Currently reading: Tesla Model 3 gains new 436-mile Long Range variant

Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive version is added to the line-up priced at £44,990

The new Tesla Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive has been revealed as the longest-ranged iteration of the electric saloon to date, offering 436 miles per charge.

That eclipses its 406-mile Polestar 2 rival, and puts it on par with much pricier premium models, such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS.

The new Model 3 is also the most efficient Tesla model ever produced, and one of the most efficient cars on sale, yielding an efficiency figure of 4.96mpkWh.

The American brand has yet to confirm the size of the battery in the new variant, but it is thought to have adopted the same pack as the recently revealed Model Y Long Range RWD, which offers 373 miles of range.

Those extra miles have been achieved through “continued engineering efforts focused on energy efficiency”, said Tesla.

Tesla has set a price of £44,990 for the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive, which sits between the £39,990 entry-level Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and Long Range All-Wheel drive. Customer deliveries will begin in November.

Will Rimell

Will Rimell
Title: News editor

Will is Autocar's news editor.​ His focus is on setting Autocar's news agenda, interviewing top executives, reporting from car launches, and unearthing exclusives.

As part of his role, he also manages Autocar Business – the brand's B2B platform – and Haymarket's aftermarket publication CAT.

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Anton motorhead 8 October 2024
World class range and charging network yes, but why didn't Tesla give the revised 3 a rear hatch while they were at it? However, the sterile interior which makes an operation theatre look cozy in comparison and the eccentric person in charge are reasons to look elsewhere for an EV.
ac555 8 October 2024

It's like driving around in a giant MAGA hat

xxxx 8 October 2024

Anyhow, big Tesla announcement this week regarding the future path of Tesla and to a large extent the BEV.  If it's just the RoboTaxi then Tesla's share price could continue to fall BUT give us what the market wants and needs, a Model 2, then it could affect the market like the Model 3 did.

Doesn't Musk think it's weird for Europeans to go onto the world most valueable car brand website and effectively have just 2 ageing cars to choose from.

Andrew1 8 October 2024

I rarely agree with you but this is one of those rare occasions.

Sonic 8 October 2024
We've just been given a heavily revised Model 3, and the revised Model Y is just a few months away.
The current Model Y is certainly ageing, but the same cannot be said about the new 3.
Robotaxi event will be exciting. Stock price normally drops after Tesla events, as short-term traders 'buy the rumour, sell the news'... As is tradition.
My money is on a Smaller, drivable Tesla to fit under the Model 3. They have the economies of scale to make such a car profitable.
xxxx 8 October 2024

The 'new' 3 as you put it was original released 7 years ago which is certainly aging in my book, especially as there's no replacement due anytime soon.  In the eyes of the public facelifts and updates don't cut it, just look what happened to the Model S.

Sonic 9 October 2024
xxxx wrote:

The 'new' 3 as you put it was original released 7 years ago which is certainly aging in my book, especially as there's no replacement due anytime soon.  In the eyes of the public facelifts and updates don't cut it, just look what happened to the Model S.

General appearance evolved steadily over those 7 years, but mechanical components are drastically different from the original models. Comparing the early Model 3's to the very latest M3 is a generational leap.

Model S sales took a hit due to Model 3 and Y sales (And now Cybertruck). I don’t see how that's relevant to Model 3 needing another update.

xxxx 9 October 2024
Sonic wrote:
xxxx wrote:

The 'new' 3 as you put it was original released 7 years ago which is certainly aging in my book, especially as there's no replacement due anytime soon.  In the eyes of the public facelifts and updates don't cut it, just look what happened to the Model S.

General appearance evolved steadily over those 7 years, but mechanical components are drastically different from the original models. Comparing the early Model 3's to the very latest M3 is a generational leap. Model S sales took a hit due to Model 3 and Y sales (And now Cybertruck). I don’t see how that's relevant to Model 3 needing another update.

Wiki label them as refreshes, it's certainly not drastically changed, if you put a new engine in a Audi A3 you wouldn't call it a new model.  Basically they are modest changes over 7 years.

As to the Model S, it was selling well alongside the Model 3, the sales started dipping due to the Porsche Taycan and Electric Audi. The Model S sales were certainly not significantly affected by the Cyber Truck.

Sonic 10 October 2024
xxxx wrote:

Sonic wrote:
xxxx wrote:

The 'new' 3 as you put it was original released 7 years ago which is certainly aging in my book, especially as there's no replacement due anytime soon.  In the eyes of the public facelifts and updates don't cut it, just look what happened to the Model S.

General appearance evolved steadily over those 7 years, but mechanical components are drastically different from the original models. Comparing the early Model 3's to the very latest M3 is a generational leap. Model S sales took a hit due to Model 3 and Y sales (And now Cybertruck). I don’t see how that's relevant to Model 3 needing another update.

Wiki label them as refreshes, it's certainly not drastically changed, if you put a new engine in a Audi A3 you wouldn't call it a new model.  Basically they are modest changes over 7 years.

As to the Model S, it was selling well alongside the Model 3, the sales started dipping due to the Porsche Taycan and Electric Audi. The Model S sales were certainly not significantly affected by the Cyber Truck.

Agree, the Model 3 has strictly only been one generation. My point is, they have been constantly updating throughout those 7 years to a point where the very early Models are a generational leap behind the latest Model 3. The front and rear structural casting are completely different, the batteries and motors are different, the computing hardware is completely different, suspension, interior, exterior, etc, etc.
It's remained fresh, hence why it is still one of the best selling vehicles in the world. Replacing it with a ground-up next gen platform would be completely unnecessary at this point in time.

Combined Model S and X sales in Q4 2024 were 22,969.
Last quarter they were around 10,000.
Meanwhile, Cybertruck production and sales has ramped-up to 13,000 last quarter. It is also the best-selling vehicle in the USA priced at over $100k.
Face it, Cybertruck sales are cannibalising X and S sales, as it is effectively Teslas new halo Model.

Sonic 10 October 2024
Sonic wrote:

Combined Model S and X sales in Q4 2024 were 22,969.

*Q4 2023, derp!