2021 Tesla Model 3

The 2021 Tesla Model 3 is the world’s highest-volume electric car after five years on the market. German luxury makers are still scrambling to catch up; their Model 3 competitors will launch in 2022 and beyond. As of mid-2021, the Model 3 remains the only compact electric sedan that combines up to 350 miles of range, a ubiquitous fast-charging network, and remarkable performance at prices starting around $40,000.

Although Tesla ignores model years, it regularly updates battery range and adds new features to the Model 3. Many arrive via over-the-air updates that add new digital features—a feature other carmakers are only now starting to launch—which keep the car ahead of the competition in most aspects.

This year’s versions are: Standard Range Plus (EPA-rated at 263 miles) starting at $39,990; the Long Range AWD (353 miles) starting at $48,990; and the Performance (315 miles, also AWD) starting at $56,990. All prices include a mandatory $1,200 destination fee.

The Model 3 comes standard with a full glass roof and a 15-inch center touchscreen display that controls most of the car’s functions. Tesla claims 15 cubic feet of cargo volume, split between trunks in the front (frunk) and rear.

It has relatively few options, including paint colors (anything but white costs $1,000-$2,000), a non-black interior ($1,000), and wheel options ($1,500) for certain models. There’s also the $10,000 lifetime / $200 per month “Full Self-Driving” option, which has been promised now for several years, remains elusive and is not full self-driving. But the beta version (workable though not final) is better than anything else and new features arrive periodically through the car’s cellular connection via over-the-air software updates, which the owner must accept to install. 

Connectivity, or telematics via the cellular data connection, comes standard and includes software updates and basic navigation. Premium connectivity, $10 a month, includes satellite-view maps and live-view traffic info over cellular, music streaming, video streaming and a Web browser. There are four USB-C charge ports and two wireless phone charging pads. The Model 3 Standard Range Plus has “Partial Premium Audio” with eight speakers and “Limited Immersive Sound.” The Long Range and Performance Model 3s get six additional cabin speakers plus a trunk-mount subwoofer and “Full Immersive Sound.”

While its prices are higher than those of smaller, lower-range EVs on the market, the Model 3 stands alone in its combination of cost and range—even after five years. The first round of “Tesla-killers” from European luxury makers have been lower in range and saddled with a confusing mix of inconsistent fast-charging options on multiple networks, some of which are far less numerous, less easy to use and less reliable than Tesla’s Superchargers.

The Model 3’s  main competitor may be Tesla’s own, closely related Model Y, which offers most of the same specs and nearly the same range in a crossover utility vehicle package. The Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV are both smaller hatchbacks that don’t offer all-wheel drive and suffer from much slower fast-charging rates. The same applies to the Nissan Leaf and various 2021 Hyundai and Kia EVs as well.

That means the Model 3 remains a comfortable, capable long-distance tourer via Tesla’s dedicated Supercharger DC fast-charging network. The in-car navigation routes drivers via charging sites and shows how long to charge, to minimize waiting times. Covering all but a tiny fraction of the Lower 48 states, it is being upgraded to charge at up to 250 kw (for Model 3s with the larger battery), against a previous peak around 140 kw. It’s unmatched and superbly simple to use: drive up, plug in, walk away. Rural areas are served by 240-volt “destination charger” sites that take several hours to overnight and some require Tesla’s $95 “J1772” (the non-Tesla standard) adapter. 

The bulk of new EVs coming to market in the next two years are compact crossovers, but even they can’t match the Model 3’s range or its Supercharger fast-charging network. The Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossover, for example, starts at roughly the same $40,000 price (and still qualifies for a $7,500 Federal income-tax credit) but maxes out at an EPA-rated 250 miles of range and has teething troubles with its network of fast-charging sites.

Reliability and parts availability are concerns. The 2021 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study of reliability at three years unofficially rates Tesla as 30th of 33 brands, unofficially because Tesla doesn’t provide access to Tesla owners in 15 states. Consumer Reports readers rate the Model 3 worse than average for the 2020 model year; for 2018 (corresponding to the year for the 2021 VDS three-year study) the Model 3 was above average. Owners say it’s can be difficult to quickly get warranty, repair or crash parts.