Almost a year ago I took delivery of my Tesla Model 3 and since then I’ve driven it over 26,000 miles. Is it still the best car I’ve ever driven or was it a $50,000 mistake? Let’s find out.
In my original Model 3 review that I did last year I mainly went over the features of the car because I had only owned it for 2 months. In this updated Model 3 review for 2019 I’m going to go over my experience of owning a Tesla Model 3 and focus on the 3 most important categories that I think people look for in a car:
- Reliability
- Cost
- Enjoyment
Reliability
When I first got my Model 3 I was skeptical on how reliable it would be since it was a first generation of its kind, and there were a few horror stories online from early adopters who were experiencing software & hardware issues. And my Model 3 is one of the first 15,000 or so that were produced so I was a little nervous. Not to mention the big lifestyle change from going to a fully electric vehicle where I have to actually do a little more planning when traveling because no longer can I stop almost anywhere at a gas station to refuel in 5 minutes. I was scared I would eventually get stranded somewhere with a dead battery.
Well, I can honestly say my Model 3 has been 100% reliable for me so far, and yes even though that should be expected for a brand new car, it’s still a nice surprise how reliable it has been since Tesla is still relatively so young compared to other manufacturers and the fact that the Model 3 is just a very unique car. I have never been stranded. The lowest battery I’ve ever had was 12 miles of range left when I arrived home from a road trip so yes range anxiety does exist, but the Model 3’s energy graph is extremely accurate in predicting the estimated range left when driving so as long as you pay attention to that and plan ahead you’ll be fine and shouldn’t ever have to worry about running out of battery.
I’ve never had any major software or hardware failure. The worst things I’ve experienced probably come down to a few minor things that were all related to software. One time my sound system just was completely frozen so no sounds were coming through the speakers: couldn’t hear any music or even things like the turn signal sound. However like most minor software bugs like that it was easily fixed by doing a soft reboot of the screen which takes about a minute to do. Another minor bug I experienced is the backup camera being blacked out when putting it in reverse (which was fixed by switching back to Drive then back to Reverse again). Other than that, it’s been pretty much perfect. I’ve never had any significant reliability issues.
For how heavily it’s integrated with software I’m actually surprised my Model 3 has worked this well, and I’ve been extremely satisfied with it over my first 26,000 miles. I’ve had two minor repairs done to the car. One was my driver door handle wasn’t closing fast enough and the other was my windshield wiper was making a clicking noise. Both of those repairs were done by a Tesla Mobile Ranger who actually came to my location and repaired the issue within an hour or so without me having to take the car to a service center which is awesome. And both repairs were covered for free under the warranty.
Cost
That brings me to the cost of ownership which is one of my favorite things about the Model 3. So my biggest and really only complaint about the cost of a Model 3 is the upfront price of the car. Yes it’s the cheapest Tesla model right now and there’s finally a $35,000 base model but a Model 3 with all the desired add-ons is still too expensive for most people. However if you can afford it and it fits your budget, I definitely believe the high upfront cost is worth it in the long run. And I’ll explain.
My Model 3 is a Long Range RWD with Aero wheels and it was around $50,000. However if you compare it to a similarly priced gasoline vehicle, the Model 3 is one of the cheapest cars to own. Since getting my Model 3, here’s how much I’ve spent on: Gasoline ($0), Oil changes ($0), repairs/maintenance ($0), tire rotations ($0). Out of all those things during the first 25,000 miles in a Model 3 you only need to do tire rotations and I know this isn’t the norm but luckily for me there’s a local tire shop that gives free tire rotations to Tesla owners, just one of the many perks of going all-electric I guess. But that’s why I personally haven’t spent any money on tire rotations.
So no more paying for gas or oil or many of the things that pertain to internal combustion engine vehicles. My car insurance went up by about $500/year but it most likely would have went up that much with any brand new car. Really the only things that have cost money to drive my Model 3 is electricity to charge the car and that mainly comes from either my own electricity at home or a Tesla Supercharger. Where I live my charging cost is cheap at 6.8 cents per kWh. My Model 3’s average Wh/mile is 248 which is really impressive because I live in Louisville where we experience all four seasons. It can get below zero degrees in the Winter and it can get over 100 degrees in the summer. So it’s one of the best locations to put the Model 3 range efficiency to the test and with an average of 248 Wh/mile through all the seasons means the LR Model 3 is one of, if not the most efficient electric car out right now.
It took 6,457 kWh to drive just over 26,000 miles, and based on my calculations from a previous video the Model 3 gets about 80% energy efficiency, so it actually took about 8,071 kWh and at my current electricity rate of 6.8 cents per kWh that comes to $549 that I’ve spent on electricity to drive my Model 3 over 26,000 miles. However some of that electricity was obtained a Superchargers where I spent a total of $54. Also keep in mind I’ve charged for free at certain hotels and parking garages that had free public charging and sometimes at family members houses when I visit them so my total cost to drive over 26,000 miles in my Model 3 is less than $600, and my monthly electricity costs have only increased by an average of $36. That is absolutely incredible. To put it in perspective, a car that gets 30 mpg at an average gas cost of $2.75 per gallon would cost $2,383 to drive 26,000 miles and if you add a $50 oil change every 4,000 miles that would be an additional $325. So that’s $2,000 of savings in less than a year. Of course these numbers are personal to my situation so it’s not the same for everyone but this is a real life example of how much a person can save in fuel and oil by going all-electric, especially a Model 3.
