’s larger models, although the Model 3’s screen is slightly smaller (15in) and is in landscape rather than the portrait orientation usual in those cars. The layout of the screen is intuitive, and while some of the smaller icons can be distracting to hit accurately while you’re driving, at least the system is quick and responsive once you’ve made your selection.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Front-seat passengers are unlikely to have any complaints about space, no matter how tall they are. There’s similar leg and head room in the back of the Model 3 to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/3-series/saloon/review/n91">BMW 3 Series</a> – comfortably enough for a six-footer to sit behind a driver of a similar height, in other words.

The Tesla Model 3 is a saloon, so its boot aperture isn’t huge. However, there’s actually more space for luggage than you’ll find in conventional executive rivals, That’s thanks partly to a huge well under its main boot floor, but also the extra storage under the bonnet ('frunk' is Tesla speak). In total, we managed to squeeze in an impressive total of 10 carry-on suitcases into the Model 3's two boots.&nbsp;

If you're interested in finding a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/tesla?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true&amp;postCode=tw1%203sp">used Model 3</a>, or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a> pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

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Used Tesla Model 3 2019-present review

Advice for buyers

What should I look for in a used Tesla Model 3 hatchback?