New 2024 Tesla Model 3 facelift to hit the UK on 27 January
Tesla’s revised Model 3 has more range than ever before
Tesla has announced that UK buyers can expect to get the facelifted Model 3 from late January. The Model 3 has been available to order in Rear Wheel Drive and Long-Range form since October, having made its public debut at last year’s Munich Motor Show.
The Model 3 has been a huge success in the UK, becoming not just one of the most popular electric cars, but one of the most popular cars of any kind. It’s had to play second fiddle to the newer Model Y SUV in terms of sales in the past two years, but now Tesla hopes the 2024 facelifted version with its fairly extensive range of updates will give the Model 3 a boost.
We saw fit to give the Model 3 our Car of the Year award when it launched in 2019. Rivals have come thick and fast since then and Tesla’s electric compact executive car will have to take on the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 6, BMW i4, Polestar 2 and newcomers like the upcoming Kia EV4 and BYD Seal.
The Rear-Wheel Drive starts at £39,990 with the range-topping Long Range priced from £49,990. UK customers of the facelifted Model 3 will see their cars arrive from 27th January (the same date UK test drives will be made available) and the first thing they’ll notice is the new car’s revised exterior design. Tesla states that the car stays “true to its sleek, uncluttered design aesthetic”. There are thinner headlights and a reshaped bumper up front which helps reduce the drag coefficient to 0.219 - the lowest of any Tesla to date. To the rear, we can see new C-shaped lights, ‘Tesla’ badging across the bootlid, a faux rear diffuser and a new bumper.
There’s also a new selection of aerodynamically-optimised wheels. The 18-inch ‘Photon’ wheels are standard across the two trim levels and the 19-inch ‘Nova’ wheels command a £1,500 premium. Two new exterior paint finishes have also been added - Ultra Red and Stealth Grey, both costing £2,000.
Tesla hasn’t announced any changes to the battery for either model. Despite this, both Model 3 versions feature improvements to range. The Rear-Wheel Drive now gets a claimed 344 miles (down to 318 miles with the larger wheels), which is up from 305 miles. The Model 3 Long Range offers 420 miles (down to 391 miles with the larger wheels), which is up from 374 miles in the pre-facelift models. The 0-60mph time remains the same for both with the Rear-Wheel Drive taking 5.8 seconds and the Long Range taking 4.2 seconds. We expect a faster ‘Performance’ variant to return to the range with supercar-baiting pace and a 0-60mph time of around three seconds.
Charging speeds of 250kW remain up there with the quickest in the EV world. 175 miles is able to be added in just 15 minutes.
Tesla says the interior has been ‘fully redesigned’ although it looks similar to the minimalist cabin of the outgoing model. The front and rear seats are now ventilated and heated as standard, there’s a new steering wheel with indicator buttons rather than stalks, plus there’s new ambient lighting on the dash.
The huge 15.4-inch central touchscreen has more usable space due to a thinner surround. A rear passenger can make use of a new eight-inch display for climate control and entertainment. Both screens are able to make use of over-the-air infotainment updates.
Tesla claims the Model 3 should come with significantly reduced road noise. Part of this is down to ‘elevated levels of execution’ according to the US brand, but also there’s acoustic glass all around, improved suspension bushings, seals and extra sound deadening.
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