2024 Tesla Model 3

Scored on the Long Range AWD dual-motor, the volume configuration of the 2024 Highland lineup (RWD, Long Range AWD, Performance AWD added April 2024). Tesla does not publish horsepower for non-Performance trims, so this is a third-party combined figure; secondary sources range 390–394 hp.

Combined peak torque of the dual permanent-magnet motors, available from zero rpm. Tesla publishes no US torque rating and secondhand figures disagree, so confidence is limited.

Tesla's quoted 4.2 s for the Long Range AWD is quick for a mid-size sedan and matches six-cylinder German rivals; even the base RWD at 5.8 s is brisk.

Instant, silent, linear thrust with no lag or engine handoffs; the 2024 Highland refresh added acoustic glass all round and more insulation, making it markedly quieter than 2017–2023 cars. Held below Lucid/BMW i4 by audible motor whine and abrupt low-speed one-pedal regen.

Single-speed reduction gear per motor — nothing to hunt, shift or drone. Held short of the top because regen strength is not driver-selectable and the 2024 refresh moved gear selection to a touchscreen slider with no stalk.

Dual-motor AWD is offered on two of the 2024 configurations (Long Range and Performance) at a mid-trim price, with independent front/rear torque control but no terrain modes — appropriate for a pavement sedan.

Several battery-electric configurations — LFP single-motor RWD, Long Range dual-motor AWD, the 510-hp Performance, and a late-year Long Range RWD — spanning 5.8 s to 2.9 s and 272 to 363 miles, but no hybrid or gas alternative.

130 MPGe (25.8 kWh/100 mi) is among the most efficient dual-motor sedans on sale; the single-motor variants are better still.

Strong city efficiency for a dual-motor EV.

The low-drag Highland body keeps highway efficiency close to the city figure.

342 miles is comfortably above the EV-sedan midpoint; only the Lucid Air and a few long-range rivals clearly exceed it. The LFP base RWD trails at 272 miles.

250 kW peak on a 400V pack is quick, though behind 800V Hyundai/Kia/Lucid/Porsche architectures on paper; preconditioning and Supercharger density offset much of that. The LFP base RWD is capped lower.

Tesla quotes no 10–80% figure for the US car; independent tests of the Highland Long Range land around 25–27 minutes, mid-pack against 800V rivals' ~18 minutes.

EPA's standard 15,000-mile electricity cost is among the lowest of any EV sedan.

Charging is about as easy as it gets for an EV: native NACS access to the largest US fast-charging network, an 11.5 kW onboard AC charger for overnight home charging, and very low consumption that keeps energy costs low.

NHTSA never crash-tested the 2024 Highland Model 3: both the RWD and AWD 2024 listings read Not Rated in every test. The same-generation 2026 car was tested in September 2026 and earned five stars overall, frontal, side and rollover. Per the item rule (latest tested year of this generation) that rating carries back to 2024. Confidence is MEDIUM because it is a carried generation rating, not a 2024 test.

IIHS publishes no crashworthiness ratings and no award for the 2024 Model 3: its 2024 page carries only the LATCH evaluation. The tests that earned the 2025 car a Top Safety Pick (small overlap Good, updated side Good, updated moderate overlap Acceptable) are explicitly limited to 2025–27 models. The body is the same Highland structure, so there is no known concern, but IIHS has not extended its results to the 2024 car. That leaves an untested car scored below the 2025 car's 76, though above the concern band.

Every 2024 trim came standard with Autopilot (Traffic-Aware Cruise Control plus Autosteer), AEB with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, lane departure avoidance, blind-spot warning and auto high beams. The car shipped without rear cross-traffic alert, which only arrived by OTA update 2025.2.8. There is no safe-exit warning and no cross-traffic braking.

IIHS did not test front crash prevention on the 2024 car. The same camera-only Tesla Vision hardware rated Good in both the vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 and pedestrian (day/night) tests on the 2025 car. Points come off because that result isn't rated for 2024 and because phantom braking has been documented for years.

Blind-spot warning is standard, with indicator lights near the mirrors on the Highland car and a repeater-camera feed on screen when signalling. The 2024 car shipped without rear cross-traffic alert, which came later by OTA, and it has no active blind-spot intervention, cross-traffic braking or safe-exit alert.

