Which Model 3 to buy RDW or LR in the Netherlands?

[mrcet007]

Hi
I am a expat living in NL. For my new car booking, I am confused which variant to buy i.e. RDW or LR.

My driving usage

Frequency	type	one way kms	two way kms
daily	daycare	0​	0​
daily	school	0​	0​
daily	office	0​	0​
weekends	shopping - maxis	7​	14​
weekends	shopping - amazing oriental	17​	34​
weekends	shopping - ikea	14​	28​
weekends	visit cousin	21​	42​
monthly	roermond	200​	400​
half yearly	road trip	800​	1600​

Both me and wife are working in tech and is working from home currently, even after post covid we prefer travelling by train(station close by) to office.
We can afford both RDW and LR but only want to spend additional €9k for model 3 LR, if it makes sense for our useage. Otherwise want to invest €9k somewhere else.

Out of the upgrades in LR compared RDW, we only care for the below listed according to order of my priority

1. more range
2. faster supercharging (170KW vs 250KW)
3. AWD(for sake of safety during winter not acceleration)
4. fog lamps

Questions

1. For our driving usage, which model is a better buy in the NL?
2. What percentage of range loss is expected on an average during peak winter in NL?
3. Is RDW LFP battery which can be charged to 100% everytime a comparable choice to LR which should be capped at 90%? Except for long road trips.
4. Will model 3 AWD improve saftey signicantly during winter driving in NL? I am not much interested in acceleration and performance boost of AWD.
5. The RDW doesnt have fog lamps, is this a good to have during winter conditions in the NL?
6. Is there a distribution of model 3 RDW, LR and performance variants sold in NL annually? Trying to understand which is the most popular choice in the NL.

 

[JoostG]

If you would look at annual distribution you would see incorrect information: as a starter the RWD (standard range plus) arrived later, so the first group could only choose between P and LR.

Looking at your usage: I suppose the RWD should be sufficient. Maybe for your trips to Roermond and holiday trips the LR would be the better choice. But with charging options in Roermond during your stay, that advantage is gone. During the roadtrips the range is less important than the available Superchargers stations (in my opinion). And those are plenty around in most parts of Europe.

 

[mrcet007]

Just want to add, i dont have private car park space and will have to rely on public charging

 

[mrcet007]

During the roadtrips the range is less important than the available Superchargers stations (in my opinion).

why is availability of SC is more important than range? Trying to understand.

 

[Stijntje]

You'll notice that the RWD is sufficient for all daily and weekly stuff. For the monthly trips to Roermond, the LR will also not manage to do the trip in both directions without charging. Thus, both will be about the same for these trips as well. Only for the roadtrips, there will be a significant difference. I suggest that you check out A Better Routeplanner to estimate total time for 800 km trips for both models and evaluate whether the difference would disturb you. FYI, I believe the LR also has/will have an LFP battery.

 

[wooter]

You can go by with a Model 3 Standard with those requirements without any worries.

But obviously, if you have 9K to spend, you can get the Long Range version to not have to charge on your way back from Roermond.

 

[Camelroel]

But without having a possibility to charge at home you might want to stop at the last supercharger anyway depending on the availability of the pubic chargers nearby your house.
Additional range is a luxury, it's nice to have but you don't need it unless you go to remote area's but to be honest they hardly exist in Europe anymore. Maybe if you want to travel to Romania or nearby countries.

 

[Nielsjah95]

Disclaimer: I have the SR+ with LFP (Now called the RWD), also do only public charging and drive about 35.000-40.000 km per year.

For our driving usage, which model is a better buy in the NL?
I would say the RWD. Plenty of range for daily use, also a bit more efficiënt and saving the money is a big bonus. That could go towards your supercharging and public charger budget. You can charge about 30.000 kWh with that amount of money at €0,30 per kWh. I can do about 6,5 km per kWh so that means you can drive about 195.000 km with that €9000 difference.

