Thought I'd share our review of our car after 2 years. It is a bit lengthy and I was ranting at some parts but let me know what you guys think. I'm also curious what you guys are doing with your Model 3s down the road.
PURCHASE DATE/DELIVERY DATE: 7/14/2018
TOTAL MILES: ~21,000 miles
MILES YEAR 1: ~14,800 miles
MILES YEAR 2: ~6,200 miles (a work vehicle, and COVID just made driving that much less neccessary)
Back in January 2018, we placed our deposit on a brand new long range Tesla Model 3 RWD. At the time we expected to be waiting for at least a year before we received the vehicle, as there was a long wait-list that had placed orders before us. In June 2018, we actually began to look at used Tesla Model S’s in the area and while on a test drive, received a call from Tesla stating our Model 3 was ready for pickup. We were ecstatic and eagerly awaiting to drive it home. It ended up being about another 3 weeks before we actually were able to do so but it was worth the wait. We picked it up on July 14th, 2018 and haven’t looked back since. In the two years since picking it up, we’ve had our ups and downs. Is this vehicle still as good as the day we drove it home? Does it have issues? How has the battery range done in the Vegas heat? All of these questions will be answered and more as we go over our long term review of our Model 3. This is ‘Our 2018 Tesla Model 3, 2 Years Later.’
Battery / Range
So this is probably the most asked question we get when others ask about the car. When we picked it up, it had a stated range of I believe 310 miles as it was the long range version. Since we bought ours, they have now released the standard range, AWD, and performance….all with different ranges. To make it even harder to gauge this question, Tesla has released different software updates over time that change the stated range. The stated range from Tesla I believe is now 322 miles for the long range model 3.
Now when you charge a Tesla, you are only supposed to charge to 80-90% of the total capacity each day. Some say 80%, others say 90%. Tesla claims 90% helps make the battery last longer. You are also supposed to drain the battery all the way down and then fully charge the battery every once in awhile. We personally have been charging to 90% almost every night, with the exception being when I have to leave the car at work. We have drained the battery on purpose to 10% and then fully charged on 2 different occasions.
At this point, at 90% charged, the range stated shows 272 miles. If you do your calculations, that means at 100% charge, the car has roughly 302 miles of range. So depending on if you look at the original 310 or the newer 322 miles expected range, the car has lost roughly 8-20 miles of range in 2 years.
Furthermore, it seems that the range depletes quicker than when we first bought the vehicle. When we first picked it up, with the A/C running, I would be able to go to work and home and have roughly 20 miles of range lost (actual driving 14 miles). Today if I do the same, I lose about 42 miles of range. But, I must say I also use Sentry mode now which didn’t exist when I first had the vehicle. The point I’m trying to make is the battery seems to deplete quicker than when we first bought the car.
We told ourselves that we are going to keep this car until it completely dies on us. The experts state that the majority of your battery loss will occur within the first year of use. But let’s say that we continue to lose ~20 miles of range every 2 years. By the time this car is 10 years old (2028), the range is expected to be around 222 miles which means around 200 miles at 90% charging. Although that would be good for around town, I don’t know if it would be adequate for trips unless the EV charging options are far better than they are today.
INITIAL BATTERY VERDICT: We were amazed at how efficient and accurate the range was to true life use. At 310 miles stated range, we usually got pretty close to that.
LONG TERM BATTERY VERDICT: Slightly disappointed in the lost range and decrease in efficiency over time. Hopefully it slows as the car ages.
Quality / Build
As you can see in our running Model 3 log post, we’ve had a few maintenance requirements on our Model 3. The car was delivered with a faulty dash that was bubbled up and replaced for free at the service center. The gear shift lever kept separating and required replacement. The outside mirror trim pieces started to come apart from the car. But was this more than any other vehicle that you buy? I would say no, as none of it restricted the use of the car at all, and was only cosmetic.