Autosteer was standard on 2024 cars and reviewers widely regard it as among the steadiest lane centering available: it holds the middle of the lane through curves without ping-ponging. Points come off for driver-attention nags and abrupt hand-backs when lane markings fade.

Traffic-Aware Cruise Control covers the full speed range with stop-and-go and works with Autosteer as one Autopilot mode. Phantom braking on open highways keeps it out of the 80s, and automatic lane changes need the paid FSD (Supervised) package.

FSD (Supervised) was available as a purchase or subscription on the HW4-equipped 2024 car. With the v12/v13 updates (2024–25) it moved to cabin-camera monitoring that allows hands-off supervision on highways and city streets, a wider scope than geofenced BlueCruise or Super Cruise. Points come off because it is paid, still a supervised Level 2 system and under NHTSA scrutiny.

IIHS publishes no headlight rating for 2024. The same single LED projector headlight (curve-adaptive, with high-beam assist) used across every Highland trim rates Acceptable on the 2025 car, so the 2024 car scores mid-band with MEDIUM confidence.

Forward and side sightlines are excellent thanks to the low cowl, slim A-pillars and glass roof. The shallow fastback rear window has no wiper, and Tesla offers separate camera feeds rather than a stitched 360° view.

IIHS rates the 2024 LATCH hardware Acceptable. Only the two outboard positions have lower anchors, both marked down for being set too deep in the seat. The flat EV floor helps, but the low roofline makes rear-facing installs tight.

All 2024 Model 3 trims seat five.

Generous front headroom despite the standard full glass roof.

Competitive front legroom for the class.

Adequate rear headroom thanks to the glass roof, though the fastback tapers.

Rear legroom is short for a mid-size sedan, and the high battery floor leaves rear passengers knees-up.

Large trunk for a sedan plus a front trunk.

Frunk, deep underfloor trunk well, large center console with two wireless pads and fold-flat 60/40 rear seats make storage better than most sedans.

Front seats are supportive and now ventilated, but the rear cushion is low and knees-up over long stints; synthetic leather draws criticism.

The Highland refresh's new springs/dampers fixed the old car's harshness; supple over bumps with good body control, though not as plush as an Ioniq 6 or i4.

Acoustic glass all around quiets the 2024 car markedly versus the pre-refresh model, though wind and tire noise rise at highway speed.

Ventilated front seats, heated front and rear seats, heated wheel, rear climate via 8-in rear touchscreen and app pre-conditioning are standard on the 2024 Long Range.

The 2024 Highland launched in the US in January 2024 with the LFP-battery RWD as the entry trim at $38,990 before destination, the last model year with a sub-$40k Model 3. The RWD lost the federal $7,500 credit on 1 January 2024 because of its Chinese-sourced cells, and that credit is excluded here in any case.

The Long Range AWD is the scored volume trim for 2024 (as in cat1/cat2 of this scorecard): it regained the full $7,500 federal credit in June 2024, which made it cheaper after credit than the RWD and pulled most buyers to it. Tesla publishes no trim mix, so volume-trim identification is MEDIUM; Tesla also micro-adjusted the price through the year.

Scheduled maintenance is minimal on an EV (no oil, plugs or transmission service, and regen spares the brakes), but Edmunds projects sizeable repair costs in years 5 and beyond the 4-year basic warranty, and tires wear quickly on a heavy, torquey sedan. Edmunds' figure is for the 2024 base sedan; the AWD car should be similar.

Residuals are the Model 3's weak point: repeated factory price cuts, the arrival of the cheaper Long Range RWD and the 2025 Standard trim, 2025 brand damage and the end of the federal new and used EV credits in September 2025 all pressed down on what a 2024 car is worth.

Four years/50,000 miles beats the 3/36 typical of mainstream brands and matches the German luxury makes, but trails Hyundai, Kia and Genesis.

Eight years on the battery and drive unit is the US EV norm; the explicit 70% capacity-retention floor puts a contractual limit on degradation risk.

Tesla includes no scheduled maintenance; roadside assistance runs only for the 4-year/50,000-mile basic term, and Premium Connectivity is a paid subscription after a 30-day trial. 2024 extras were promotional rather than standard: a one-month FSD (Supervised) trial for new cars from spring 2024 and periodic free-Supercharging offers on inventory cars.

