Thinking of buying a Tesla Model 3? If so, you’re probably like most consumers and typed “Tesla Model 3 review” into Google to see what others’ experiences have been.
Well, I’m glad you did, because you’ve come to the right place. But before I dive into specifics, let me just take a moment to say I LOVE my Tesla Model 3. Like love it.
So now here’s a little peek into my own buying journey.
My Tesla Model 3 Buying Journey
I’ve driven the Tesla Model X plenty of times. Love the car. But $79,990? Ehhhh… that was more than I wanted to spend. So I looked at the Model 3—which came with a much more comfortable price tag. (The 2020 Model 3 is going for about $37,990 right now.)
I’m going to be honest with you, I didn’t test drive the Model 3 before I bought it. In true Millennial fashion, I just ordered it online and trusted the reviews I read about it. (Which is maybe what you’re doing now!)
I bought my Tesla during a promo period with my friend’s referral link. Turns out that was the right move because it gave me 5,000 free charging miles. Basically, that means the first 5,000 miles charged to my car at a Tesla SuperCharger Station were 100% free.
For the first 6 months of having my vehicle, I never once had to pay for charging. Wow, that felt good.
Now, when I charge my car at the SuperCharger, it typically takes 30-45 minutes and costs about $15. (Which, unless you have a really small car, is cheaper than a full tank of gas.)
Tesla Model 3 Review: My Order Experience
When I ordered my Tesla online, I got:
- Long Range All-Wheel Drive, Pearly White Paint, 19” Sport Wheels, White Premium Interior, Autopilot
But then I realized I didn’t actually need All-Wheel Drive. I mean, I don’t plan on going off-road like in those truck commercials. So I reached out to a Tesla store and asked them to change my order on the back-end to just be Rear-Wheel Drive. That simple change saved me $4,000!
I got my car in all white—white exterior and white interior.
Some may think I’m not a good fit for white seats since I’m a “Type B” girl (think of a creative person’s messy room), plus I have two kids. But I went for it all the same.
Lucky for me, my seats are super easy to keep clean. At the Tesla store, they recommended I keep Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to wipe anything away. I haven’t had any issues keeping the seats clean, even after coffee spills.
After ordering, it took about 4.5 weeks for my Tesla to come in—that means from the time I placed the order to the day I was able to pick it up.
Tesla Model 3 Review: Safety and Charging
In all honesty, I feel extremely safe riding in the Tesla Model 3. There have been a couple of times where the Tesla felt me go left-to-center or didn’t think I would brake in time and the car takes over and either swerves me back to safety or brakes for me. Pretty cool.
It does take a moment, though, to get used to charging your car instead of stopping at a gas station.
I’ve talked to people who have used other electric cars, and they’ve told me it’s much more inconvenient because you cannot “supercharge” your car.
Charging a non-Tesla vehicle can take 12+ hours. (I can see your eyes widening now…) And even when I plug my car into a non-Tesla charger, it usually estimates 12-14 hours to a full charge.
SuperChargers don’t take nearly as long, though. So if I’m going to do a full charge at one of those, I usually to do it while I go shopping at Target.
This is why I ended up ordering Long Range, which gives me a 320-mile range. I don’t mind charging my car, but since it does take 30 to 45 minutes at a SuperCharger, I would prefer to do it as little as possible.
Road-Tripping With My Tesla Model 3
I road-tripped from Orange County to Vegas in my Tesla, and it was a great experience—not nearly as annoying as I thought it would be.
When you type an address into your Tesla screen, it creates a route for you that has charging stations along the way. It’s neat because the GPS route has you stop at the stations for about 10-15 minutes… just as you might on a normal road trip when you stop at a gas station to fill up and use the restroom.
This was nice, but when I stopped to charge, I just ended up letting my car charge fully up so I could make fewer stops. There were plenty of charges along the way, so I wasn’t concerned.
Plus, the Tesla makes road trips so much better with its incredible sound system!
So … planning to build and order your Tesla online? Use my link and get 1,000 free Charge Miles!
If you purchase your Tesla at a Tesla store, you can still give them my code, “ashley45109,” to get your 1,000 free miles.
Did this Tesla Model 3 review convince you to buy? Let me know in the comments!
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