The cheapest ever
The Tesla Model Y Standard is currently in the spotlight, but the Model 3 Standard is even cheaper. Your neighbors won’t notice that you have the cheapest Model 3, but what do you miss out on if you order a Model 3 for EV3 money?
Tesla Model 3 Standard – €36,990
Remember 2019? The Tesla Model 3 was in huge demand back then, and those business drivers – or their leasing companies – all paid 50 or well over 60,000 euros for those cars, depending on the trim. Now you can get a Model 3 for a much lower price, namely €36,990. That’s notably 5 euros less than the €36,995 Kia wants as a minimum for an EV3. For that money, Kia gives you 429 kilometers of range, compared to 534 for the Model 3, with Tesla promising an exceptionally low consumption of 13 kWh per 100 kilometers. In terms of fast charging, sprinting, and top speed, the Tesla also runs circles around the cheapest EV3, but do you also get a bit of luxury for that meager 37 grand?
Unlike the Model Y Standard, with the Model 3, you can hardly tell that you’re dealing with the cheapest version. The car has steel 18-inch wheels with streamlined wheel covers that are just slightly different from those of the Premium Long Range, but almost no one notices that. For the rest, everything is identical, although you will never encounter a Standard in red, blue, or silver. Here, it remains white, black, and dark gray, with (metallic!) white being the only free option, and you have to pay an extra €1,300 for the darker shades.
Black or dark gray is also possible, but costs you €1,300
Inside, the difference between the ‘Standard’ and the ‘Premium’ is quickly apparent. For example, the Standard has partial fabric upholstery, lacks ambient lighting on the dashboard and in the door panels, and the seats are electrically adjustable via the screen, not with buttons. The latter is downright irritating, although the inconvenience is minor for those who take the time to create a personal profile and save the seat position in it. Adjusting the steering wheel, on the other hand, is easy, because that’s ‘just’ manual. The center console here is complete and has a lockable compartment, unlike the Model Y.
Another difference from the Y is that the Model 3 simply has a glass panoramic roof. This is necessary here for sufficient headroom in the back, but front occupants also benefit from it. Rear passengers do have to do without seat heating and their own touchscreen, but that’s not a problem in most other cars either. In the front, we ‘miss’ seat ventilation, and you might notice that the sound is just a bit less robust. The Model 3 Standard only has seven speakers, compared to nine or even fifteen for other versions. The chassis is also much simpler, and although the side mirrors are electrically adjustable and foldable, they don’t have an automatic dimming function.
Fabric, no ambient lighting, and a panoramic roof: the Model 3 Standard.
Is it then entirely makeshift on board this cheapest Tesla? Not quite. The list of what *is* included is still considerably longer than the list of missing features. Seat and steering wheel heating, all software functions including Google Maps navigation and Tesla app, LED lighting all around, an electric tailgate, adaptive cruise control with Autopilot, dual-zone climate control, and 8 (!) cameras all around are, for example, simply standard.
In terms of performance, the cheapest Model 3 may lag behind other Model 3s, but not against what you can get elsewhere for this money. Tesla promises a 0-100 km/h time of 6.2 seconds, 534 kilometers of WLTP range, and up to 270 kilometers of charging in 15 minutes, with charging capacities up to 175 kW.
The author’s choice
I think this Model 3 is an excellent deal, and I would definitely go for it. However, it’s a shame that you can’t choose a color, although paint colors are already very expensive at Tesla. My Model 3 would therefore simply be white (again), the cheapest and, in my opinion, also the most beautiful of the three options. Tesla can keep Full-Self-Driving, and there are no other options really, although I would invest that hefty €1,350 in a tow bar. Always handy.
