Things To Consider When Buying A Tesla Model 3
Part of the appeal of Tesla’s Model 3 is that it’s an attractive car, one that you’d expect to pay $35,000 for, regardless of its fuel consumption methods.
It’s got a sleek and sporty look. It has an eye-popping 15-inch screen as its center console and vehicle controls. Plus, it’s relatively fast.
OVERVIEW OF OWNING A TESLA MODEL 3 #
The problem with the Model 3 is that it’s possibly too desirable, teasing a price that’s mostly unrealistic. Here’s a breakdown of the cost realities you should expect from actually buying a Model 3 with 220 miles of range:
Base price does not include: #
- Any color that isn’t black. ($1,000 for other color options)
- Premium upgrades - Heated seating, premium cabin materials, power adjustable seats, enhanced speakers and sound, tinted glass roof, auto dimming and power side mirrors, additional USB ports and phone docking options. (+$5,000 for package)
- Enhanced Autopilot - Matching speed to traffic, stay within the lane, automatically change lanes, transition from one freeway to another, exit freeway, and self-park. (+$5,000)
- Full Self-Driving - Future updates allowing the car to drive itself fully autonomously. (+$3,000 on top of enhanced Autopilot)
- 19-inch sport wheels - Upgrade over 18-inch standard wheels. (+$1,500)
- Long Range Battery - If you want or need 90 miles of additional range, a quicker start speed, and slightly higher top speed that bumps the base price an addition $9,000 to start.
Extra items to consider #
Items that won’t show up on Tesla’s site when configuring a new car:
- Sales tax (in CA the base model will cost a little over $3,000)
Adding a 240V outlet to your garage or parking area
An additional benefit will be the cost of gas saved by switching to an electric car. This will vary a lot between people, but it looks like someone in CA could save between $1,000 and $1,900 per year on gasoline. That’s between $90 and $158 on a monthly basis.
What a Model 3 will likely cost most people #
Let’s suppose you can afford a Model 3 and have a little extra money to play with on top of the base configuration, how much is the car likely to cost an average person? Here are two different scenarios:
Standard model: $35,000
- +$1,000 for Midnight Silver Metallic color
- +$5,000 for Premium Upgrades including glass roof
- + sales tax on a $41,000 car
~$44,000+
Long Range model: $44,000
- +$1,000 for Deep Blue Metallic
- +$5,000 for Enhanced Autopilot
- + sales tax on a $50,000 car
~$54,000+
Miscellaneous notes #
First, I do think $35,000 for the standard car and options is completely reasonable. There’s a reason Tesla is the first electric car at this price. Even Chevy’s uglier Bolt is more expensive.
The two options I think will be very tempting for people and hard to resist will be the premium upgrades package and the enhanced Autopilot. Because of the price, I also imagine people won’t get both and will pick between the two.
Unless someone wanted black to begin with, I think the $1,000 price for a different color won’t be a deterrent.
You can find the full list of options, both standard and upgradable on Electrek
I didn’t mention the rebates for electric vehicles from both the federal government and state governments for the simple fact that they are not unlimited funds and could run out. They will be nice for a lot of people, but it shouldn’t be the reason to buy the car. You can fnd out more information about the requirements for those at: Plugincars