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Which Model 3 Is Better For Your Needs - The Model 3 RWD or the Model 3 Long Range?

Tesla has recently updated the Model 3, and you might be wondering which one is better for your needs. Let's go over this.
Which Model 3 Is Better For Your Needs? The Model 3 RWD or the Model 3 Long Range?

New Model 3 Vehicles From Tesla - Which Is Better For Your Needs?

If you are wondering whether you should get a Model 3 RWD or a Model 3 Long Range, you have come to the right place. A couple of years, I wrote about this, but there have been some major changes since then.

First off, Tesla has refreshed the Model 3, which some call "Highland" - going off an internal name in the Tesla code base, but there are around 50 new changes in this vehicle that apply to the Model 3 RWD and Model 3 Long Range.

Let's first look at what your needs are, and then we'll see which vehicle fits those needs. Generally, when someone wants a car, they have these needs:

  • Traveling wherever you want in close range
  • Traveling wherever you want in long range
  • Saving time without having to take public transport
  • For comfort and privacy
  • For family needs, such as kids going to practice or other family members, such as elderly parents
  • For a career, such as carrying around equipment or field work, or driving as an Uber driver
  • Freedom - you might just want your own ride to be free
  • As a status symbol - you might want a Tesla because they represent some level of status
  • For road trips, camping, or other recreational activities
  • For environmental reasons - you don't want to contribute to emissions

Those are a few of the reasons I can think of that you might want to get a car, but we can narrow down these reasons to something simpler.

Let's take these and narrow them down to what matters most:

Do you need to take short trips most of the time, such as commuting?

Do you need this car to go on long drives frequently?

Do you care about cost?

These three choices are really going to be the determining factor on which model you choose.

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Short Distance -VS- Long Distance

Both Model 3 vehicles are fantastic, but if you are only needing to do daily commuting to the gym or work most days, you are going to do just fine with the Model 3 RWD. It can also be charged to 100% with less battery degradation.

If you have needs to drive more than that, such as being an Uber driver, or having to take road trips that extend a long ways, and you want to drive longer without taking breaks, the Model 3 Long Range may be better.

The Model 3 Long Range will also charge faster, and you'll generally only charge to about 80% or 90%, which means you will have better charging efficiency. If you charge to 100% regularly, your battery will degrade faster in this vehicle.

EV batteries are like a parking lot - the fuller it gets, the harder and longer it takes to find a parking spot and as a battery fills up with charge, the longer it takes to fill in the last remaining "spots".

If you are price conscious, the Model 3 RWD is going to be a better bet. However, this vehicle doesn't perform as well in cold weather - it uses more battery - and doesn't accelerate as fast.

If you care about longevity of the battery for cycle life and driving multiple hundreds of thousands of miles, the Model 3 RWD will last longer due to having LFP batteries, which have a longer cycle life.

However, if you like being able to listen to a more epic sound system, the Model 3 Long Range has more speakers and sound quality than the Model 3 RWD - though I have a Model 3 RWD and the sound is still great.

If you are looking to transport other people around, both cars will accomplish that equally.

It all comes down to how conscious are you of price, and will you be doing short daily commuting, or will you need to do longer drives.

Lastly, the Model 3 Long Range will likely cost just a little bit more in monthly insurance premiums. But, you'll have a car that accelerates faster and performs a little bit better.

As of January 11th, 2024:

  • The price of the 2024 Model 3 RWD is: $38,990
  • The price of the 2024 Model 3 Long Range is: $45,990

That's a $7,000 price difference. If you are generally going to be commuting short distances and want a longer lasting battery, then the Model 3 RWD is the vehicle for you.

If that $7,000 doesn't matter, and you want faster charging, a better sound system, and more range for longer drives, then the Model 3 Long Range is the vehicle for you.

Neither of these vehicles benefit from the U.S. $7,500 EV tax credit at this time.

The choice is yours!

In Other Tesla News: "A Few Other Products Coming Too" Says Elon Musk, In Addition To Compact Car, FSD, Robotaxi, and Tesla Bot

Which vehicles would you buy if you had to choose - the Model 3 RWD or the Model 3 Long Range?

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Hi! I'm Jeremy Noel Johnson, and I am a Tesla investor and supporter and own a 2022 Model 3 RWD EV and I don't have range anxiety :). I enjoy bringing you breaking Tesla news as well as anything about Tesla or other EV companies I can find, like Aptera. Other interests of mine are AI, Tesla Energy and the Tesla Bot! You can follow me on X.COM or LinkedIn to stay in touch and follow my Tesla and EV news coverage.

Image Credit: Tesla, Screenshot

Article Reference: Tesla

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