Would I Do It Again? Tesla Model 3 - One Year Ownership Review

(Edited)

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Thirty-seven years of owning and driving have taught me a few things about cars. I’ve learned that there are beautifully designed cars, insanely fast cars, quirky/fun cars, economical cars, utilitarian cars but there's really no such thing as the “perfect automobile”. I mean, there are often compromises – the car might be beautiful and comfortable but not reliable, fast but not economical, or solidly built but not practical.

Despite what the Tesla fanboys/fangirls will lead you to believe Tesla doesn’t make a perfect car and owning one won’t make you glamorous, the envy of your neighbors, or complete your life. Also, those who believe electric vehicles are the devil — prone to fires, riddled with problems, and aren’t practical enough for everyday use, they’re wrong too.

I’ve been driving my Tesla Model 3 Long Range for almost a year now and I thought I’d share some of my the ups/downs, and impressions of the car now that I’ve lived with it for nearly twelve full months. It’s required constant learning, ignoring disinformation, and a minor reframing of how I think about driving and car ownership itself.

Range

This was the thing I was most worried about when shopping for an EV and, let me tell you, range anxiety is real. Range in an EV is entirely relative, let me explain. Tesla claimed the Model 3 Long Range achieved about 348 miles on a fully charged battery when I bought it. In reality that 348 miles was probably achieved in absolute ideal conditions – no headwinds, excessive heat or cold, flat terrain, etc. In the real world my range is probably more like 300 miles per charge, driving less than 80mph in ideal temperatures (45-85 degrees fahrenheit). Gas mileage fluctuates on ICE vehicles too, especially in cold weather, but not to such a large degree.

As I’ve learned, so many things in the real world reduce range in an EV. So much so that I would chop 20-30% off of the top of any EV manufacturer's range estimates. Aero is extremely important, I lose 3% of my range instantly just by removing the aero hubcaps on my wheels. Driving over 80 mph for long periods of time drains the battery like you wouldn’t believe. The key to making an EV for the masses is having the technology to train the driver how to mitigate range and keep them informed of when they need to charge.

The big takeaway for me this past year has been you don’t need a lot of range most of the time. Even 300 miles is much more than I need and if I had it to do all over again I may have bought the standard Model 3 with less range (and a considerably lower price tag). Elon Musk has said that Tesla is primarily a software company and now I get it. Over time the car’s tech is so good that molds you into not only a better driver but also a competent EV driver. When you learn to trust the car and just listen when it tells you to charge on road trips, range anxiety just evaporates. It took me a good six months to develop that trust.

Performance

My car can go from 0-60 MPH in around 4 seconds, it is freaking ridiculous and addictive. It's also gotten me into trouble a few times with my wife. I'll never tire of telling passengers to put their heads against the headrest and hang on as they experience "warp drive" for the first time (what I call the full-speed launch). The acceleration is mind-blowing and fun, yes, but as I’ve found out it’s also practical. In today’s world of distracted driving, quick acceleration has proven useful when you need to pass or get out of someone’s way who isn’t paying attention.

Steering is tight and responsive even in “normal” mode, and handling is actually better than many sports cars I’ve driven. The disc brakes feel more than adequate for daily driving and emergency stopping but I’ve only used the brakes five or so times in five thousand miles of driving due to the regenerative braking (one pedal driving). Once you remove your foot from the accelerator the car's motors slow you down, kind of like downshifting in a car with a manual transmission for those old enough to remember.

Quality/Durability

In the past, Tesla wasn't exactly known for their build quality but it’s gotten considerably better in recent years. I had two issues in my first few days of ownership. The car was delivered to the service center from the factory with a bad brake sensor. The sensor was replaced but this delayed delivery by two days. The other issue was misaligned weather stripping on the back window that leaked during my first car wash, this was fixed in a few minutes by the Tesla Service Center under warranty.

