Simpler, more affordable: the Tesla Model 3 lands
The Model 3 is the car Tesla built to drag electric driving out of the niche. Smaller than the Model S and aimed squarely at the mass market, it is the first Tesla designed from the outset to sell in real volume, and it sits at the heart of the company’s push to accelerate the world’s shift to sustainable energy. The recipe is the one that already worked in the bigger cars — usable range, brisk performance, a serious safety story and a software-defined cabin — only here it arrives in a package far more people can actually reach.
First customer cars left the Fremont, California factory on July 28, 2017. Reservations opened back on March 31, 2016, and they were still being taken when this was written. Two battery choices headline the line-up: a Standard Battery rated at an EPA-estimated 220 miles, and a Long Range pack that stretches that to 310 miles. But the figure that made the headlines was the price — $35,000 before incentives, the most affordable Tesla yet.
What set the Model 3 apart from the rest of the 2017 EV field was integration. The battery sits low in the floor, the motor and power electronics are packaged tightly, and the cabin is organised around a single 15-inch landscape screen that handles almost everything — the layout Tesla had already proven on the Model S and Model X. That minimalist approach frees up genuine space: five adults and 15 cubic feet of luggage capacity. Tesla also designed it to chase the highest safety ratings in every category, backing up the structure with eight cameras, forward radar and twelve ultrasonic sensors. For a car at this price, that is an unusual amount of technology.
Standard equipment
Standard Battery
- Range: 220 miles (EPA estimated)
- Supercharging rate: 130 miles of range per 30 minutes
- Home charging rate: 30 miles of range per hour (240V outlet, 32A)
- Deliveries begin: Fall 2017
Performance
- 0-60 mph: 5.6 seconds
- Top speed: 130 mph
Interior
- 15” touchscreen display
- Dual zone climate control system
- FM/internet streaming radio
- Textile seating
- Front centre console with open storage and two USB ports
Convenience
- Onboard maps and navigation
- Wi-Fi and LTE internet connectivity
- Keyless entry and remote climate control through the Tesla app
- Voice-activated controls
- Bluetooth hands-free calling and media streaming
- 60/40 split-folding rear seat to open up cargo space
- Reversing camera
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- One-touch power windows throughout
- Power-adjustable side mirrors
- 12-volt power outlet
Safety
- Full LED exterior lighting
- Eight cameras, forward radar and twelve ultrasonic sensors feeding active safety features including collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking
- Six front-row and two side curtain airbags
- Three-point belts with reminders for the driver and four passengers
- Two LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) attachments in the second row
- Electronic stability and traction control
- Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with an electronic parking brake
- Child safety locks
- Anti-theft alarm
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Warranty
- Vehicle: 4 years, 50,000-mile limited warranty
- Battery warranty: 8 years, 100,000 miles (120,000 miles with the Long Range Battery)
Options
Long Range Battery
- Range: 310 miles
- Supercharging rate: 170 miles of range per 30 minutes
- Home charging rate: 37 miles of range per hour (240V outlet, 40A)
- 0-60 mph: 5.1 seconds
- Top speed: 140 mph
- Deliveries begin: July 2017
Spend up and the Long Range Battery changes the car’s character. Same shell, but 310 miles of EPA range, a quicker 5.1-second sprint to 60 mph and a 140 mph top end, plus faster Supercharging at 170 miles of range per half-hour. In period pricing this pack started around $44,000 before incentives — a step up, but one that turned the Model 3 into a genuine long-distance car rather than just a commuter.
Paint
- Solid Black: Standard
- Midnight Silver Metallic
- Deep Blue Metallic
- Silver Metallic
- Pearl White Multi-Coat
- Red Multi-Coat
Wheels
- 18” Aero
- 19” Sport
Premium Upgrades Package
An upgraded cabin with better materials and extra kit.
