Tesla Model 3 range, battery & charging
As the name suggests, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range boasts one of the longest driving ranges on a single charge of any electric car currently on sale
| Model | Range | Wallbox charge time | Rapid charge time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Range | 305 miles | 8hrs (0-100%, 7.4kW) | 21mins (10-80%, 170kW) |
| Long Range | 374 miles | 11hrs 15mins (0-100%, 7.4kW) | 34mins (10-80%, 190kW) |
| Performance | 340 miles | 12hrs 15mins (0-100%, 7.4kW) | 23mins (10-80%, 200kW) |
The Model 3 Long Range has a range of 374 miles – one of the best of any pure-electric car on sale, significantly bettering those offered by some larger EVs like the Jaguar I-Pace, while the Polestar 2 and BMW i4 can manage up to 336 and 365 miles respectively. The Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range actually beats the Model 3 with an impressive 379 miles.
Charging for the Model 3 is done using a Type 2 or CCS cable, giving you access to Tesla Superchargers and the UK's public charging network. Find a Tesla Supercharger in a Model 3 Long Range and you can charge from 10-80% in a little over half an hour, while a standard home wallbox charger will take you to 100% in under 12 hours. The charging port is hidden in the side of the light cluster and you open it by pushing a button on the Tesla charging cable.
Tesla Model 3 range
Three versions of the Tesla Model 3 are available: the entry-level unnamed Model 3 can cover 305 miles on a charge, the Long Range does 374 miles, while the top-spec Performance is pegged at 340 miles – the latter sacrificing a little range in the name of its neck-snapping acceleration.
Those figures still impress, but cheaper rivals like the Kia EV6 are catching up – it can manage up to 328 miles in rear-wheel drive form.
The company hasn’t officially stated a battery size for the Model 3, but sources have previously stated that it’s a 60kWh unit in the entry-level version and 70kWh in the Long Range and Performance models.
Charge time
The Model 3 Long Range can charge from 10-80% in as little as 30 minutes from a Tesla Supercharger, while the standard version with a smaller battery will do it in even less than that. It’s a welcome change that the Model 3 is compatible with CCS charging (converters are offered for the Model X and Model S), which gives you access to most third-party charging stations, too. Topping up using a 50kW charger will take around 70 minutes.
Plug the Model 3 into a 7kW home wallbox and you’ll get a full charge in 13 hours. As with any big-battery electric car, a three-pin cable is supplied more as an emergency backup than as a routine charging solution. It’ll take a couple of days to fully charge the Model 3 from a domestic socket – giving you around 10 miles of range per hour. Charging in this way is clearly not a long-term solution, but can still be useful in a pinch.
