2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance: What's It Like to Live With?
We're testing the Tesla Model 3 Performance for a year and 20,000 miles
| Miles Driven | Average kWh/100 |
| 4,285 | 34.4 |
Latest Highlights
- We bought the refreshed Tesla Model 3
- This is the third Tesla currently in our garage
- We're going to test its performance
- And what it's like to live with
What do you want to know about?
What We Bought And Why
• Our test vehicle: 2024 Model 3 Performance AWD
• Base MSRP: $54,990
• MSRP as tested: $58,360
• What we paid: $58,360
Tesla’s smallest and most affordable Model 3 was finally refreshed in 2024. Needless to say, this sparked our interest to jump into a new version — or two — ASAP. We initially purchased a Model 3 Long Range, and while we've still got that in our garage, we decided to level up to a Performance trim to see how it compares to its more pedestrian counterpart. Plus, the hype surrounding this car is never-ending, so we're curious to see if the combo of performance, range and price continues to make the Model 3 one of the best EVs in its class.
What Did We Get?
This is the seventh Tesla, fourth Model 3 and second Performance trim that Edmunds has owned. Our new Model 3 Performance has 20-inch wheels, a white interior, the heating package and Tesla’s base Autopilot system, all of which are included in the price. The only option we paid for was Ultra Red paint ($2,000). Throw in the $1,390 destination charge and $250 order fees, and we paid $58,360 for this car.
Why Did We Get It?
Simply put: We got FOMO. No sooner than we pressed the “purchased” button for our Model 3 Long Range, Tesla went and announced its most powerful Model 3 Performance variant to date, with a dual-motor setup producing 510 horsepower.
The Performance uses the Model 3 Long Range, and its bigger battery, as a baseline. As if that wasn't enough, Tesla says the springs, dampers, bushings and anti-roll bars have been designed to deliver an overall more competent chassis. The Performance has bigger brake discs, calipers and high-performance pads for better deceleration. There's even a new Drift mode and updated Track mode that sets the suspension and powertrain to a specific setting so you can customize handling balance, stability control and regenerative braking.
Oh, and did we mention that the Model 3 Performance's 0-60 mph time has been quoted at 2.9 seconds with top speed of 163 mph?
Our team is definitely eager to see how this new Model 3 Performance package fares on the track and the road to prove if it really is the best bargain performance car of the century.
Edmunds purchased this vehicle for the purpose of evaluation.
Average lifetime consumption (kWh/100 miles): 34.4
Best fill (kWh/100 miles): 29.3
Best range (miles): 211.0
Current odometer: 4,285
The Model 3's range exceeded our expectations
"We recently put the Tesla Model 3 Performance through our Edmunds EV Range Test, where it surprisingly achieved 306 miles of range. That's 3 miles over the EPA estimate, which might not seem like much, but considering we've consistently had trouble meeting Tesla's range claims, this is a step in the right direction.
"As senior reviews editor Brian Wong said, 'This is fantastic range for the performance you are getting. It seems going from the Long Range to the Performance, you are only giving up about 30 miles or so.'" — Jodi Tourkow, executive director, written content
Good news for our strikeout percentage?
"The Tesla popped up a message this morning saying 'Autopilot Strikeouts Forgiven.' When did we get a strikeout, and how long do those stick?" — Will Kaufman, manager, video
We've track-tested our Model 3 Performance
"We wasted no time putting our Model 3 Performance to the test. And already, it offers quite a bit more jolt (in a good way) than its Long Range counterpart.
"On our test track, the Model 3 Performance ran to 60 mph in 3 seconds and hit the quarter mile in 11 seconds with a top speed of 123.7 mph. (Note: Tesla's 0-60 mph time includes rollout, while ours does not.) However, while the Performance's braking was good, it wasn’t as mind-blowing as its acceleration. The Model 3 Performance stopped at 109 feet from 60 mph, just 1 foot short of its main competitor, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. The Model 3 Performance also pulled 0.97 g on the skidpad on all-season tires, slightly below the Ioniq 5 N.
