Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive v Toyota Camry Ascent 2024 Comparison

The 2024 Toyota Camry and Tesla Model 3 are each available in three guises – and it’s the most affordable of each we’ve chosen for this test.

The latest Camry sells from $39,990 plus on-road costs for the entry-level Ascent. Go for more luxury in the top-of-the-line SL and it’s $53,990 plus on-road costs (ORCs).

That still undercuts the entry-level Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive, which sells from $54,900 plus ORCs.

However, the Tesla has one big advantage for those who plan to lease their vehicle via a salary sacrifice arrangement. It can take advantage of the fringe benefits tax exemption that currently applies to EVs priced below the luxury car tax threshold.

If you’re earning $100,000, take out a three-year lease and drive 15,000km per year, you’ll end up with more disposable income by splashing out the extra $15K on the Tesla – all because the government allows you to pay for the car and its running costs out of your pre-tax income. With the Camry you have to pay for a chunk of it out of your post-tax earnings.

Sure, the final payment for the Tesla will be higher because the original car was more expensive, but it should also be worth more if you decide to sell. And with a lease you can simply hand the car back at the end rather than make the final payment.

The 2024 Toyota Camry Ascent may be refreshingly affordable but you’re getting a basic level of kit, including dual-zone ventilation, smart key entry, cloth trim and 17-inch wheels.

There’s a space saver spare wheel, one of the few features Toyota has over its Tesla rival (it also gets front and rear parking sensors, which the Tesla replaces with cameras that estimate the distance to objects).

But the Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive fights back with a lot more gear. The Model 3 gets electrically adjustable front seats, the driver’s seat with memory. There’s also leather look perforated trim, heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof and 18-inch alloys.

You can get those features on the top-of-the-line Camry SL, which sells from $53,990 plus on-road costs. However, the base Tesla has a bunch of features you can’t get in any Camry, including tri-zone ventilation, a powered bootlid, heated rear seats, ambient lighting, matrix LED headlights and a whole bunch of tech that we’ll cover off later.

On the warranty front it’s a win to Toyota, which is covered for five years with no limit on how far you drive (use it for commercial purposes, though, including ride sharing, and there’s a 160,000km limit).

The Tesla gets an undernourished four-year, 80,000km warranty, with an eight-year, 160,000km warranty on the high voltage battery.

Servicing for the Camry is required every 12 months or 15,000km and costs $255 for each of the first five check-ups. The Tesla has no kilometre limit on its servicing but is recommended for a check-up every two years – along with replacement of the cabin filter – and rotation of the tyres every 10,000km. Even with the tyre rotations the Tesla should be cheaper to service.

The 2024 Toyota Camry has a five-star ANCAP rating to the latest 2024 protocols. It gets eight airbags, including a centre front airbag and driver’s knee airbag.

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 only gets six airbags – dual front, front side and side curtain, which are also part of the Camry’s artillery – and has not been tested by ANCAP in its latest form. The pre-facelifted Model 3 scored a five-star rating and Tesla made changes designed to improve safety, so it’s difficult to see it going backwards for occupant protection.

However, the Tesla doesn’t get rear cross traffic alert and exit warning, two driver-assist systems that are included in the Camry. Plus the Camry gets an SOS button allowing you to easily alert emergency services in the event of a crash.

The Tesla gets a surround view camera, whereas the Toyota gets by with just a reversing camera. Plus the Model 3 has some additional driver smarts, such as the ability to monitor the vehicle location and speed via a smartphone app, and Valet Mode that reduces power and limits the top speed.

Both cars get autonomous emergency braking, blind spot warning, speed sign recognition, lane departure warning, lane keep assistance, driver monitoring and adaptive cruise control.

If it’s technology you’re yearning for then it’s a slam dunk to the 2024 Tesla Model 3. For starters you can set up a smartphone as the key, allowing you to open the doors and drive away without any physical key.

The associated smartphone app also makes it easy to monitor the vehicle, determine its location, lock and unlock the car remotely and adjust the cabin temperature and seat cooling/heating before getting back to the car.

