Model 3 - identifying differences

[jon8oy86]

Moderator comment - thread renamed for clarity from "Model 3 and AP/EAP"

Hey everyone!

I've been lurking on here for a couple of years, time we'll spent convincing my wife we need a Tesla She is now almost onboard, hence I have my old ICE car for sale and I'm looking at the best Tesla for me and what options are available to finance the purchase. I had looked at the EST loan before, back then it was £35k for new cars only - and from memory the eligible cars included the Model S. It has since seen a drop in the new car loan amount to £28k (still good), but also the introduction of a used EV loan of up to £20k. Unfortunately this £20k is the maximum allowed value of the car, so you can't 'top up' the loan with an extra £15k for example.to buy a used EV for £35k. What is also surprising is that the Model S does not feature as an eligible model whatsoever.

I am keen on either a Model S 75D and upwards or a Model 3 LR or Performance. The Model 3 LR new would qualify for the loan, so that is tempting - but used prices are really starting to come down, to the point I'd consider financing another way. So I've got a couple of questions, maybe some helpful forum members could offer some insight?

1. How do you differentiate between an LR standard, and LR with Acceleration Boost, an LR with Performance Upgrade, and a genuine Model 3 Performance?
2. Is there an easy way to tell if a used Model 3 has EAP? Looks like on the new ones it is a cost option of £3k, but I'm sure features like Auto Summon were standard before?
3. How have people with young kids found the Model 3? Does the interior hold up ok? Is there enough space? I've a 2 year-old and 5 year-old (3 and 6 respectively in a couple months), so no buggy anymore, but they still have a fair amount of stuff

Appreciate any advice, guidance, and hearing of the experience of others.

Cheers,

John

 

[Alex987854]

I'm doing most of this from memory so someone will probable correct me but

1. LR standard has dual motor on the back and in the driving menu, the options are chill and standard
With acceleration boost it will have chill and sport
Performance will have dual motor underlined in red (on the menu as well) and will have chill and sport. Most M3Ps have Big Red Brake Callipers (tm) but a P- will not.

2. Look for settings in the driving> autopilot menu. If it has a setting for navigate on autopilot it has EAP or FSD. Someone else will have to tell you how to tell the difference between those two.

3. Can't help you with this. I've only had small humans in the model 3 once, and they behaved perfectly.

 

[Stranger Dings]

I‘ve had an M3P for 12 months and it has held up to family use really well. There is loads of space. The boot holds plenty and you also have the frunk for extra storage.

i’ve also used it to transport building materials from B&Q on several occasions. It swallows bags of sand, cement and bricks with ease. Truthfully, it was massively overloaded and grounded out on the tiniest bump, but the car all cleaned up fine and still had amazing torque even when stuffed full of heavy stuff.

overall, seems good for family usage.

 

[Tam]

1. How do you differentiate between an LR standard, and LR with Acceleration Boost, an LR with Performance Upgrade, and a genuine Model 3 Performance?

From the car's screen, click "Software" and it tells you what car it is.

2. Is there an easy way to tell if a used Model 3 has EAP? Looks like on the new ones it is a cost option of £3k, but I'm sure features like Auto Summon were standard before?

From the car's screen, click "Software" and it tells you what firmware has been installed such as Enhanced Autopilot, Fully Self Driving...

3. How have people with young kids found the Model 3? Does the interior hold up ok? Is there enough space? I've a 2 year-old and 5 year-old (3 and 6 respectively in a couple months), so no buggy anymore, but they still have a fair amount of stuff

It's fine with daily driving but for other utility activities such as moving furniture, camping... I prefer a bigger car like Model X.

I had to move a 60" width Queen-size mattress one day and my Model X was not available that time but I could still tie it up on the glass roof of Model 3 and it worked fine (That could have fit easily inside my Model X).

...advice...

I would caution that what you see on your used Tesla might not be what you will get eventually.

For example, if you see fancy wheels on your traditional used car, they are yours and if someone wants to take them away, they have to go to court and get them.

On the other hand, if you see your used Tesla has Fully Self Driving function that works fine for weeks or months, Tesla can still unilaterally take it way silently without you knowing it until you wonder and ask Tesla why the Fully Self Driving function no longer works, Tesla could say that it made an audit and that feature was never paid so you need to pay in order to get it back.