What percentage of range loss is expected on an average during peak winter in NL?
Not really a big issue for me. In summer it's around 400 km, in winter it's around 300-350 depending on how cold the winters get. Dutch winters are pretty mild so it doesn't affect me that much.

Is RWD LFP battery which can be charged to 100% everytime a comparable choice to LR which should be capped at 90%? Except for long road trips.
For me the LFP charging to 100% is really nice since I also only use public charging. So whenever I do get the chance to charge somewhere I can always maximize the potential at a slow charger. During roadtrips you will preferably only charge to maximum 80% at superchargers, so then it's less important.

Will model 3 AWD improve saftey signicantly during winter driving in NL? I am not much interested in acceleration and performance boost of AWD.
I mean, AWD is probably a bit safer. But, the traction control is amazing. I have floored my car in a corner with wet and slippery roads and it instantly adjusts and doesn't let you slide (tested in a safe place of course, just to see what the cars limit was)

The RWD doesnt have fog lamps, is this a good to have during winter conditions in the NL?
I have never turned on my fog lights, this might only be important once every few years if we have REALLY bad fog. I do live in the countryside so even that doesn't matter that much.

Is there a distribution of model 3 RDW, LR and performance variants sold in NL annually? Trying to understand which is the most popular choice in the NL.
You can't really make this calculation as the RWD hasn't been around for as long as the other cars. And on top of this the cars used to be more tax advantaged so people opted for a higher trim than they would now.

Let me know if you have more questions! Happy to help as a RWD LFP owner.

 

[ramonneke]

Also take into consideration if you have a charge spot nearby that is frequently available. Relying on the RWD is fine if you can charge easy otherwise the extra capacity of the LR might be handy if the spots are taken.

Based on the numbers you share you could easily use the RWD for your daily/weekend trips except for the monthly. You will need to charge with both the RWD as the LR if you want to arrive home with plenty of juice to not rely on the fact the public charge infrastructure is taken.

 

[mrcet007]

Disclaimer: I have the SR+ with LFP (Now called the RWD), also do only public charging and drive about 35.000-40.000 km per year.

Is there a distribution of model 3 RDW, LR and performance variants sold in NL annually? Trying to understand which is the most popular choice in the NL.
You can't really make this calculation as the RWD hasn't been around for as long as the other cars. And on top of this the cars used to be more tax advantaged so people opted for a higher trim than they would now.

Great to hear from someone with SR+ with LFP as well!

1. What about annual sales numbers by variants for 2021? If no data available, any guestimate on which is the most sold variant in NL?
2. Did you take any additional packages in the configuration like enchanced autopilot or FSD? Does it make sense in NL? I assume some of the features listed are US only?

 

[wooter]

Did you take any additional packages in the configuration like enchanced autopilot or FSD? Does it make sense in NL? I assume some of the features listed are US only?

There is a whole thread on whether or not to buy any of the EAP/FSD packages: FSD kopen

Bottom line is that standard autopilot includes lane keeping and traffic aware cruise control. EAP adds autopark and Navigate over Autopilot, together with auto lane changes. It's quite comfortable. The full FSD package includes EAP, and the ability to react to yield signs and traffic lights, which is also comfortable.

 

[Nielsjah95]

Great to hear from someone with SR+ with LFP as well!

1. What about annual sales numbers by variants for 2021? If no data available, any guestimate on which is the most sold variant in NL?
2. Did you take any additional packages in the configuration like enchanced autopilot or FSD? Does it make sense in NL? I assume some of the features listed are US only?

1. I can only find the overall numbers in segmentation for S/3/X/Y. Not including the spec. I can always ask my contact at Tesla but I don't think they will be able/allowed to disclose this.

2. I do not have any of those options, if I would get anything it would probably be Enhanced autopilot as it switches lanes on the highway. That's the only thing in the package I would really like to have if my budget would have allowed for it. Not sure if they are worth it other than that as I never used any of those options.

 

[JoostG]

why is availability of SC is more important than range? Trying to understand.

With enough SUC’s within 150km you won’t need a 400km+ range for your journey. 200km range would be enough, you’ll only need more charging stops…..