- Premium heated seating and cabin materials throughout, including open-pore wood décor and two rear USB ports
- 12-way power-adjustable front seats, steering column and side mirrors, with custom driver profiles
- Premium audio with more power, tweeters, surround speakers and a subwoofer
- Tinted glass roof with ultraviolet and infrared protection
- Auto-dimming, power-folding, heated side mirrors
- LED fog lamps
- Centre console with covered storage and docking for two smartphones
Enhanced Autopilot
Tesla says the Model 3 will match its speed to traffic, hold a lane, change lanes on command, move from one freeway to another, take an exit and self-park at your destination. More features are promised over time through over-the-air software updates.
Full Self-Driving Capability
Down the line, Tesla says the Model 3 will be able to handle a trip with no action required from the person in the driver’s seat. That promise depends on extensive software validation and regulatory approval, which will vary by jurisdiction.
Charging is part of the appeal, too. On a home 240-volt outlet the Standard Battery adds about 30 miles of range an hour; the Long Range pack ups that to 37. On Tesla’s Supercharger network the entry car recovers 130 miles per half-hour, the Long Range 170. Every car ships with the mobile connector and adapters needed for the common household and public outlets.
Dimensions and weight
- Length: 184.8”
- Width: 82.2” (76.1” with mirrors folded)
- Height: 56.8”
- Wheelbase: 113.2”
- Track (wheel centre): 62.2” front and rear
- Ground clearance: 5.5”
- Headroom, standard roof: 39.6” front row, 37.7” second row
- Headroom, glass roof: 40.3” front row, 37.7” second row
- Legroom: 42.7” front row, 35.2” second row
- Shoulder room: 56.3” front row, 54.0” second row
- Hip room: 53.4” front row, 52.4” second row
- Seating capacity: 5 adults
- Luggage capacity: 15 cubic feet
- Curb weight: 3,549 lbs (Model 3); 3,814 lbs (Model 3 Long Range)
- Weight distribution: 47% front, 53% rear (Model 3); 48% front, 52% rear (Model 3 Long Range)
Body
- Hybrid steel/aluminium body
- Drag coefficient of 0.23
Chassis
- Double-wishbone front suspension with coil-over twin-tube shock absorbers and a stabiliser bar
- Independent multi-link rear suspension with twin-tube shock absorbers and a stabiliser bar
- Variable-ratio, speed-sensitive electronic power steering
- Electromechanically boosted four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution
- 18” Aero or 19” Sport wheels with all-season tyres
Standard accessories
- 240-volt NEMA 14-50 adapter
- 120-volt NEMA 5-15 adapter
- J1772 public-charging adapter
- 20-foot mobile connector with storage bag
The pitch is simple enough. The Model 3 keeps Tesla’s range, performance and technology ambitions intact and drops them into a sedan that undercuts everything else in the line-up. Whether the company could actually build them fast enough, and at the promised $35,000, was the open question at launch — one the following months would answer.
Vehicle data (article timeframe)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Make | Tesla |
| Model | Model 3 |
| Generation / chassis code | First-generation Model 3 (Not stated in sources) |
| Model year(s) covered | 2017 |
| Body style | 4-door sedan, 5 seats |
| Powertrain / engine | Electric — Standard Battery (220 mi EPA est.) or Long Range Battery (310 mi) |
| Power / torque | Not stated in sources |
| Transmission | Not stated in sources |
| Drivetrain | Not stated in sources |
| Key performance figures | 0-60 mph: 5.6 s (Standard Battery), 5.1 s (Long Range). Top speed: 130 mph (Standard), 140 mph (Long Range) |
| Price (as stated, with currency/market) | $35,000 base before incentives (US); Long Range pack from about $44,000 before incentives |
| On-sale / announcement period | Production began July 28, 2017; Long Range deliveries from July 2017; Standard Battery deliveries from Fall 2017 |
| Market | United States |
| Source notes | Auto Mundo article (2017-08-16); period coverage: Motortrend first-drive (29 Jul 2017), Electrek production-specs report (29 Jul 2017), Edmunds 2017 Model 3 page |