Thus, if you buy a used Tesla, please make sure to get the original receipt that was paid from previous owners. Without that receipt, there's no way to prove that a feature was paid or not.

If you buy used from Tesla website, all features that you pay will be listed on the receipt so that's not the problem. However, make sure you are aware that in the US, Tesla used car warranty is not as liberal as before.

In the US, it used to be 4 years/50,000 miles from the date of used car delivery but now it's 1 year/10,000 miles when the new car warranty expires.

Old=odometer says 49,999 miles. It would expire after 99,999 miles on the odometer or 4 years from the first used delivery whichever first.

New=odometer says 49,999 miles. It would expire after 59,999 miles on the odometer or 1 year from the first used delivery whichever first.

I am not sure about EU Tesla used car warranty.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

Hey everyone!

I've been lurking on here for a couple of years, time we'll spent convincing my wife we need a Tesla She is now almost onboard, hence I have my old ICE car for sale and I'm looking at the best Tesla for me and what options are available to finance the purchase. I had looked at the EST loan before, back then it was £35k for new cars only - and from memory the eligible cars included the Model S. It has since seen a drop in the new car loan amount to £28k (still good), but also the introduction of a used EV loan of up to £20k. Unfortunately this £20k is the maximum allowed value of the car, so you can't 'top up' the loan with an extra £15k for example.to buy a used EV for £35k. What is also surprising is that the Model S does not feature as an eligible model whatsoever.

I am keen on either a Model S 75D and upwards or a Model 3 LR or Performance. The Model 3 LR new would qualify for the loan, so that is tempting - but used prices are really starting to come down, to the point I'd consider financing another way. So I've got a couple of questions, maybe some helpful forum members could offer some insight?

1. How do you differentiate between an LR standard, and LR with Acceleration Boost, an LR with Performance Upgrade, and a genuine Model 3 Performance?
2. Is there an easy way to tell if a used Model 3 has EAP? Looks like on the new ones it is a cost option of £3k, but I'm sure features like Auto Summon were standard before?
3. How have people with young kids found the Model 3? Does the interior hold up ok? Is there enough space? I've a 2 year-old and 5 year-old (3 and 6 respectively in a couple months), so no buggy anymore, but they still have a fair amount of stuff

Appreciate any advice, guidance, and hearing of the experience of others.

Cheers,

John

To tell the difference between a LR and a Performance you need to see the underline of "Dual Motor". Its harder to tell the difference between a performance and a Performance- aka stealth performance model other than the later usually has smaller alloy wheels and does not have the red brake calipers.

For autopilot versions and whether the boost is fitted is through access to the car. This guide talks you through with lots of screen shots that show examples and explains what each means. A dealer who knows what they're doing will have included the appropriate picture in the advert anyway or should know how to take the picture, if they don't I'd walk away anyway as they obviously have no idea what they are selling.

How to find out what options a Tesla has

How to find out what options a Tesla has including FSD, MCU and Raven

tesla-info.com

That site also has buyers guides for the model s and model 3 plus all the UK listings in one place - I spend an unhealthy amount of time on it. They also have guides on EAP and FSD and feature changes over time etc which will answer a lot of your questions and probably create new questions.

The interior including the white interior stands the test of time well.

 

[jon8oy86]

Thank you all so much for the replies - really useful and made me think about some things I'd previously not considered! Again, thanks everyone, really appreciate it!

 

[MrBadger]

3. How have people with young kids found the Model 3? Does the interior hold up ok? Is there enough space? I've a 2 year-old and 5 year-old (3 and 6 respectively in a couple months), so no buggy anymore, but they still have a fair amount of stuff

How much 'stuff' is the question.

The Model 3 does not have a great occupant and cargo gross vehicle weight capacity compared with other similar sized vehicles. Its around the 400kg mark (or less) so if your holiday trip includes camping, bikes etc, things can start to add up. Probably not an issue for a very young family, but certainly something to consider once looking to carry 4 or 5 larger occupants and kit.

There are also weight limits as to what can be carried in the upper boot area (60kg) and front load area (25kg). More an issue though for DIY materials, outboards, batteries, suitcases etc. Pre Covid, we often carried 6 x lead acid batteries for an electric car project and thats no longer an option in the upper load area.