$47,380 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (38% retained, or about $18,004) leaves about $29,376 in depreciation. Add the projected $6,676 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $36,052 in total.

2024 is the first US model year of the Highland refresh, and Consumer Reports rates it more reliable than the average 2024 car. That makes it the Tesla CR is most willing to recommend. Pulling the other way: J.D. Power's dependability and initial-quality studies keep putting Tesla below the industry average, and owners report rattles and alignment problems on early Highland builds. The sources disagree, so the score sits in the upper part of the mixed-signal band.

Over 2023–2025, Tesla's brand standing was lower-middle of the pack. The Model 3 and Model Y hold it up, and the Model S, Model X and Cybertruck pull it down. It is not consistently bottom-third, but it trails Toyota/Lexus/Honda and Hyundai/Kia by a wide margin.

The 2024 model year has a moderate recall record. There are five NHTSA campaigns: two are fleet-wide software or sensor issues (TPMS fixed over the air, hood-latch detection), one covers a single vehicle, and one is a rearview-camera computer fault that needs hardware for some cars. None involves a systemic powertrain or fire defect. Owners also benefit from the OTA fixes for the late-2023 Autopilot driver-monitoring recall.

This is the category's clear strength. The Highland car carries over the proven permanent-magnet drive units and pack family that have been in volume US production since 2017, and there is no conventional transmission to fail. The RWD volume trim uses the LFP pack, the most cycle-durable chemistry Tesla ships.

The 2024 Highland refresh clearly upgraded the cabin: textile-wrapped dash and door tops, an ambient light strip, ventilated front seats on Long Range, and a rear touchscreen. It is good value for the money. Against mid-size luxury sedans, though, the minimalist screen-only cabin lacks richness, and the lower zones use hard plastic.

Highland tightened assembly. Panel alignment is better, the double-glazed glass makes the cabin quieter, and the Fremont-built cars are Tesla's best-assembled product. Still, Consumer Reports owners flag noises and leaks on the 2024, and a minority of early refresh cars arrived with rattles and misaligned trim.

Coverage is adequate, helped by a genuinely different mobile-service fleet and app-based scheduling. Against that, the company-owned network is far sparser than any franchised luxury brand outside major metros. Waits for service appointments, and especially for collision and body work, are well documented.

Collision parts go through Tesla-controlled distribution and have documented backorders. The certified and independent repair network is thin, and high repair costs push insurance premiums above the segment norm. Minimal routine maintenance (no oil changes, long brake life from regenerative braking) and a large accessories aftermarket partly offset this.

Among the largest center screens in the class, plus a rear display.

Screen is lightning-fast and crisp, but the 2024 refresh pushed even more onto it — gear selection on the screen and capacitive steering-wheel turn-signal buttons — and basics like wipers sit in menus.

Tesla does not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto on the 2024 Model 3 by design; Bluetooth audio and native apps only.

Native nav with Supercharger trip planning, live stall availability and automatic battery preconditioning is class-leading for EV road trips; voice commands are capable.

The 2024 Long Range gets an upgraded 17-speaker system with dual subwoofers that reviewers rate highly; the RWD's 9-speaker system is merely decent.

There is no driver display at all — speed and all gauges live on the corner of the center screen.

Regular whole-vehicle OTA updates that add features, including drivetrain and ADAS functions.

Tesla app is the industry benchmark: phone key, remote climate and seat ventilation, charge scheduling, Sentry Mode, summon — free core features.

Two wireless pads and 65 W USB-C ports front plus rear USB-C, but no 12V-to-household AC outlet.

Phone-as-key with walk-up unlock and walk-away lock is standard, with NFC key cards as backup.

Camera image quality is excellent with multiple views, but there are no ultrasonic parking sensors and no surround-view composite; vision-based park assist is less precise in tight spots.

No head-up display is offered on any 2024 Model 3.

Big trunk swallows a stroller, but tight 34.5-in rear legroom, knees-up seating and LATCH anchors set too deep in the seat make car-seat duty fiddly.

Autopilot, AEB, blind-spot and lane-keeping are standard on every trim, but the 2024 model year carries no NHTSA or IIHS crash ratings of its own and lacked rear cross-traffic alert as delivered.

Rear touchscreen with streaming, heated rear seats, rear climate control and 24 cu ft total cargo are strong, but the cramped rear seat limits all-day comfort for teens/adults.