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My phone stopped working as the key once. I had to use the Tesla keycard I keep in my wallet to unlock the car and drive it. After a five second search YouTube saved the day again. I found the solution, I had to delete and reinstall the Tesla app and it worked instantly. Oh, and this past winter I also got a pebble stuck in my brake caliper and this made a horrible scraping noise. I popped off the wheel cover and fixed this myself by jiggling the brake caliper cover and the pebble dropped out.

One clear area for improvement is paint quality. The exterior paint on my car is the most fragile I’ve ever seen on any vehicle. I baby the car yet I already have a number of scratches near the door handles and on the trunk. My advice would be to cover the entire vehicle in paint protection film (PPF) right off the bat. I got the whole front of the car done and the rocker panels and really wish I would’ve paid another four hundred dollars and had the whole car done.

In the eleven months and two weeks I’ve owned my Model 3 I’ve spent zero dollars on the car other than charging it and filling it with windshield washer fluid. Nothing has broken, or worn out. In fact, it looks as good as new (sans the scratches in the paint) and drives better now than it did the day I picked it up.

Charging

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Honestly, charging is the one thing that it’s taken me the longest to get used to. Although it’s less expensive, you have to charge an EV more frequently and for a longer duration than you would fueling up an ICE vehicle at a gas station. This forces you to rethink how you live with your vehicle. I charge primarily on a Level 2 (slow) charger across the street from our building and if my battery is down to 20% it will take over three hours for me to top it off to the recommended daily driving limit of 80%. Level 2 charging takes planning but a Tesla Supercharger would charge that same amount in around 15-20 minutes.

If you have a charging solution at home or at work it’s actually more convenient than driving a petrol powered car because you have a full charge each time you hit the road. Most people who have this option charge their cars while they’re sleeping or working.

During the past year I’ve charged primarily (64%) at a Tesla Supercharger, which is the most expensive way to charge. The 35% that in the screenshot above that’s labeled “home” is actually a Level 2 charger that our city installed across the street. Still, I’ve only spent $431 in electricity in 5,000 miles of driving which is a $91 savings over gas. Once I get a home charger installed it will be a happy day because my charging cost will be reduced dramatically, by around 75%.

Safety

The Model 3 is one of the safest vehicles ever made and was only slightly bested by its cousin, the Model Y. The suite of safety features in the car reads like a book. It has eight cameras constantly monitoring the road and traffic around you and will intervene to help get you out of harms way, if needed.

The best way to survive an accident is to avoid it and I’ve had my car save me from a rear end collision twice by alerting me of traffic stopping suddenly ahead. The car noticed this seconds before I could have. The car will even take over in emergency situations to either brake, swerve, or speed up to avoid collisions if the driver doesn’t react fast enough. This hasn’t happened to me yet, thank God.

Loves/Pet Peeves

Tesla can add features that drastically improves their cars with one over-the-air software update. This is what I like most about the car. Software updates come every few months and each one feels like Christmas morning. I love that the car constantly is evolving and, in a world where other car companies are making owners pay subscription fees for things as basic as heated seats, it’s refreshing that Tesla offers these significant updates for free.

My only pet peeve so far is the abysmal paint quality. The paint is beautiful but as they say in the film A Christmas Story, it is “Fra-Gi-Ley”. Come on Elon, if you’re charging this much for a car the customer shouldn’t have to spend more money to have the car wrapped in PPF.

Are EVs for Everyone?

Absolutely not! As I’ve explained in my Quora article, electric vehicles aren’t for everyone, yet.

If you’re not someone who is at least moderately proficient when it comes to technology (or not the kind of person who is interested in learning) I would say hold off dipping your toes into the world of EVs for a while. I’ve been forced to consult YouTube on several occasions to find solutions for issues I had with the car (read Quality/Durability section above). If you don’t like to do this kind of problem solving then I’d stick with an ICE vehicle for now.

