The entry-level Tesla Model 3 RWD has received a bump in range for no extra money.
It now has a claimed electric driving range of 520km (WLTP) thanks to the fitment of the same 62.5kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery from CATL offered in the Tesla Model Y RWD.
It compares to the previous 60kWh battery’s 513km WLTP claimed range, with the extra seven kilometres enough to get you from central Sydney to Bondi Beach.
The improvement brings no increase to its $54,900 before on-road costs price, while it uses the same 208kW/350Nm rear-axle motor. This gives it a claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.1 seconds.
No other changes have been made to the Model 3 lineup – Australia’s second-best selling electric car in 2024 after the Model Y SUV – with the larger battery standard in Australian-delivered vehicles made from early February 2025.
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The RWD remains the most affordable Model 3 – and the cheapest Tesla in local showrooms – after price cuts of more than $5000 in the past 12 months.
At $64,900 (before on-roads) the Model 3 Long Range AWD (all-wheel drive) is priced $10,000 above the RWD but brings a longer 629km WLTP range courtesy of a larger 79kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery (NMC), placing it in the top five longest-range electric vehicles in Australian showrooms.
The Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor is the current range leader locally, with a 706km WLTP distance between recharges.
The Model 3 lineup is topped by the Performance AWD, priced at $80,900 before on-road costs and offering 528km of WLTP range and a 0-100km/h time of 3.1 seconds.
Despite remaining the best-selling electric car brand in Australia in 2024, Tesla sales in Australia fell 61.9 per cent in the first four months of 2025 according to figures supplied by the EV Council.
MORE: Everything Tesla Model 3