The Tesla also gets a huge 15-inch infotainment screen, albeit one that incorporates the instrument cluster on its right side. That screen is impressively clear and vibrant and has the ability to stream video and play games when the car is parked.

Those in the rear can also stream video to the eight-inch rear screen that can be paired with Bluetooth headsets. The Tesla’s 17-speaker sound system also destroys the Toyota’s for punch and clarity; audiophiles take note!

For keeping gadgets topped up the Tesla has two wireless phone chargers – and they work better than most – as well as three USB-C ports.

The Camry fights back with five USB-C ports, but no wireless phone charging. The Camry’s main central touch-screen is the same size as the Tesla’s rear display – eight inches – but it doesn’t have anything like the functionality. The one thing it does have, however, is third-party smartphone connectivity in the form of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (Tesla relies on embedded apps such as mapping, phone and music to achieve a similar thing).

And with a proper instrument cluster in front of the driver it means Toyota can leave the centre screen solely to take care of infotainment. There’s also a smartphone app as part of myToyota Connect, but it doesn’t have anything like the functionality of the Tesla’s.

The 2024 Toyota Camry Ascent pairs a 138kW/221Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with a 100kW electric motor. The maximum combined output is 170kW (Toyota doesn’t provide a combined torque figure). Acceleration to 100km/h is claimed to take 7.2 seconds.

The Tesla is powered by a single electric motor driving the rear wheels. Tesla claims that motor makes up to 194kW and 340Nm and the RWD can scurry to 100km/h in 6.1 seconds.

How fuel efficient is the Toyota Camry Ascent and how far can the Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive go on a charge?

They’re two cars out to reduce CO2 emissions but the 2024 Toyota Camry Ascent and Tesla Model 3 Long Range do it very differently. Each achieves their environmental credentials – and associated low running costs – in very different ways.

The Camry is claimed to use 4.0 litres of fuel per 100km. Our mix of suburban and open road driving yielded more like 4.5L/100km, which is still excellent for a sizeable sedan.

The Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive is claimed to consume 13.2kWh of electricity per 100km and that’s achievable in the real world, but you may also use upwards of 14kWh/100km.

To give a better idea on running costs, it’s worth crunching some numbers. Fuel costs for the Toyota are relatively easy to calculate. It requires premium unleaded, so we’re assuming you’ll pay about $2 a litre. That means something like $9 to go 100km.

The Tesla, on the other hand, has a circa-60kWh battery that can take you around 430km in everyday driving. Assume 15 per cent charging losses – not all the energy that flows from your powerpoint makes it into the battery pack – and you’ll need about 70kWh to go that full 430km. Depending on where you live, electricity costs something like 30c per kilowatt-hour, so about $4.90 to go 100km – almost half the cost of the Camry.

If you’ve got rooftop solar those costs can reduce to zero. And at the very least you should look at an EV electricity plan that allows plenty of Australians to top up for less than 10c/kWh. That lowers your per-100km charging costs to about $1.60, a fraction of what the Camry costs.

Where the Tesla will get expensive is when you’re fast charging on a road trip. Electricity prices can top 80c/kWh. That would mean something like $13 per 100km. That’s less than most petrol-powered cars, but more than you’ll spend on a Camry.

So really, it depends on how you’ll be driving and charging as to how much it’s likely to cost. For those who can charge at home, it’ll cost a lot less to run the Tesla. If you’re constantly doing big country kilometres using public fast chargers then the Camry wins.

The 2024 Toyota Camry Ascent sticks to a familiar formula. Petrol and electric propulsion teaming to drive the front wheels.

The Camry is responsive, something helped by the more instantaneous response of the electric motor. Keep calling for more and the petrol engine builds pace. While there are many instances where the petrol engine will be dormant, when accelerating it will typically be playing a role.

And when it’s running there’s a dull drone that whirs away in the background. Throw in hints of wind noise off the front windows – more noticeable because the Camry is generally quiet – and the Toyota has some unwanted sounds kicking around the cabin. The Camry also prioritises comfort over driving thrills. That’s to be expected given the lineage of the Camry, but the contrast is stark, given what it’s up against in this test.

