Tesla Model 3 2024 Review

The new 2024 Tesla Model 3 range opens at $61,900 plus on-road costs, with first deliveries slated from January 2024.

That opening figure is for the entry-level rear-drive variant now simply known as ‘Model 3’, while the higher-spec Long Range variant starts from $71,900 plus ORCs, marking price increases of $4500 and $1500 respectively compared to the equivalent pre-facelift versions.

The extra outlay brings an overhauled exterior design, reworked interior, revamped chassis tune and more driver assistance technologies. All told, Tesla claims 50 per cent of the updated Model 3 is new.

The pricing still compares pretty favourably against the Model 3’s chief rivals, including the Polestar 2 (from $67,400 plus ORCs), BYD Seal Premium (from $58,798 plus ORCs) and Hyundai IONIQ 6 (from $65,500 plus ORCs).

As before, the Tesla Model 3 is manufactured in China. The US brand is also set to launch a flagship Model 3 Performance next year.

The entry-level 2024 Tesla Model 3 comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry/start, ambient interior lighting (new), three-zone climate control, leather-look synthetic seat upholstery, heated and ventilated (new) front seats, a redesigned centre console, virtual gear selector (via the primary touch-screen), plusher materials and a new multifunction steering wheel.

There’s also a powered boot lid and electrically-adjustable front seats.

Optional equipment for the updated Model 3 include Enhanced Autopilot ($5100), Full Self-Driving Capability ($10,100) and two-tone 19-inch alloy wheels ($1500).

Tesla still pales against mainstream rivals where warranty is concerned; the Model 3 is covered by a sub-par four-year/80,000km warranty.

The battery is covered by a separate eight-year/160,000km term – which is the industry norm – and there is no set servicing schedule or capped-price servicing, with Tesla instead employing ‘condition-based servicing’.

Oddly, there is no spare tyre or even a tyre inflation kit standard. You can purchase a repair kit for $125 via Tesla’s online store, otherwise you’re relying on a technician callout or, worse still, a tow truck, to get you out of trouble in the event of a flat.

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 looks to be very safe, building on a five-star ANCAP safety rating awarded in 2019 with a blind spot monitoring system displaying lights near the mirrors and a new rear pedestrian warning system.

Other safety tech includes adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and lane centre assist, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), traffic sign recognition, driver attention warning, blind spot cameras and tyre pressure monitoring, plus a full count of airbags and common electronic aids such as stability control and ABS.

The new Model 3 foregoes traditional front and rear parking sensors for a system based on cameras and software. We’ll reserve formal judgement on these until a more comprehensive drive review, but initial impression suggest the new configuration is a little overzealous.

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 debuts a brighter, more responsive and sharper 15.4-inch central touch-screen as part of the latest update.

As ever, it is the nerve centre for the entire car – taking on even more importance with the integration of gear selector, after Tesla deleted its column-mounted gear and indicator stalks. The turn indicators are now incorporated into the steering wheel (a la Ferrari).

Essentially, the gear selector is now activated via a touch-screen slider on the right-hand side of the centre display; slide up to go forward, slide down to go into reverse. It’s a novel function, but we soon found it quite simple to use.

The main screen houses all important trip information as before including speed. Even though we’re a few years down the road from Tesla’s Australian debut, we still think a basic head-up display is needed in a bid to save drivers veering their eyes away from the road.

A second 8.0-inch display has been installed ahead of the back seats so passengers in the rear can access the climate controls and entertainment while on the fly. It, too, is a cinch to navigate, but users beware; once your kiddos use it once they’ll want it on every damn car ride.

Both screens incorporate infotainment software including Spotify, Zoom, YouTube, Netflix and Apple Music, with Tesla once again defying conventional smartphone mirroring apps like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Model 3’s sat-nav is powered by Google Maps, while its on-board chargers now comprise just one USB-C connection up front and two in the rear – the upside being that power from each port has been bumped from 15W to 65W, enough to charge two MacBook Pros at once.

There’s also two wireless phone chargers up front.

The Model 3’s native menus are quite dense and complex upon first inspection, especially since it bundles everything into them – from steering wheel adjustment to opening the glove box. However, we’re sure that with more time behind the wheel you would streamline navigation, almost akin to learning a new smartphone.

Tesla is super-clever at this stuff. Even the smartphone app that operates as the car’s key, enabling familiar functions like remote climate control and then taking the added step of a Summon feature, which allows the car to be remotely moved.

The base Model 3’s audio system cranks great tunes, too. For a nine-speaker system, it is remarkably well sorted.

Another noteworthy inclusion is the surfeit of on-board cameras, which now number eight outside plus a new interior camera.

It’s clear the Model 3 isn’t short on tech. But one traditional item missing is AM radio, a feature almost at odds with Tesla’s forward-looking tech but a necessary one in Australia during natural disasters and emergencies. And no, we’re not alluding to the manic crash scene in the Netflix series ‘Leave The World Behind’.

This is becoming increasingly common as car-makers claim the EV’s powertrain generates electromagnetic interference with the AM radio band.

There are no mechanical changes to the Tesla Model 3 for 2024, meaning the entry rear-drive car continues with a 208kW/350Nm single-motor powertrain.

What has changed quite a bit is the chassis and suspension, with a stiffer body designed to reduce flexing, new suspension bushes which purportedly improve ride quality and provide a quieter drive experience, plus Frequency Selective Dampers.