These cars are basically supercomputers on wheels and, like any computer, bugs and glitches will occur. Also, just like any computer, a “hard reset” solves most problems. You reset the Tesla computer by holding the two scroll wheels on the steering wheel down while pressing the brake for five seconds. I’ve had to do this three times in my one year of ownership.

Would I Buy the Model 3 Again?

Yes, a thousand times over. The Tesla Model 3 is, by far, the best car I've ever owned (remember, car ownership is subjective). It's been an extremely fun year of driving and getting to know this vehicle and I only foresee it getting better over time. Very few material things I've owned have given me this much joy, and when they do I tend to keep them around for a really long time. It's not the perfect car but the Model 3 is the right car for me.

Thanks so much for reading! All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.

~Eric Vance Walton~

Are you interested in buying a Tesla? Use my referral link to purchase a Tesla product and get up to $1,000 off and other exclusive benefits.

(Photos are original. Gif sourced from Giphy.com)



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www.ericvancewalton.net



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53 comments

I don't know much about cars. I have only owned one car, a Toyota, and I had to sell it when the crisis started in Venezuela. Everyone in my family has a Toyota. I remember that the last truck my father had, which we had to sell when he died, was also a Toyota. Most of the cars circulating in the country are gasoline-powered. Although with this government gasoline has increased, it is still economical to own a gasoline car, not to mention that in Venezuela there are many electrical outages. I have read so many interesting things about the Tesla, especially about its advanced technology that it must be an "experience worth telling" to take a ride or own a car like that. At this time, when there is so much talk about environmental problems, having a car that reduces noise and environmental pollution is a huge contribution to the protection of our planet. One of these days you should do a post about the music you listen to (your playlist) when you are driving, so we could better visualize you behind the wheel. hahaha. Hugs and a nice weekend, my friend.

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Toyotas are fabulous cars! I owned a Prius for four years before I bought the Tesla and it was one of the best cars I've owned, I never had one problem with it. I could drive all the way from Minnesota to Ohio and just had to fill up once.

The past year of ownership certainly has been an experience. There's so much to learn before you feel really comfortable and confident in it. 99% of my worries were because I believed some of the disinformation about range and I just plain didn't trust the car's tech enough. Now that I do it feels like I'm driving a car again and I can really enjoy it.

I wish I could share my playlist but Apple Music doesn't allow me to -- my musical tastes are eclectic, I listen to pretty much everything. Thanks and have a wonderful weekend, Nancy!

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Glad that you are happy with the car (I wanted to write computer). :D

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An interesting read, however our country is a long way off on EV distribution not having electricity, nor structure in place.

Some have been test driven and/or purchased, I have not seen an honest review like this to date. It most definitely takes a year before making a comment on large purchase such as this.

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I'm sorry to hear that! There's a flood of Chinese made EVs coming to your part of the world soon and some of them are really decent cars.

Yes, I didn't feel qualified to do a full review until I lived with the car in all different conditions and scenarios for a while. There was definitely a steep learning curve that can only be satisfied by the experience of owning one. I watched/read hundreds of videos and articles before I purchased mine but acquired probably 50% more knowledge in the year of ownership.

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Researching over a year sounds familiar I did exactly the same, always realizing nothing is perfect one accepts certain blemishes or faults.

Have watched some reviews with EVs on our roads, knowing the areas assists in decision making. Wealthier suburbs may have electrical plug points, not sure how often they work with our power black outs being a constant of late.

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Hello dear friend @ericvancewalton good afternoon
I appreciate that you have shared your experience of using this beautiful car for almost a year, I am glad that it has been satisfactory to have acquired this vehicle.
I take this opportunity to wish you a splendid weekend

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(Edited)

hey, thanks a lot for this honest, factual, thorough, and entertaining review of your first year with your best car buddy !LOLZ

As for owning an EV, I am not there yet. I love my cars to have diesel engine and a lot of storage space in the back. I guess this attitude will change eventually.