Overall, the initial quality of this vehicle was far above what was expected. I know a lot of customers are finding large gaps, bolts missing, or even missing paint on the door hinges. But we didn’t really have any of that to our knowledge. The only glaring quality issue at delivery that was never fixed was the small paint blemish on the rear of trunk that appears to have no clear coat. The service center offered to fix it but we didn’t want to lose the car for weeks for a body shop to mess with the paint. It sort of adds to the character of the car.
Over the two years of using the vehicle, it has seen roughly 21,000 miles. A majority of those miles were actually in year one to include several long road trips to LA and Salt Lake City. All the seats in the vehicle have received their fair use to include two small children in the rear with car seats. None of the seats have ripped or torn. A few wrinkles have appeared on the drivers seat. The comfort level of the driver seat has decreased slightly as the cushion breaks in but nothing to complain about. The driver’s headrest does have a glaring issue however. Where my head sometimes makes contact with the headrest, the “leather” is flaking off. It’s probably due to the oils in my hair or something, but I’ve never had that happen before in a car.
None of the doors or windows have any squeaks or issues preventing their use. The door handles still work great and have never been stuck. I have had a few issues with the key card or my phone not being recognized by the car to unlock. But I think that might have more to do with my cell phone than the car itself.
We have not used the front trunk one time to date. We rarely use the trunk either except sometimes for groceries. I think that we don’t use the front trunk due to leaving hand prints on the hood. It just seems hard to close and isn’t worth the effort. The trunk has proved to be very large and the carpeting is still as good as day one.
The touchscreen has held up great! So far no issues other than an occasional reboot. We have loved the updates adding features such as viewing dash cam on the touchscreen, streaming shows while waiting to pick up the kids, or even playing around with the quirky games and other activities.
Initial Quality Verdict: We were expecting a lot worse based off what others were stating. Maybe we got lucky, but the initial quality Tesla provided was great.
Long Term Quality Verdict: Other than the driver headrest, the car is proving to be a very reliable and high quality vehicle. Hopefully this continues as it ages.
Is this a true ‘Luxury’ vehicle?
This is another question we hear a lot. Most car enthusiasts say the Tesla Model 3 competes with the BMW 3 series, Mercedes C class, and other entry luxury vehicles. For sure the car price is in line, and since you are paying the same, you should expect the same level of quality and luxury. We’ve owned/leased several luxury brand vehicles over the past, to include some that were over the price of the Model 3. In our opinion, this vehicle is at the same level of luxury or even above, and I will explain below.
First, the seats in the Model 3 are amazingly comfortable. It feels like you are floating in your car. Tesla did a great job in designing these seats and keeping costs down. The leather itself appears to hold up (with the exception of my headrest) to use over time, as well as little children.
Second, the driving experience is the best you can find. To sit at a traffic light and see another luxury car pull up next to you just brings a smile to your face. Most other luxury car drivers expect that they will take off at the light and get in front of you to cut you off to make the entrance to that highway. But when that light changes and you are able to leave them behind without hardly an effort, is an amazing feeling (not saying I do this, but knowing I can is just the same). Cornering and braking is also very good and the different levels of driving (comfort, sport, etc.) are able to make your car feel brand new when you change them.
Perhaps the biggest reason is that touchscreen and the lack of buttons. I absolutely hate buttons on a vehicle. Yes, I get why most manufactures use them…they are easy to find and quick to use. But I don’t mind tapping a screen to get all the options show up. The touchscreen is easy to see while driving, and the over the air updates again make the car feel brand new each time you get a new feature. I used to want to get a new vehicle every 2-3 years as I would get bored with them, but I still love this car almost as much as the first day I drove it off the lot. I have the best navigation system available, awesome features such as autopilot and summon, and the lack of instrument clusters and buttons make the inside feel that much better.
Wheels / Tires
We bought just the standard aero wheels with our Model 3 and originally thought we would take them off and get the caps. However, the aero wheels still sit on the vehicle to this day. They actually look good in our opinion and help the efficiency. For the longest time, it almost seemed like the wheels were hard to scuff up on curbs as well. For the first year, I don’t think we managed to scuff up a single wheel. However, in our 2nd year, we have hit two curbs and they seem to scuff up just as easy. The outside rim of the wheel itself shows around the edge of the aero wheel unfortunately and therefore, we have permanent cosmetic damage to two of our wheels.