Steering is faithful but lifeless. It had a tendency to lean on its nose when you barrel into a corner. And the tyres will let out a yelp if you get too eager with your corner entry. But it delivers on comfort, with suspension that nicely deals with bumps to ensure occupants are shielded from the worst of it. Large hits and dips are expertly controlled, giving confidence the Camry will eat up the country kays.

The Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive is sharper and more focussed, something immediately noticeable with its steering. Even small drive inputs have the nose pointing eagerly into a corner.

But whereas earlier Teslas have been stiff-legged with firm suspension that took the edge off the ride comfort, the frequency selective dampers that came as part of the late 2023 update to the Model 3 have transformed the way it pampers occupants. It’s supple and controlled, with decent suspension travel over larger, rolling imperfections such as a speed hump. But for bigger, sharper thumps it provides more resistance to keep things in check.

The Tesla’s cabin is also quieter than the Camrys, making for a more relaxed ride.

And with the rear wheels doing the driving it allows the fronts to focus on turning the car. It means on winding roads the Tesla feels more composed and quicker to respond. It can also be fun, its zippy character and impressive roadholding amping up the confidence.

Neither the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive or Toyota Camry Ascent are designed to go off-road. Each is designed purely for paved roads.

The 2024 Toyota Camry Ascent is a decent sized sedan and feels it in the cabin. Rear seat legroom is terrific, making it easy for a couple of adults to settle in for the ride. Someone in the middle won’t be happy with the hump robbing them of foot space, though.

Up front there’s also ample space – and ample uninspiring grey. While the layout is logical and storage bins plentiful, the Camry is a sea of sombre-hued plastics that reinforce it’s been built to a price. The plastic steering wheel is particularly uninspiring. Sure, it gives the impression it’ll hold up to the rigours of family life – or worse, years of ride sharing – but it’s bordering on dreary.

At 524 litres, the boot is broad but has a narrow opening. And when you split-fold the back seats 60/40 you’ll be poking long items through a disappointingly small aperture.

Step into the Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and there’s a modern aesthetic, albeit one that makes minimalism its thing. Perforated faux leather, modern materials and strips of ambient lighting give a more premium look and feel.

The 15-inch screen that dominates the dash controls just about everything, from opening the bonnet and glovebox to adjusting the mirrors and steering wheel. And, of course, it takes care of the dazzling infotainment system that does more than most will want.

Space up front is excellent and there are deep door pockets and two covered storage binnacles in the centre console. In the back the Model 3 doesn’t have as much legroom, but headroom is on par with the Toyota. And where it makes up points is the three-abreast accommodation across the rear. The additional foot space will leave that third person smiling.

If we’re boiling it down, the Toyota arguably has a better back seat for Uber riders but the Tesla is likely to keep kids happier.

The Tesla’s luggage space is also impressive. There’s a 594-litre boot, a chunk of which is beneath the floor. It’s backed up by 88 litres under the bonnet, which is a handy space for charging cables or valuables.

If you’re financing your purchase using a novated lease it’s almost impossible not to gravitate towards the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive.

It’s a better car than the Toyota Camry Ascent and it’s cheaper to finance if you leverage the government’s FBT exemption on a novated lease. Even if you’re buying it outright it’s easy to mount a case for the Tesla. It has a classier cabin, loads more equipment and is a nicer and sharper car to drive. It’s easy to see where the money has been spent.

The Camry really only wins in rear seat legroom and ride comfort. And, of course, the security and anticipated trouble-free ownership experience that Toyota does so well. For many that will be the clincher, but buying that peace of mind means they’ll be missing out on the best mid-sized sedan.

2024 Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive at a glance:
Price: $54,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet motor
Output: 194kW/340Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 60kWh lithium-ferrous phosphate (LFP) lithium-ion
Range: 513km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 13.2kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not rated

2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid at a glance:
Price: $39,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 2.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 138kW/221Nm (electric motor: 100kW/208Nm)
Combined output: 170kW/221Nm
Transmission: CVT automatic
Fuel: 4.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 91g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: 5-star (ANCAP 2024)

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