@tipu curate

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You're welcome! Yes, they're not for everyone. The Teslas have a ton of storage, there's a full trunk in the back, a smaller one in the front, then a huge sub trunk under the main one in the back.

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I wonder what would happen with an EV if stuck in traffic for hours, particularly during the holiday days.

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My car will maintain the cabin temp for days if stuck in traffic. Just like a petrol vehicle it all depends on how much "energy" you have in the battery or the fuel tank.

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Hehehehehe @ericvancewalton Tesla needs to pay you heavily for this post😃😃 you’ve broken down everything to us here and I am off to save for my own Tesla, so help me God😂😂

It's also gotten me into trouble a few times with my wife. I'll never tire of telling passengers to put their heads against the headrest and hang on as they experience "warp drive"

I can totally relate to this and thinking about it gives me the chills already.

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(Edited)

There are enough fanboys/girls to do that for them! : ) These cars are just a glimpse of the future, it won't be long before all car makers catch up. By the time I'm a senior citizen the cars will be driving themselves flawlessly and we'll be taking our naps.

The crazy thing about the speed is I have one of the slower models! The Model S Plaid is twice as fast as mine. Even mine will launch so fast it blurs your vision.

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Even mine will launch so fast it blurs your vision.

Ohhh mine, I don’t think I’ll ever make it through that ride.

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It's been a year already? Damn, I remember when you were waiting for that thing to arrive. What a love story. I'm glad the car turned out to be what you wanted. It's cool when you take a chance on something and it's the right choice. :D

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Time keeps on slippin'! I can't believe it's been a year already either. There've been some highs and lows in the past twelve months, most of my worries were unfounded and just the result of my own ignorance and/or inexperience. I feel like I've graduated beyond that now though and am just enjoying it. Thanks and I hope you're having a good weekend!

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We are looking for a new vehicle right now and my wife just can't get over the way the Tesla's look. She is kind of picky about what she wants in a car. This sounds like it would tick a lot of the boxes, but I think I have shared why we probably wouldn't get one. We just drive it too much. I think we are looking at another Buick. I wish they had a decent hybrid, I wouldn't be opposed to that. Maybe clear coating the paint was going to add too much weight to the car so they had to skimp :) I'm a pretty aggressive driver, so I would love to have the tech that slows you down or stops you before you get in an accident. I have never rear ended someone, but it has been close a couple times. I seriously think that tech should be standard in all cars now.

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They definitely aren't everyone's cup of tea and Buick makes a wonderful vehicle from what I've read. I agree that the safety tech should be made standard. I think as we see this new generation of vehicles hit the market consumers will force automakers to do this.

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I hope so, it really needs to be there at this point. Especially with the way people drive these days!

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Oh man, that's the truth! I feel like driving just gets in the way of most people's screentime now. We live on the 5th floor of our building and when I'm on the balcony it's astonishing how many people I see with their phones on their laps with their heads down.

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Michigan just passed a law where to can't even have your phone in your hand if you are driving. If I win that Powerball, I am hiring a driver. I'll be done with driving. 😃

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We have that law here too but it's just not enforced. Haha, I tell my wife all the time that I just don't enjoy driving anymore, especially in the city. I just don't believe some of the stuff we see. We were nearly side swiped by a city bus last week and that wasn't the first time.

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That's horrible. People are just nuts these days. I can't believe how many people fly past me when I am going seven over on the expressway.

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We just drive it too much.

How much is too much? :-)

The only problem I can see is when you don't have a way to charge while you sleep.

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Enough that the upfront cost is not worth it. Add to that the fact that my wife doesn't like the way they look and it's end of discussion.

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the fact that my wife doesn't like (...) and it's end of discussion.

That's the part that I can understand ;-)

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I agree with you that there is no such thing as a perfect car, and that every car has its own strengths and weaknesses. However, it sounds like you have found that the Tesla Model 3 has a lot of strengths that outweigh its weaknesses.