As far as the tires themselves, we would have gotten about 25,000 to 30,000 miles off the original tires. However, in Feb 2020, we ended up getting a nail in one of the tires. Due to them needing to be replaced within the next year anyways, we decided to just get four brand new tires. Surprisingly enough, the Tesla service center actually was able to do it for the same price as a local tire place.
When the tires are almost brand new, this car just shoots off the line. It has amazing pickup and holds well around corners. But as the tires aged and got closer to needing replacement, they started to slip more and more.
Favorite Feature:
This is a hard one to narrow down to just one favorite feature. There are so many things we love about it. But as I said before, previously wanting a new car every 2-3 years boiled down to getting bored with the vehicle. With the Model 3, the over the air updates bring new features that make the car feel brand new. So our favorite feature is going to be the over the air updates, which for some reason very few manufactures still do to this day.
Worst Feature:
There isn’t very much to dislike about the Model 3. But something that we haven’t discussed yet is the price reductions over time. If we were to have waited about 10-12 months, the standard range would have been available for roughly $20,000 less than what we paid. Its practically the same car with less range, and they even include Autopilot now. This is probably what frustrates us most about our vehicle is Tesla’s ever changing pricing schemes on not only the vehicle trims themselves, but features such as Autopilot and Full Self Driving. We could have almost bought two Model 3s for the price we paid for our one.
Overall Long Term Verdict
As we pass two years of owning the Model 3, how does it compare to the expectations when we first picked it up? To be honest, it has been a wonderful and exciting car to drive and own. There have been the disappointments such as the headrest or price reductions after we purchased. But we need to just keep looking forward. We have two years and/or roughly 29,000 miles of warranty remaining and certainly will be keeping it until the end of the warranty which should be July 2022. The question of how long we keep this car boils down to the simple question of how well it holds up over time. And basing that on the first two years of ownership, shows that we might have this vehicle for the next 10-15 years. But it should be noted, we have a reservation placed already for the Tesla pickup truck whenever they release the standard version.
PURCHASE DATE/DELIVERY DATE: 7/14/2018
TOTAL MILES: ~21,000 miles
MILES YEAR 1: ~14,800 miles
MILES YEAR 2: ~6,200 miles (a work vehicle, and COVID just made driving that much less neccessary)
Back in January 2018, we placed our deposit on a brand new long range Tesla Model 3 RWD. At the time we expected to be waiting for at least a year before we received the vehicle, as there was a long wait-list that had placed orders before us. In June 2018, we actually began to look at used Tesla Model S’s in the area and while on a test drive, received a call from Tesla stating our Model 3 was ready for pickup. We were ecstatic and eagerly awaiting to drive it home. It ended up being about another 3 weeks before we actually were able to do so but it was worth the wait. We picked it up on July 14th, 2018 and haven’t looked back since. In the two years since picking it up, we’ve had our ups and downs. Is this vehicle still as good as the day we drove it home? Does it have issues? How has the battery range done in the Vegas heat? All of these questions will be answered and more as we go over our long term review of our Model 3. This is ‘Our 2018 Tesla Model 3, 2 Years Later.’
Battery / Range
So this is probably the most asked question we get when others ask about the car. When we picked it up, it had a stated range of I believe 310 miles as it was the long range version. Since we bought ours, they have now released the standard range, AWD, and performance….all with different ranges. To make it even harder to gauge this question, Tesla has released different software updates over time that change the stated range. The stated range from Tesla I believe is now 322 miles for the long range model 3.
Now when you charge a Tesla, you are only supposed to charge to 80-90% of the total capacity each day. Some say 80%, others say 90%. Tesla claims 90% helps make the battery last longer. You are also supposed to drain the battery all the way down and then fully charge the battery every once in awhile. We personally have been charging to 90% almost every night, with the exception being when I have to leave the car at work. We have drained the battery on purpose to 10% and then fully charged on 2 different occasions.
