2024 Tesla Model 3 Review
By Damon Minks
| Updated 3 Days Ago
Tesla, the United States’ leading electric automaker, has gained a reputation for manufacturing vehicles with higher average price tags. Cars like the company’s flagship Model S may be out of reach financially for many drivers seeking sedan electrification, but the 2024 Model 3 is Tesla’s answer to this problem.
The Model 3 is not just about affordability; it’s about a thrilling driving experience. This compact sedan, Tesla’s most affordable vehicle, starts at an estimated $38,990. It features a standard rear-wheel drive (RWD) configuration, engaging handling, and snappy acceleration via instant torque for an exhilarating ride every time. Opting for an all-wheel drive (AWD) version can help you receive an available $7,500 federal tax credit for quality savings.
Tesla’s new Model 3 has also received praise from celebrity car enthusiasts like Jay Leno, who described the vehicle as comparable in quality to his Model S Plaid. Join MotoPickers in taking a closer look below at what’s new within the Model 3 for 2024, otherwise known as Project Highland.
What’s New for 2024?
Project Highland represents the Model 3’s first significant refresh since its 2017 debut. Tesla leaves no stone unturned in this sedan’s makeover, focusing on exterior design, cabin features, and technology changes.
Striking exterior updates
An all-new front fascia helps the 2024 Model 3 make a solid first impression. Tesla has altered almost every exterior panel within this model to introduce subtle side profile changes, adjusted roof rail skins and front fenders, and tightened panel gaps, as these spaces had drawn criticism within prior versions. New slimmer headlights add sleekness to the electric vehicle’s (EV’s) exterior, while a reshaped lower grille fosters Tesla’s lowest-ever drag coefficient of 0.219, an improvement over the legacy Model 3’s prior 0.225 figure.
Side and rear profile spotlight
While this compact sedan’s side profile changes are subtle, its updated wheel options, 18” for the base RWD and 19” for all-wheel drive (AWD), feature new aero covers balancing form and function. A rear view of the 2024 Model 3 reveals a redesigned rear fascia, new tail lights that open with the trunk, an updated spoiler, and a fresh bumper.
Colors and cameras
This iteration of the Model 3 introduces two new colors: stealth gray and metallic red, but something about the red captures your attention—especially during daylight. While the 2024 Model 3 features many new additions, it dropped a front-facing camera to bring the vehicle’s total cameras from eight to seven, but two are still on the front windshield.
Interior updates
Drivers can expect Project Highland to deliver a refreshed interior with improvements in critical areas like materials, technology, and build quality.
Materials and vibes
The Tesla Model 3 utilizes textiles over its previous wood trim that received some criticism regarding its quality. These new textiles include sleek, tough-feeling cloth on areas like the dashboard and door panels. This compact sedan’s door panels now include thicker padding and acoustic glass, ensuring a quieter cabin during highway speeds and on tough terrain. This emphasis on a quieter cabin enhances the comfort and luxury of the car, making potential buyers feel more at ease.
An interior French stitch pattern instead of a single stitch complements Project Highland’s new textile usage, while ambient lighting LED bars around the cabin make every night drive a mood. Each 2024 Model 3 now has standard ventilated seats and a glass roof to elevate the ambiance.
Dazzling display
The redesigned display in Tesla’s Model 3 features a thinner bezel (frame) and a faster processor for streaming and gaming. Rear passengers receive a new 8” display, increasing satisfaction during extended drives. Driver displays remain 15.4” wide.
While this compact sedan’s display offers improvements, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still unavailable, which may deter some potential customers. The car’s gear selector is also now on the display, which may throw off drivers, similar to its controversial turn signal indicators located on the same side of the steering wheel. Still, backup shift buttons sit above the rearview mirror as an alternative.
One upside to the new Model 3’s steering is its introduction of a flat-bottom steering wheel, which provides a sporty experience and a different feel than the automaker’s yoke steering wheel. The cabin seats five passengers.
Trunk space
Tesla reports a slight improvement in the Model 3’s trunk space, which previously measured 15 cubic feet (cu ft). All 2024 Model 3s now offer a standard power trunk.
Performance and driving experience
Performance is a key focus area within Project Highland. Jay Leno invited Tesla’s Head of Design, Franz von Holzhausen, and Head of Engineering, Lars Moravy, to highlight this performance in depth.
Range, charging, and speed
An AWD 2024 Tesla Model 3, with its dual-motor configuration, offers up to 341 miles of range. Drivers can recharge up to 175 miles in 15 minutes and have 395 horsepower on tap. This efficient and powerful setup is designed to maximize your driving pleasure, making every journey in the Model 3 an exhilarating experience. The Model 3 Performance variant, starting at $42,490, generates up to 510 horsepower for additional thrills.
A RWD Project Highland offers up to 272 miles of range and a 0-60 MPH time of 5.8 seconds. According to Lars Moravy, you don’t have to settle for charging to 80 percent within this car like many EVs. Instead, expect to reach 100% charge levels during RWD home charging and between 80-90% with an AWD version. Superchargers help an AWD variant, which uses lithium-ion phosphate batteries, reach a 100% charge state.
Moravy reports that this compact sedan’s standard nickel-based batteries will only lose around 5-6% of their charging capacity on average every 10 years. Holzhausen and Moravy added that drivers should remember that gasoline-powered vehicles also lose mileage capabilities over time.
The Tesla leads both noted that 2024 Model 3 passengers experience 20% less noise, vibration, and harshness than previous versions. This enhanced comfort ensures that every journey in the 2024 Model 3 is relaxing and enjoyable.