I am particularly interested in your comments about the car's safety features. It sounds like these features have already saved you from a couple of accidents, which is a testament to the car's design.

I also agree with you that the car's software is one of its best features. The ability to receive over-the-air updates is a huge advantage, and it means that the car will continue to improve over time.

Overall, it sounds like you are very happy with your Tesla Model 3. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this car, and I hope that your positive experience will encourage others to consider buying one.

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Thanks! Yeah, I'm very happy with it and grateful for the chance to own something like this. I took one for a test drive in 2018 and knew I wanted one then but had no idea that four years later I'd be in a position to get one. The prices are going lower and lower for these. I think the base Model 3 (after tax incentives) is now the same price as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. When Tesla releases their cheaper Model 2 in a couple of years we'll see many, many more of them on the road.

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His experience with the Tesla Model 3. I found it very personal, honest and detailed. I liked how he explained the pros and cons of owning an electric vehicle, as well as the things he has learned and enjoyed this year, to information about the range, performance and technology of the car. Best regards my friend!

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I don't know a lot about cars except the fact that I know different cars different purposes and not because you like a particular brand doesn't mean it would serve the purpose you need.
But, I think with these reviews you've given, you may have just convinced someone.🙃

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Very true! I remember in the US people used to be very loyal to brands and there were all kinds of rivalries, it was pretty crazy.

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Thanks for a lot of information about Tesla car, Eric.
That can be taken into consideration when people want to buy the car.
Have a nice day, Eric

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I have heard so much about Tesla cars and their experience with it. I guess it's not yet available in Nigeria though

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I hope they're available there soon. The market will be flooded with EVs everywhere in a couple of years. Tesla will be releasing their Model 2 in a couple of years and it'll be priced around $22k.

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(Edited)

@ericvancewalton

este post foi lido,aprovado e votado pelo curador @pataty69, e pela trail de curadoria. Desejo que continues a contribuir com publicações de interesse e qualidade para a blockchain Hive.
this post was read, approved and voted by the curator @pataty69, and curation trail. I wish you continue to contribute with interesting and quality publications to the Hive blockchain.

Translated and formatted with Hive Translator by @noakmilo.

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It is a beautiful car and I can easily see the allure of owning one. They aren't very numerous around here yet, as I live out in the sticks. I did happen upon one in our small town and had wondered where he charged it. I'm sure as time goes by and the urban sprawl inches it's way to my area, more and more will begin to show up. It seems that the key to big savings is the ability to charge at home. It's good to hear that you still love driving your baby!

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Thanks! It's interesting to see the public charging infrastructure growing. We had considered taking the Tesla up to the North Shore a few weekends ago but are still a little leery about road trips. Then we discovered a SuperCharging station right in Two Harbors, MN. It would have worked out perfectly to be able to charge there. My mom also lives in a small town in Ohio and we noticed they installed Level 2 chargers in the grocery store parking lot across the street from her and they're free. The network is growing, soon charging won't be a problem anywhere.

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Wow, even better when they're free! I'm now going to keep my eyes peeled for charging stations. At least now you know when you head up to the North Shore again you will be good to go!

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Tesla cars are really good products and it would be really nice to own one someday.

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I think most people get cars based on its popularity but with the important key points you have highlighted which I consider great and helpful. I think one will need to consider them before purchasing a new car.

I would definitely consider them when i’m stable enough to get a car. Nice piece☺️

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(Edited)

Dream car. Only one pluses. You have made the right choice. I hope it continues like this

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Nothing in this world can be completely perfect the way you have shared your experience of one year and all the years with us. Here in Pakistan, the government here is still not allowing the electric car to come because the petrol gives them a lot of profit. Some time ago when we also went to buy a car, all the people sitting there said that this car will give about 15 km in one liter of petrol, but it didn't happen at all, after a few days it did 10 km. Thank you very much for sharing all these things with us, all these things will be helpful for people who are using this vehicle.

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