At this point, at 90% charged, the range stated shows 272 miles. If you do your calculations, that means at 100% charge, the car has roughly 302 miles of range. So depending on if you look at the original 310 or the newer 322 miles expected range, the car has lost roughly 8-20 miles of range in 2 years.
Furthermore, it seems that the range depletes quicker than when we first bought the vehicle. When we first picked it up, with the A/C running, I would be able to go to work and home and have roughly 20 miles of range lost (actual driving 14 miles). Today if I do the same, I lose about 42 miles of range. But, I must say I also use Sentry mode now which didn’t exist when I first had the vehicle. The point I’m trying to make is the battery seems to deplete quicker than when we first bought the car.
We told ourselves that we are going to keep this car until it completely dies on us. The experts state that the majority of your battery loss will occur within the first year of use. But let’s say that we continue to lose ~20 miles of range every 2 years. By the time this car is 10 years old (2028), the range is expected to be around 222 miles which means around 200 miles at 90% charging. Although that would be good for around town, I don’t know if it would be adequate for trips unless the EV charging options are far better than they are today.
INITIAL BATTERY VERDICT: We were amazed at how efficient and accurate the range was to true life use. At 310 miles stated range, we usually got pretty close to that.
LONG TERM BATTERY VERDICT: Slightly disappointed in the lost range and decrease in efficiency over time. Hopefully it slows as the car ages.
Quality / Build
As you can see in our running Model 3 log post, we’ve had a few maintenance requirements on our Model 3. The car was delivered with a faulty dash that was bubbled up and replaced for free at the service center. The gear shift lever kept separating and required replacement. The outside mirror trim pieces started to come apart from the car. But was this more than any other vehicle that you buy? I would say no, as none of it restricted the use of the car at all, and was only cosmetic.
Overall, the initial quality of this vehicle was far above what was expected. I know a lot of customers are finding large gaps, bolts missing, or even missing paint on the door hinges. But we didn’t really have any of that to our knowledge. The only glaring quality issue at delivery that was never fixed was the small paint blemish on the rear of trunk that appears to have no clear coat. The service center offered to fix it but we didn’t want to lose the car for weeks for a body shop to mess with the paint. It sort of adds to the character of the car.
Over the two years of using the vehicle, it has seen roughly 21,000 miles. A majority of those miles were actually in year one to include several long road trips to LA and Salt Lake City. All the seats in the vehicle have received their fair use to include two small children in the rear with car seats. None of the seats have ripped or torn. A few wrinkles have appeared on the drivers seat. The comfort level of the driver seat has decreased slightly as the cushion breaks in but nothing to complain about. The driver’s headrest does have a glaring issue however. Where my head sometimes makes contact with the headrest, the “leather” is flaking off. It’s probably due to the oils in my hair or something, but I’ve never had that happen before in a car.
None of the doors or windows have any squeaks or issues preventing their use. The door handles still work great and have never been stuck. I have had a few issues with the key card or my phone not being recognized by the car to unlock. But I think that might have more to do with my cell phone than the car itself.
We have not used the front trunk one time to date. We rarely use the trunk either except sometimes for groceries. I think that we don’t use the front trunk due to leaving hand prints on the hood. It just seems hard to close and isn’t worth the effort. The trunk has proved to be very large and the carpeting is still as good as day one.
The touchscreen has held up great! So far no issues other than an occasional reboot. We have loved the updates adding features such as viewing dash cam on the touchscreen, streaming shows while waiting to pick up the kids, or even playing around with the quirky games and other activities.
Initial Quality Verdict: We were expecting a lot worse based off what others were stating. Maybe we got lucky, but the initial quality Tesla provided was great.
Long Term Quality Verdict: Other than the driver headrest, the car is proving to be a very reliable and high quality vehicle. Hopefully this continues as it ages.
Is this a true ‘Luxury’ vehicle?
This is another question we hear a lot. Most car enthusiasts say the Tesla Model 3 competes with the BMW 3 series, Mercedes C class, and other entry luxury vehicles. For sure the car price is in line, and since you are paying the same, you should expect the same level of quality and luxury. We’ve owned/leased several luxury brand vehicles over the past, to include some that were over the price of the Model 3. In our opinion, this vehicle is at the same level of luxury or even above, and I will explain below.
