Tesla Model 3 – 24 Month Update

Tesla Model 3 UK Review 2021

I wrote my Model 3 Mega Review back in 2019, a few months into ownership, and then followed up on its one year anniversary. Today the car turns 2 and so it’s time for another update.

All Dressed Up & Nowhere to Go

There’s now 9,761 miles on the odometer. With COVID lockdown restrictions I’ve covered just 3,006 miles in the last 12 months. Trip 3 (never zeroed) shows 277 Wh/mile, meaning the car has now averaged 3.6 miles per kWh since new. That means I’ve used around £430 of electricity to fuel the car over the last 2 years (on an Economy 7 tariff that could have been under £250).

That 2 year figure translates to an average range of around 180 miles on this smallest battery Standard Range Plus car, although the vast majority of my driving has still been short journeys.

On the few longer and more leisurely runs I’ve made so far this summer it’s easy to achieve over 5 miles / kWh, which would allow you to eke out closer to 250 miles from a charge in ideal conditions.

I still have 20,000 free miles (thanks for continuing to use my referral link – mark40609), but with no traveling outside Northern Ireland and still not a single Supercharger here, I’ve had no way to use any of these.

Hopefully the Belfast Supercharger at the Service Centre on the Boucher Road will arrive in the 3rd quarter of this year as planned.

Upgrades

I am now paying £9.99 / month for ‘Premium Connectivity’, the data upgrade which adds Live Traffic Visualisation, Satellite-View Maps, Video Streaming (eg Netflix & YouTube), Music Streaming (eg Spotify) and an Internet Browser.

Here are some other upgrade options available at the tap of a finger in the app…

Service & Issues

It’s brilliant to have the new Belfast Service Centre here now (opened in August 2020) and the staff there have been fantastic to deal with. There’s no longer any need to trek to Dublin for any service issues and likewise no need to travel to take delivery either (although we will always remember our Scottish Highlands Adventure with great fondness).

Following on from the 12 month report, the car did have its ‘connectivity board’ replaced under warranty which solved the issues I was having with it losing its cellular connection.

On Autopilot the car still suffers from the phantom braking issues. I’ve also seen quite a few auto steering correction messages while not on Autopilot which appear to be linked to the Lane Departure Avoidance feature.

No products found.

Big Wheels, Small Wheels

I curbed one of my 20″ wheels, ironically it happened in the Tesla car park while I was there making this video for the new Belfast Service Centre opening.

I put the standard 18’s back on while it was being repaired and I’ve enjoyed the added comfort and improved range so much that I’ve kept them on ever since. The car looks much better on the 20″ Turbine reps, but I may end up selling them now as I’m not using them.

2 Years On

The latest Model 3’s arriving into the UK are now built in China and word is the panel alignment is better than the Californian built cars. The incumbent manufacturers are chasing hard and a recent run in a friends Porsche Taycan shows the progress being made by the competition. Tesla cannot rest on their laurels.

But it’s still a joy to get into the Model 3 every time I drive it. As a tech lover and a (ex?)petrolhead, it continues to be the perfect daily for me.


Thanks to Reinis B Photography for more great shots of the car this year.

Last update on 2024-03-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

2 Comments on "Tesla Model 3 – 24 Month Update"

  1. Great pics Mark,

    I thought any orders pre Aug19 were given free premium connectivity, maybe that was the LRAWD & Performance models only?

    My LR lifetime wh/mile is 317. SR+ seems much more efficient, I suppose it isnt lugging around the weight of another motor.

    I remember reading a couple of years back that the LR-RWD was the sweet spot in terms of cost/efficiency but unfortunately it was discontinued.

  2. @DB – Thanks David.

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