Enjoyment
Now we’re at the last category, enjoyment, which is also my favorite along with cost, I can have two favorites right? It’s no surprise that the Model 3 is an absolute joy to drive but I’ll quickly go over a few things that I don’t like because after all nothing is perfect. The windshield and windows fog up more than any other car I’ve ever driven, and I don’t know if it’s just me or my car or what. If you have a Model 3 and have noticed this let me know. Fortunately I got some fog reducer that I applied to the inside of the windshield which helped a little but it’s still quite annoying how easily it fogs up. I wish the frunk had a better closing mechanism or was able to close automatically because I tend to use the frunk pretty frequently and I hate leaving hand prints on the hood from closing it. I also wish the driver profiles would support the lumbar setting. It saves all the other seat and wheel settings but not lumbar, which is strange. Luckily that can be fixed with a software update which leads me into the plethora of things that I absolutely love about owning a Model 3. One of them being the sound system. Listening to music and audiobooks in my Model 3 is one of my favorite things to do.
How a car can be this simple & minimalist yet pack so much power and torque is something I’ll always be impressed with. The instant torque and quickness makes driving, especially things like merging & passing, effortless & fun. It handles as well if not better than any similarly priced sports car because of the better traction control from being an EV and the low center of gravity and balanced weight distribution due to the battery being underneath the entire length of the car.
But the thing that turns a lot of people off is one of my favorite things: the clean minimalist design of the entire car. Driving a Model 3 makes you realize how useless and unnecessary most other cars’ buttons and dials are. Autopilot is a life saver, like literally. Yes there are times when it phantom brakes but if you’re using it as it’s designed you will always have a hand on the wheel ready to take over and I love knowing each time I use it it’s getting better through the neural network. It removes the burden of having to endlessly stare at out of the windshield at the same spot and allows me to be more aware of my other surroundings which has honestly made me feel safer.
The Model 3 is smarter than any other car I’ve driven and automates basic things that allow me to worry less. My phone is my key so ever since I got a smart lock at home I stopped carrying keys. All I carry is my phone and wallet. My Model 3 automatically unlocks as I approach, and it locks as I walk away. It’s always on and ready to drive, and it’s utterly quiet when driving. If it’s raining, the wipers turn on automatically. If it recognizes a car ahead it automatically turns off my brights then turns them back on after. It charges overnight while I sleep, it stops charging when it reaches whatever limit I have set, and I wake up to an 80% charge every day or 100% charge if I’m about to take a road trip – no more stopping at gas stations. I can press a button and tell it to play a song and it plays it. I can tell it to drive somewhere and it gives me real-time step-by-step directions on the beautiful responsive 15” touch screen which is the best screen in any vehicle out right now in my opinion.
My Model 3 gets better over time through free software updates that it downloads and installs automatically. When I got my Model 3 a year ago it had a maximum of 310 rated miles of range on a full charge. Now after a free software update and even after any battery degradation from driving 26,000 miles, my Model 3 now gets over 320 rated miles on a full charge. It actually got better over time, and Tesla is constantly releasing new features, some of which recently included things like Dog Mode, Sentry Mode, and a 5% power boost. No other car is doing this right now. It’s absolutely amazing. It’s so comfortable even for a tall guy like me. The front seats are some of the most comfortable I’ve ever sat in. The backseats are a little firmer and not as comfy as the front seats, but Tesla did start putting updated seating in the back so that has been fixed. I’m 6’4” and can sit in the back fairly comfortably without my head hitting the roof. Oh and the roof, it’s pure glass and it’s seriously one of the things that impresses riders the most. I’m glad they included it on all models, even the base. The manual door handles are a little funky for new riders but as an owner they’re fine. I love having two trunks, and the ability to control my car from my smartphone like summon it or preheat it in the winter, it really satisfies my inner geek.
Conclusion
So after all that, was the Model 3 a $50,000 mistake? C’mooon. My biggest mistake was not buying another one for my wife before the Model Y was announced. The Model 3 is a beautiful car full of the latest technology and it’s much better for the environment than any gasoline car would ever be.
The Model 3 is still the best car I’ve ever driven, and it’s ruined all other cars for me. Except maybe the future Roadster. So what do you think? Do you own a Model 3 or are you looking into buying a Model 3? What’s your favorite thing about it and do you think it’s worth it? Leave a comment below and let me know. Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more Tesla and tech videos in the future. I’ll talk to you in the next one.