First, the seats in the Model 3 are amazingly comfortable. It feels like you are floating in your car. Tesla did a great job in designing these seats and keeping costs down. The leather itself appears to hold up (with the exception of my headrest) to use over time, as well as little children.
Second, the driving experience is the best you can find. To sit at a traffic light and see another luxury car pull up next to you just brings a smile to your face. Most other luxury car drivers expect that they will take off at the light and get in front of you to cut you off to make the entrance to that highway. But when that light changes and you are able to leave them behind without hardly an effort, is an amazing feeling (not saying I do this, but knowing I can is just the same). Cornering and braking is also very good and the different levels of driving (comfort, sport, etc.) are able to make your car feel brand new when you change them.
Perhaps the biggest reason is that touchscreen and the lack of buttons. I absolutely hate buttons on a vehicle. Yes, I get why most manufactures use them…they are easy to find and quick to use. But I don’t mind tapping a screen to get all the options show up. The touchscreen is easy to see while driving, and the over the air updates again make the car feel brand new each time you get a new feature. I used to want to get a new vehicle every 2-3 years as I would get bored with them, but I still love this car almost as much as the first day I drove it off the lot. I have the best navigation system available, awesome features such as autopilot and summon, and the lack of instrument clusters and buttons make the inside feel that much better.
Wheels / Tires
We bought just the standard aero wheels with our Model 3 and originally thought we would take them off and get the caps. However, the aero wheels still sit on the vehicle to this day. They actually look good in our opinion and help the efficiency. For the longest time, it almost seemed like the wheels were hard to scuff up on curbs as well. For the first year, I don’t think we managed to scuff up a single wheel. However, in our 2nd year, we have hit two curbs and they seem to scuff up just as easy. The outside rim of the wheel itself shows around the edge of the aero wheel unfortunately and therefore, we have permanent cosmetic damage to two of our wheels.
As far as the tires themselves, we would have gotten about 25,000 to 30,000 miles off the original tires. However, in Feb 2020, we ended up getting a nail in one of the tires. Due to them needing to be replaced within the next year anyways, we decided to just get four brand new tires. Surprisingly enough, the Tesla service center actually was able to do it for the same price as a local tire place.
When the tires are almost brand new, this car just shoots off the line. It has amazing pickup and holds well around corners. But as the tires aged and got closer to needing replacement, they started to slip more and more.
Favorite Feature:
This is a hard one to narrow down to just one favorite feature. There are so many things we love about it. But as I said before, previously wanting a new car every 2-3 years boiled down to getting bored with the vehicle. With the Model 3, the over the air updates bring new features that make the car feel brand new. So our favorite feature is going to be the over the air updates, which for some reason very few manufactures still do to this day.
Worst Feature:
There isn’t very much to dislike about the Model 3. But something that we haven’t discussed yet is the price reductions over time. If we were to have waited about 10-12 months, the standard range would have been available for roughly $20,000 less than what we paid. Its practically the same car with less range, and they even include Autopilot now. This is probably what frustrates us most about our vehicle is Tesla’s ever changing pricing schemes on not only the vehicle trims themselves, but features such as Autopilot and Full Self Driving. We could have almost bought two Model 3s for the price we paid for our one.
Overall Long Term Verdict
As we pass two years of owning the Model 3, how does it compare to the expectations when we first picked it up? To be honest, it has been a wonderful and exciting car to drive and own. There have been the disappointments such as the headrest or price reductions after we purchased. But we need to just keep looking forward. We have two years and/or roughly 29,000 miles of warranty remaining and certainly will be keeping it until the end of the warranty which should be July 2022. The question of how long we keep this car boils down to the simple question of how well it holds up over time. And basing that on the first two years of ownership, shows that we might have this vehicle for the next 10-15 years. But it should be noted, we have a reservation placed already for the Tesla pickup truck whenever they release the standard version.
