Hey guys, I'm looking to buy my very first car and looking at a 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid vs. a 2021 Model 3 SR+. The honda is costing me about 33k and I'd happily switch to the LR if I get approved for the CVAP 5k grant in CA state that will help me afford the LR. My biggest concern is range since my daily commute will be about 150 miles round trip and I'm having range anxiety with a Tesla. The last thing I'd want to worry about after spending about 40k (for SR+) on a car is range but I want to know what you guys think and what your guys' experience has been owning a Tesla and possibly an ICE vehicle also. Apart from that, the Honda comes with Level 2 autonomous driving and a few other significant features that a Tesla offers that I'm interested in (spacious, leather seats with heating, pre-ventilation, etc.). The honda also has a rated range of 613 miles. I've also heard some horror stories about Tesla's service and how its pretty shitty. What are your guys' opinions on this? Greatly appreciate your help!
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Tesla Model 3 vs. Honda Accord Hybrid
- Thread starter pure9
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- honda model3 Range Anxiety
These are really two totally different cars. If range anxiety is such a major concern then don't get the SR+, get the LR. The price isn't that much difference, and if price is a limiter, get a used LR. For your needs I think a used LR would be preferable to a new SR+.
Those are two totally different cars and I know because my car prior to my current model 3 was the Accord Hybrid. It's a great car but I would try to go EV is you can. Get the LR, even if it means buying used. I can also speak to the current Honda driver assist features because my wife has a brand new CR-V Touring hybrid and I'm assuming it's the same system as what's on the Accord. It's pretty nice but it doesn't hold a candle to Tesla Autopilot. The LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) won't change lanes for you, which I assume you drive in fairly heavy traffic is a must. It is also extremely finicky about keeping your hands on the wheel at all times and will shut down in just around 10 seconds if you don't. Their version of (automatic cruise control) ACC is on par with Tesla's TACC though.
El joe
Active Member
In addition to what you presented, the views on this forum might be a bit biased toward one of those options.
SabrToothSqrl
Active Member
hop on turo. rent the 3. make the trip.
I would get LR or Honda. Not SR+ for 150mile daily commuting.
Model 3 is the better car by leaps and bounds. However, if you go to a Honda forum and ask the same question they will tell you the opposite thing. In reality each car has it's pros and cons and it really depends on which car ticks more of your personal checkboxes. Take @SabrToothSqrl's suggestion, or better yet, see if your local Tesla showroom (if you have one near you) will let you take a 3 overnight. My friend has been shopping for a 3 and the local Tesla showroom in my area provided an overnight loaner for evaluation.
Knightshade
Well-Known Member
The SR+ rated range is 263 miles.
Now if you were asking about driving 150 miles in northern manitoba or something it'd be a very different story- bad enough legit way below freezing weather could make 150 miles dicey with no stops.
But your location is listed as southern California where you never have actual winters.
So that should be plenty of range for a 150 mile drive.
Even 20% off the rated would get you over 200 miles so not like you can't also swing by the grocery store or whatever on the way or something.
And you can't swing a dead cat in CA without hitting a supercharger station (In fact at a quick glance at the map around Fontana I see 5 different stations each with 12-24 stalls, within a 15 minute drive of Fontana CA)....so on the rare day you suddenly had to do an EXTRA hundred miles of driving, stop at one for 10 minutes and you've good.
Also Tesla offers the best L2 driving system on the market, and that's gonna make a daily long drive way way way better for you.
I myself have about a 75 mile roundtrip drive to/from work and I can't tell you how much better doing it in my Model 3 is than any gas vehicle I've ever owned.
I mean, if the rebate comes through and you can get the LR- great... the stereo is better, and the acceleration is too... but you'll be fine on range either way.
All THAT said yeah- rent a tesla on turo (if tesla is no longer doing overnight test drives- they did once upon a time but probably not in pandemic era).
Do your daily drive with it once.
It should answer a lot of your questions.
CameraJim
Member
Somebody else suggested considering a used Tesla, so I thought I'd check in with my experience. I recently bought a 2013 LR with Enhanced Autopilot and upgraded wheels for $35K. The car is in great shape and feels like new. I've seen a few others like it on the market in the same price range with 20-40K miles. You won't have the new car smell, but you also won't have to wait for delivery and your initial depreciation will be a lot less.
CameraJim
Member
Considering where you live, an SR should be fine. In the rare event you are running low, there are plenty of superchargers. Tesla's Autopilot is leaps and bounds above anything on the market and will be great must have for a long commute like yours. You will LOVE it. It will be a great stress reliever for you. You have to experience to believe it.
But the newer models Autopilot that comes with the car by default does not do automatic lane changing. That feature is now part of the FSD package which is pretty pricey. If you get lucky you may get a used 2018 or a 19 Model 3 LR with AP, then you are all set. But even without the lane changing, AP is just too good. I know, because I have driven over 60k miles with it between my S, then later 3 and now Y.
But the newer models Autopilot that comes with the car by default does not do automatic lane changing. That feature is now part of the FSD package which is pretty pricey. If you get lucky you may get a used 2018 or a 19 Model 3 LR with AP, then you are all set. But even without the lane changing, AP is just too good. I know, because I have driven over 60k miles with it between my S, then later 3 and now Y.
ralph142
Member
I have a 2018 mr, 264 rating. So long as you can charge back the 150 miles overnight, the sr+ should do fine. Running the battery from 80-20 % charge gives you 60% of 263, 150 is 57%. Even up hear in the cold rain, running wipers, heater, and seats while blasting stereo, np.
