Since 2018

Model 3

Range up to 363 miles.

Generations

• 2017–2023 Original

  The first-generation minimalist sedan with a single center screen and traditional stalks.

• 2024–present Highland

  Restyled front and rear lighting and a stalkless steering wheel; stalks returned for 2026.

Specs

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov.

What changed

• 2020 Chrome delete and heat pump

  Chrome exterior trim on the door handles, mirrors, and window trim was replaced with black-finished trim, and a heat-pump thermal system replaced the resistive heater.

  How to recognize it: Black-finished door handles, mirror caps, and window trim (instead of chrome) mark a 2020+ car.

  Source
• 2022 Ultrasonic parking sensors removed

  Tesla removed the ring of ultrasonic sensors from the bumpers, moving to camera-only parking assistance (Tesla Vision).

  How to recognize it: Check the front and rear bumpers: cars built from October 2022 onward lack the small round ultrasonic sensor ports.

  Source
• 2024 Highland refresh

  A major refresh restyled the front and rear lighting, added a rear light bar, revised the wheels, and removed the steering column stalks -- turn signal and gear selector controls moved onto the steering wheel.

  How to recognize it: A steering wheel with no stalks behind it, plus a light bar connecting the taillights, is the clearest sign of a Highland-era (late 2023/2024+) car.

  Source
• 2026 Stalks return

  Turn signal and gear selector stalks returned for the 2026 model year after criticism of the stalk-less Highland design.

  How to recognize it: A 2026+ car has stalks behind the steering wheel again, unlike 2024-2025 Highland cars.

  Source

Trivia

• Musk wanted the lineup to spell "S-E-X," but Ford held the "Model E" trademark, so the third car became the Model 3 -- stylized with a three-bar symbol until Adidas objected.

  Source

• Reservations hit 115,000 in the first 24 hours and topped 325,000 in a week, beating the 1955 Citroen DS's long-standing deposit record.

  Source

• It was the first electric car to pass 1 million global sales, in June 2021.

  Source

• Nearly all controls live on a single 15-inch center screen -- there isn't even a driver's instrument cluster.

  Source

• Hertz ordered 100,000 Model 3s in 2021, then resold many of them as rental demand and depreciation didn't pan out.

  Source