TESLA MODEL 3

Thorough update aims to make the big-selling EV more efficient and refined

- LAWRENCE CHEUNG

TESTED 1.9.23, LILLESTROM, NORWAY ON SALE FEBRUARY 2024

It's easy to see why the car that Tesla describes as its bread and butter has been so incredibly successful. Even after six years on sale, other EVs still struggle to match the Model 3's blend of range and performance. And if all that wasn't enough, Tesla dropped the compact saloon's price earlier this year, resulting in the single-motor version costing barely more than electric family hatchbacks such as the Vauxhall Astra Electric.

And don't worry, that reduction wasn't an end-of-season sale to shift old stock: Tesla has promised that this facelifted version will cost only around £1000-£2000 more when it arrives in the UK in early 2024.

Seeing as the core Model 3 design has been around since 2017, this update is a thorough one. In fact, Tesla has claimed that more than 50% of the Model 3's components have been refreshed in response to customer feedback, with the aim of improving refinement and comfort.

Cosmetically, the most obvious change is at the front. The sleeker headlights are now strong enough to make the foglights redundant, so those have been removed, and doing so has freed up space for the bumper to be reshaped to reduce drag and thereby boost efficiency.

At the back, the light clusters are now C-shaped and integrated into the bootlid, the brand's badge has been replaced with 'Tesla' lettering and the reversing lights have been relocated low down on the bumper.