Smooth regen and quiet, comfortable ride make traffic easy, but the stalkless layout (on-screen gear selection, capacitive turn-signal buttons) and darty steering add friction.

At 130 MPGe and about $600 a year in EPA energy cost, per-mile running costs are among the lowest of any sedan.

Compact footprint helps, but a 38.4-ft turning circle and camera-only parking guidance with no sensors require care.

No US tow rating or factory hitch, and a sedan trunk opening — not a work vehicle.

Simple EV drivetrain with 8-yr/120,000-mi battery warranty and heavy rideshare use, but the synthetic upholstery and glass roof are not built for hard use.

No AC outlet, no tie-down system and no upfit ecosystem beyond a clamp-on roof rack.

342 miles of EPA range, a much-improved ride, Supercharger access with trip planning and standard Autopilot make it an excellent mile-eater.

AWD and Camp Mode help, but 5.4 in of ground clearance and no US tow rating keep it on pavement.

Deep trunk plus frunk and 60/40 fold rear seats carry plenty of luggage, but the sedan opening and no hitch limit bulky gear.

Quick turn-in, minimal body roll and strong grip; the refreshed suspension keeps body control while riding better.

Quick but numb: vague on center, weighs up at speed and transmits little road feel, and its sensitivity can feel darty.

Natural pedal and seamless regen blending; instrumented stopping is good per CR though one European test called 121 ft from 62 mph mediocre.

Instant, smooth dual-motor response with very smooth default regen; no selectable regen levels.

Motors are near-silent; acoustic glass keeps drive-unit whine low.

Average-to-wide turning circle for a sedan this size.

Good seat and wheel adjustment and an airy view, but 2024 removed both stalks — gear selection moved to the screen and turn signals to capacitive wheel buttons — and there is no driver display.

Brisk acceleration and agile chassis are entertaining, held back by numb steer feel and a synthetic driving character.

The Highland refresh made even the $38,990 RWD well equipped: 15.4" centre display, 8" rear touchscreen, glass roof, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, ambient lighting and basic Autopilot; the Long Range AWD adds the premium audio system. No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto at any price, and Full Self-Driving is a costly add-on, keep it out of the top band.

In 2024 the Model 3 led its class on range, efficiency and performance per dollar: a sub-$40k RWD, a ~4.2 s Long Range AWD that regained the full $7,500 credit in June 2024 (bringing it to about $40k after the credit), and a 2.9 s, 510 hp Performance from $52,990 that also qualified. Native Supercharger access adds ongoing value. Paid FSD and extra-cost paint are the deductions.

Over the 2024 model year the line covered RWD, Long Range AWD and, from April, the Performance, roughly $39k–$55k, with clear steps in drivetrain and power. Option flexibility is minimal (paint, wheels, interior colour, FSD), with no packages or à-la-carte equipment.

The Model 3 was the second-best-selling EV in the US in 2024 and by far the best-selling electric sedan, many times the volume of the i4, Ioniq 6 or Polestar 2. Volume fell 17% from 2023 during the Highland changeover, so it is a dominant leader on a softening line.

Through the 2024 model year Tesla still had strong owner loyalty, the Supercharger halo and a software reputation, but its image was already becoming polarising around Elon Musk's politics in late 2024, and the 2025 backlash has since weighed on used Tesla values, which matters to a 2024 owner.

Direct sales mean no dealer markup, and during 2024 Tesla stacked factory promotions: low-APR financing (down to 0.99–1.99% at points), inventory and demo discounts, free-Supercharging offers, and FSD transfer/discounts. Long Range AWD (from June) and Performance buyers also got $7,500 at the point of sale, and leasing passed the credit through on every trim.

2024 is the first North American year of the Highland refresh, which brought new styling, much better ride and NVH, ventilated seats, the rear touchscreen and stalkless controls; the Highland Performance followed in spring 2024. The platform underneath dates to 2017, but over-the-air updates keep it current.

Reviewers praised the Highland Model 3's range, efficiency, charging, pace and big refinement gains, but comparison tests against the i4, Ioniq 6 and Polestar 2 fault the stalkless steering wheel, touchscreen-only controls and lack of CarPlay. It is a frequent finalist rather than a routine winner, and IIHS gave the 2024 car no award (crashworthiness unrated that year).