IF you have charging at home, the SR+ is an easy choice to make. 150 miles in So Cal is easily done and there are multiple supercharger options nearby if you ever need to top it up for extra side trips.
But if you don't have charging at home then it's a bit of a toss up. As suggested earlier, best to Turo for a day and see how it works for you.
But if you don't have charging at home then it's a bit of a toss up. As suggested earlier, best to Turo for a day and see how it works for you.
Funny thing is, before I got my Model 3, I was also looking at the Accord as an potential choice, not the hybrid version however, but the regular Accord at the Sport/Touring trim with the 2 liter turbo. The model 3 is miles ahead than the Honda, I didn't regret going for it, even though I did cough up more money at the end.
The newer SR+ is rated at 263 miles, so you should be okay with a 150 mile drive, but it won't leave you too much room to do some random activities such as going to the grocery store, hang out with friends, going to the bar, etc. You may have to disable functions such as cabin overheat or sentry mode to reduce battery consumption.
Are there any potential ways of charging your car during work? A level 2 charger, 240V outlets (ex 14-50), or even a regular 120V wall outlet? Even a regular 120V outlet will give you 3-4 miles an hour, assuming if you work 8 hours a day, that's 24 miles, not too bad.
The newer SR+ is rated at 263 miles, so you should be okay with a 150 mile drive, but it won't leave you too much room to do some random activities such as going to the grocery store, hang out with friends, going to the bar, etc. You may have to disable functions such as cabin overheat or sentry mode to reduce battery consumption.
Are there any potential ways of charging your car during work? A level 2 charger, 240V outlets (ex 14-50), or even a regular 120V wall outlet? Even a regular 120V outlet will give you 3-4 miles an hour, assuming if you work 8 hours a day, that's 24 miles, not too bad.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
As others point out, there are plenty of superchargers near where you are (there are 2 within 6 miles of downtown, and 1 within 10 miles in San Bernardino), so even in a SR+, the worst thing is you make a quick charge stop. I just got a SR+, although I don't have such a long commute, there is a trip that I make occasionally that is 180 miles round trip, but I won't fret given there are plenty of superchargers available along the route. As a side note, make sure you use a referral code to get 1000 miles of free supercharging.
Find Us | Tesla
You can plug your commute into A Better Route Planner or EV trip planner and tweak the conditions to use conservative assumptions (higher speed multiplier, coldest temps recorded, headwind, etc) and see how it does.
A Better Routeplanner
EV Trip Planner
Also, as others point out, the more important bit is if you have charging at home or work that will refill enough range for you every night. For home charging, for a commute of your length, it is best you have a 14-50 outlet installed or at least have a 10-30 or 14-30 dryer outlet available for charging. There are adapters available for the included charger to use in various outlets, you can see the miles of range added per hour for the various options.
Gen 2 NEMA Adapters
Unfortunately I can't help you on the comparison with the Honda. The Model 3 does come with heated seats (note for SR+ the rear heated seats is a $300 software option; LR includes it), but not ventilated. The seats are faux leather (not real leather) due to some vegan activists pushing for it since the Model S/X, but personally it doesn't bother me either way (note there are some nice custom leather seat covers available from third parties if you really want leather). I think you will have to sit and test drive both cars in person to tell which you prefer.
As for Tesla service, it's all requested through the app (they will communicate with you by text message after things get underway however). That's going to be the major difference with traditional service. It's going to be hard to reach a real person by phone if that is what you are used to for service (although some people have success with email if they were able to get the email of local service center). By default they will try to send Mobile Service (where they go to your home or work to fix things), although they will review your case first to see if it can be fixed this way. My experience with service is that as long as you document your issues thoroughly (with pictures), they are happy to fix any issues found at delivery. Also if they don't have loaners available (my local one also have an Enterprise rep on site so I guess they also loan out ICE cars, not just Teslas) they will provide $100 Uber credits per day.
How good service is overall depends on your local service center (kind of similar with how your local car dealer will determine how good service you get) and how close it is (some people are hours away from the closest service center, which usually means a bad experience). Luckily you have one only 8 miles away at Rancho Cucamonga and it seems to be rated well on yelp.
Tesla Service Center - Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Note you also get Roadside Assistance coverage, although Honda seems to have something similar (but Honda's warranty is only 3 year / 36k miles, while Model 3 is 4 year / 50k miles).
Roadside Assistance
Vehicle Warranty
Honda Roadside Assistance | Honda Owners Site
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Did you buy from the Tesla website? I’m checking right now and the difference in price isn’t too significant for a 2018 LR. Also my Tesla sales rep told me that buying a used Tesla is a hit or miss, sometimes they come with paint chips and other issues and you just have to accept it as is or end up losing $500. What do you guys think about this?
Currently I don’t have a level 2 charger at my house but my Tesla rep told me that I can get it installed for about $300? Is that what you guys also did?
Thank you for this amazing information, love it! How expensive are Tesla repairs? I’ve heard that Tesla parts cost a lot. Just something that I’d want to keep in mind in the case of an accident or small dents.
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