Audio overview
There’s more to the 2024 Model 3’s technology than new ambient lighting and display elements. Expect more immersive experiences when listening to music with this EV’s updated audio system, which includes up to 17 speakers, dual subwoofers, and dual amplifiers, increasing phone call clarity. With Project Highland’s wireless charging, which accommodates up to two phones, you’ll always be able to pick up the phone hands-free, giving you the freedom to focus on the road while remaining connected.
Safety and driver assistance
Tesla’s new Model 3 boasts exceptional safety reinforced with design choices like improved side crash protection. Moravy states that Tesla increased side crash protection by evaluating field data from millions of the company’s cars to identify frequent crash cases. Tesla also uses this methodology to organize its over-the-air software updates alongside upcoming vehicle designs.
The 2024 Model 3 also features energy-absorbing side sills and a metal body structure that can withstand the vehicle’s weight many times for additional crash protection. A fortified battery pack is mounted low to lessen the likelihood of rollovers. Automatic emergency braking comes standard, reflecting Tesla’s prioritization of utilizing semi-autonomous technology to increase passenger safety.
Other semi-autonomous safety features include forward collision warning, blind spot warning, and lane departure avoidance. Regarding airbags, this refreshed sedan has additional cabin space for total inflation and better rider protection.
Thermal battery protection
A Model 3 battery will rarely suffer damage, but Tesla covers you with thermal protection if this situation occurs. Tesla designs the 2024 Model 3’s battery pack to spread heat away from the cabin and battery to decrease fire risks. While the media loves to paint EVs, especially Teslas, as set to explode in a fireball at any given moment, the automaker reports its cars as being approximately ten times less likely to catch fire than their gas counterparts from 2012 to 2020.
Tesla app and safety
This compact EV, designed with convenience and safety in mind, has multiple modes to help you express your preferred lifestyle. Dog mode within Project Highland ensures your pet’s safety by maintaining a safe temperature until you return. Camp mode optimizes electrical usage to keep entertainment systems on overnight, while sentry mode allows you to monitor your vehicle’s surroundings for possible threats remotely via the Tesla app.
Tesla’s app also offers remote car control to perform tasks like cabin preconditioning and route planning, which can include charging stops.
Self-driving capabilities
Elon Musk predicted during Tesla’s 2024 annual shareholder meeting in Texas that the company would reach a $25 trillion market cap once it releases its humanoid robot, Optimus, and achieves Level 5 self-driving, the most capable tier of driverless technology according to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
The 2024 Model 3 is equipped with Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation. It’s important to note that the car isn’t fully autonomous. Tesla’s self-driving technology currently offers Level 2 capabilities, requiring the user’s consistent attention and readiness to take over in case of an emergency.
Autopilot
Autopilot comes standard within the Model 3 Highland and is less capable than Tesla’s FSD software. Drivers can use Autopilot to automatically match their EV’s speed to the pace of surrounding traffic and autosteer in clearly marked lanes.
Full Self-Driving (FSD)
Full Self-Driving guides the Model 3 from a highway on-ramp to its off-ramp while suggesting lane changes, clearing interchanges, and automatically activating turn signals for correct exits. Auto Lane Change and Autopark within FSD can add new elements of ease to tricky maneuvers during daily drives. FSD’s Summon feature moves your vehicle out of a tight parking space using the Tesla app or the Model 3 Highland’s key fob. Smart Summon activates when these parking environments are more complex for better obstacle avoidance.
Traffic and Stop Sign Control within FSD helps you remain aware of stop signs and traffic lights by automatically slowing your EV when necessary. Motorists who fail to supervise FSD or Autopilot will receive strikes and possibly have their access revoked. FSD is an available $12,000 upgrade, but Tesla often offers month-long trials of the software to solidify your confidence in the investment.
Are Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) safe?
Autopilot and Full Self-Driving are some of the most controversial driver-assist systems ever. In April, federal authorities labeled Autopilot as containing a critical safety gap contributing to a minimum of 467 collisions, 13 of which were fatal. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) said that Tesla’s Autopilot had a “weak driver engagement system” that gives users too much room to ignore their road surroundings.
FSD has also thrown drivers for a loop at times. In May, a Tesla owner engaged in FSD had to veer off the road after his vehicle didn’t recognize a moving train ahead during foggy weather. During Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, Elon Musk emphasized that Tesla is confident that its self-driving will be safer than the average human driver. Other self-driving projects, like the San Francisco-based Cruise, were shuttered after negative press following several driverless accidents in the area, reflecting Tesla as a leader in the area.
Again, Model 3 Highland drivers can maximize their safety during Autopilot and FSD usage by always remaining attentive to the road with their hands on the steering wheel.
Final Verdict
All it takes is one look to realize that the Model 3 has experienced a significant facelift, inside and out—and its improvements provide equally high amounts of form and function. For all that this vehicle has to offer, strong performance, reliable range, a more satisfying interior, and better safety, its price is an exceptional value, which is why MotoPickers gives the 2024 Tesla Model 3 an 8.2/10 rating.
A $7,500 federal tax credit for this new sedan makes going electric with Tesla even more accessible. For those wanting to learn more about the Model 3 Highland’s self-driving capabilities, Tesla sales staff are now required to provide supervised demos of the software during test drives. Schedule a demo to experience this new EV’s cutting-edge design for yourself.
Tesla’s Model S sedan starts at $72,990 before potential savings, but you can pay well below $40,000 by opting for an AWD dual-motor 2024 Model 3 Highland. Happy driving.