The latter are employed on the award-winning Kia EV6 and adjust the shock absorber response depending on the speed (or frequency) of bumps; sharper bumps elicit more compliance while drawn-out undulations offer more stiffness.

These elements work in tandem with what Tesla calls ‘360-degree acoustic glass technology’ and extra sound-proofing.

Additionally, the Tesla Model 3 rides on 18-inch Michelin tyres said to offer more compliance, while at the same time lowering the top speed to 201km/h.

According to the manufacturer, the 2024 Tesla Model 3 will drive further on a single charge despite no mechanical modifications.

That’s because the slippery-looking new body has a claimed drag coefficient of just 0.219Cd, which in turn has boosted the base model’s WLTP range from 491km to 513km. The Model 3 Long Range also increases from 602km to 629km.

We managed close to 390km across mixed conditions on test, averaging 14.0kWh/100km (against a claim of 13.5kWh/100km).

When it comes to recharging, Tesla claims a DC charging rate of up to 170kW and 11kW on an AC home wallbox. The former will take about 20min to charge 0-80 per cent, while the latter takes 6.5 hours.

Plugging into a domestic AC socket will take about 35 hours.

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 is clearly pursuing a more sophisticated bent – and there is no better case in point than the drive experience.

The combination of a stiffer body, frequency selective dampers, new suspension bushes and quieter acoustics have endowed the medium-sized EV with a level of refinement akin to a German luxury sedan.

There is more compliance, more softness and less noise in the way the Model 3 goes about its business, from the way it takes the edge off bumps to the way it sits and settles on a winding country road.

It’s very pleasant, very quiet and very serene, whether during commuting or on long cross-country adventures.

Equally, the drivetrain is brisk, refined and effortless all at once. As the 6.1sec 0-100km/h time suggests, the most basic rear-drive Model 3 is plenty quick enough. Especially since there is barely any more emotion or theatre wrought from more manic offerings like the Model 3 Performance; they’re simply faster out of the blocks.

With all of that said, there is a decided digital veneer to the way the Tesla Model 3 drives. The steering is far too immediate and darty off-centre for my liking, and misses the intricate feel and feedback through the rack that keener drivers truly seek.

Those features are augmented by the regenerative brakes, which tend to make the car feel bound up on road and lack the adjustability of rivals that feel comparatively freer with their ability to coast.

Similarly, the new touch-screen-driven gear selector promises to be hit and miss with owners. We found it relatively easy to navigate but cynically see it as a way for Tesla to save money on switchgear.

Even though 1700kg is modest in EV terms, the Model 3 doesn’t feel like a particularly light car during fast changes in direction. And with a turning circle of 11.7 metres, it isn’t the easiest car to manoeuvre through tight spaces.

And beyond the novelty of instant acceleration, the EV drivetrain is quite inert and lacks theatre – a problem facing all electrified models moving forward.

It means the Tesla Model 3 is quite effective at moving the body, but it will never be a vehicle that moves the soul. As such, we are never overly lulled into testing its front-to-rear balance or grip threshold on test.

Instead, there is more enjoyment wrought from extracting additional range or listening to music, if we’re completely honest.

Much like the drive experience, the 2024 Tesla Model 3 feels much more mature inside the cabin.

The introduction of ambient interior lighting, new trims, the reworked centre console and some nice-to-have features make the Model 3 feel less tech-centric and more like a properly-executed luxury car.

The synthetic leather-look seats are plush and comfortable and oddment storage is superb across both the front and rear seat compartments.

Aside from a pretty prominent blind spot imposed by the A-pillars, the Model 3’s outward vista is clear and unobscured, and the cabin is imbued with a light, airy feel courtesy of the full-length glass roof.

However, at the risk of annoying Teslaphiles, said glass roof is also notoriously effective at radiating heat on a hot summer’s day – as we found during a three-day loan when the mercury exceeded 30 degrees Celsius recently.

In the middle of the day the glass itself was too hot to touch, so intense was the Australian sun. A small consolation is the excellent climate-control system and new seat ventilation system.

Elsewhere, kiddos are well looked after with rear air vents and ISOFIX attachment points on the rear outbound seats, plus three top-tether strap points.

Further back, the 594-litre boot area is surprisingly big and roomy, ably facilitating a full-size pram on test, or a couple of full-size suitcases, with room for more storage in the floor space underneath.

The cargo hold is handily accessed via an electrically-powered boot lid and includes split-folding seats to the second row, though annoyingly, no spare tyre of any kind.

One other consideration with the boot itself is when it’s open: it juts out quite prominently from the rest of the car and sits right at adult head height at the leading edge.

If a mid-size electric sedan is top of the list as your next purchase, then the updated 2024 Tesla Model 3 is hard to look past.

The improvements here are marked: more compliant on-road and more sophisticated inside the cabin, with a carryover appeal in its purchase price and drivetrain efficiency.

The Model 3 doesn’t quite match the balanced, rear-biased dynamism (or enjoyment) of the Polestar 2 – its closest logical EV rival – but it obliterates it for cabin fitment and space, oddment storage and tech.

The Tesla Model 3 also has its own share of idiosyncrasies with tech, and despite darty steering and punchy low-speed conveyance, feels a little anodyne to drive.

But that said, it is brilliant at making the EV appeal to the mass market. There’s no reason why the Tesla Model 3 is about to end its sales dynasty locally.

2024 Tesla Model 3 at a glance:
Price: $61,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 208kW/350Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 60kWh lithium-ion
Range: 513km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 13.5Wh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)