"Simply put: You can't beat the performance-per-dollar factor here. You just can't." — Jodi Tourkow, executive director, written content
The benefits of driving an electric sedan
"You can feel how (relatively) light the Model 3 is. It's really nice to drive an EV that doesn't weigh 6,000 pounds. It just pays so many dividends in terms of ride quality and dynamics. It also makes one-pedal driving waaaaaaay more palatable. In a heavy EV, having braking keyed to the accelerator pedal just makes driving unpleasant because you've got so much momentum throwing the car around. Lighter is definitely better." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
What do we think of the new seats?
"There are new seats! These seats on the Performance aren't the best buckets I've ever sat in, and the bolstering feels a little weak (such that you can feel it nearly give way when you're cornering hard), but they are certainly an upgrade over the standard Model 3's seat. I also like that they get nice and low and, hey, they look pretty cool and make the cabin feel more upscale." — Nick Yekikian, senior news editor
"I don't really like the sport seats in the Performance, mostly because of the headrests. They're just a tad too aggressive and you can't adjust them. They also seem unnecessary. ... I mean, they're basically extra cushions glued onto what's already a headrest." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
"On the subjects of the headrests: They're also really narrow, so if you lean even a little bit to one side or the other your head rests on the seam on the edge of the cushion. It's just not very comfortable." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
"I'm aware I have one of the more generous posteriors in the Edmunds editorial department. If not a full badonkadonk, it's certainly more than just an 'onk.' And the cushion on the Performance's seats is juuuuust a wee bit narrow for me. While the ride and noise level in the car are totally fine for longer drives, I just can't be comfortable for all that long in the seat." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
The ride is an improvement, too
"The Model 3 Performance gets frequency sensitive dampers that supposedly change based on factors they sense (they aren't manually adjustable or linked with a drive mode or something like that, as they would be in other performance cars), but I can't really tell them apart.
"I think that has a lot more to do with how much better the suspension in the regular Model 3 has gotten rather than a knock on the Model 3 Performance's parts. This whole platform is just now so composed, well damped and well controlled. Compared to a pre-refresh car it is genuinely night and day, and I'm stoked that Tesla's taken it so seriously." — Nick Yekikian, senior news editor
"Tesla did a great job with the suspension tuning on this car. There's a noticeable uptick in stiffness compared to our Model 3 Long Range, and this comes with handling benefits. But the sportier suspension tune doesn't kill this thing's highway ride quality — in fact, I might actually prefer it to the standard Model 3. I drove our Model 3 Performance from Santa Monica to our U-Drags filming location and back — about 600 miles total — and it was a delight. That would've been an absolute pain in our old Model Y Performance. Tesla's certainly learned a thing about chassis tuning." — Steven Ewing, director, editorial content
"I honestly forgot I was in a 'Performance' Tesla on my drive home. The car can be really tame in normal driving, and even on the Performance the ride is better than any Tesla from a couple years ago, which universally have a rough ride. (Never mind the old Performance variants, which were a flagellant's dream.)" — Will Kaufman, manager, video
We're still not wild about glass roofs
"This thing's glass roof has the same issue as our long-term Long Range: On sunny days it warms up and starts to radiate heat. Under the Los Angeles sun, even when the exterior temperature is only in the mid-70s, the roof generates a noticeable amount of warmth on the top of your head." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
Not sold on Full Self-Driving
"Full Self-Driving is the most impressive driver aid I've ever experienced, and it's also completely useless.
"What's impressive is that it fully drives the car: Handles stoplights, stop signs, merges, turns, off-ramps, on-ramps, lane changes, you name it. But it's also completely untrustworthy, by which I mean that the system itself instructs you to always be ready to take back control and, indeed, you will have to. That means you have to constantly monitor what the car is doing AND have complete situational awareness to be able to intervene.
"Good driver aids should reduce your stress, ease your load a little bit. Normal adaptive cruise has one very simple job: Follow the car in front of you. All you need to monitor is whether you think that distance is appropriate. And when you get to a merge or an off-ramp or whatever, you just take back control of the car. While adaptive cruise is on, your job as a driver is massively simplified.
"But you never turn Full Self-Driving off. So you always monitor. You wait to see what it's going to do while monitoring your surroundings, then you have to quickly evaluate each decision it makes to decide if you agree that it's safe, because — and this is key — YOU ARE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CAR AT ALL TIMES, EVEN WITH FULL SELF-DRIVING ON.
"Ultimately, you're either making a bad choice and just trusting that it knows what it's doing at all times (which it absolutely doesn't, and legally doesn't claim to), or you're doing more work than you would if you just drove the car yourself. I actually found myself having to rewind my podcast a bunch on my drive home because I was focusing so much on policing Full Self-Driving." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
"I find Full Self-Driving stressful and unpleasant to use, so on my commute this morning I tried to switch into normal adaptive cruise. Pro tip: Don't do that while you're driving. If you tap the button to change modes, you get a message that says the car has to be in park to adjust that setting AND you get locked out of the menu so you can't just go back to the setting the car was on AND no form of adaptive cruise or Full Self-Driving is available to you until you put the car in park and choose a mode.
"I can't think of any other car with advanced driver aids, including the Mercedes with ACTUAL Level 3 self-driving or any of the ACTUAL hands-free Level 2.5 systems, that requires you to be in park to switch between its standard adaptive cruise and more advanced systems.
"I really, really dislike FSD." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
Great camera resolution
"I feel like the cameras in the Performance are even better than in our Long Range, but maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention the last time I was in the Long Range. Either way, I can't think of any car on the market that gives you a sharper image for your rearview camera." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
What do we think of the stereo?
"The stereo in this car is better than the stereo in our $140K Lucid Air. It's got a much more pleasing tone when you crank it up, and the audio stays clear and pretty well balanced at lower volumes. I like it!" — Will Kaufman, manager, video
How about the other driver aids?
"There's a street in my neighborhood with an S-bend in it, and the Tesla's collision alert consistently throws false positives there. It either picks up a car parked at the curb or picks one of the oncoming cars to alert me to. I drive every single car I test down that street, and almost none of them freak out on that bend. Not sure why the Tesla has issues there, considering how advanced it's supposed to be." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
Definitely an improvement
"99% of this interior is shared with our other Model 3 (the blue car), so there isn't much to say other than, yeah, it's by and large a pretty big improvement over the pre-refresh car. I still don't like that there isn't a turn signal or gear-selector stalk, and a performance car should offer you an easier way to see key info. Why doesn't Tesla invest in a head-up display if they're not going to give us an instrument cluster? A screen right in front of you to show things like speed, brake temp, battery temp, state of charge, and other key information makes a lot of sense to me.
"I don't care that all of that's available in the center screen. It still irks me that I have to take my eyes way off the road to look at a miniature TV, identify what info I need, find it on the screen and then (and only then) will I have what I need. But alas, the overlords at Telsa still know better than us all, I suppose." — Nick Yekikian, senior news editor
We miss turn signal stalks
"It's interesting: Tesla prides itself on always being able to keep its cars on the cutting edge thanks to over-the-air updates, but the one thing you can't fix via an internet flash is hardware.
"Tesla recently unveiled the updated Model Y which, crucially, ditches the Model 3's turn signal buttons in favor of a traditional stalk. That's great; it's nice to see Tesla righting its wrongs. But our Model 3 Performance is stuck with this ergonomic nightmare. An over-the-air update can't bring this car in line with its newer siblings. Though it does make me wonder if Tesla will offer hardware updates to the Model 3 line in the coming years." — Steven Ewing, director, editorial content
How is it for child seats?
"The current Model 3 isn't great for child seats. The back seat isn't all that roomy, but the bigger annoyances are that the lower anchors are squeezed kind of deep between cushions and the fixed headrest. The tight access adds to those annoyances because you wind up having to really crawl into the car to get the seat attached properly." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
How about the rear defroster?
"The rear defroster seems kind of slow. I know that's a really minor thing, but I noticed it hadn't made any progress on the fog on my rear window even after a couple minutes of driving." — Will Kaufman, manager, video
And the side mirrors?
"Tesla's mirrors are too small. 'But you have cameras!' Yeah, on the infotainment screen. Why would I want to look towards my right hand when I'm merging to the left? The interior rearview mirror and both side mirrors are just plain too small, and it hurts visibility and situational awareness ... which is extra important in this car if you're planning on nannying Full Self-Driving through your commute home." — Will Kaufman, manager, video