2025 Tesla Model 3 Review

The Model 3 provides impressive range, comfort, and utility, but it falls short in terms of tech.

Jim Resnick | 

Sep 10, 2025 | 8 min read

Jim Resnick

It's important to remember that the Tesla Model 3 isn't just a techie's thumbing of the nose at the combustion-engine world. It proved that an electric vehicle (EV) could become one of the bestselling cars in the United States and, especially as of late, demonstrates that a desirable EV can also be an affordable EV. The Model 3 is fun, too, and delivers sports car acceleration.

So the 2025 Model 3 should delight the EV faithful. For EV fence-sitters, it's worth noting that the Model 3 drives well, has capable handling, and offers good driver comfort. Pair those traits with Tesla's extensive Supercharger network, and all Model 3 drivers benefit.

Unfortunately, due to the summer heat in the Arizona desert, the actual driving range during my Model 3 test drive was shy of estimates. And no matter the weather, I think the lack of smartphone integration is a serious hindrance to satisfaction.

Jim Resnick

About the 2025 Tesla Model 3

The 2025 Tesla Model 3 is available as the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive, Long Range All-Wheel Drive, and Performance All-Wheel Drive. Prices start in the mid-$40,000s and top out in the mid-$50,000s, including the destination charge to ship the car to a dealership from the Fremont, California, factory. The federal government offers a $7,500 tax credit, which lowers the car's price, but is likely to expire at the end of September 2025.

For this Model 3 review, I drove a Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive model in Arizona. Options included the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system, a Black and White Premium interior, and Diamond Black paint, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $54,630, including the $1,390 destination charge. I rented the Model 3 for this review.

Jim Resnick

The Tesla Model 3 Has an Aero-Forward Design

Though Tesla has updated the Model 3's styling, the modifications to the headlights, taillights, and fascias look natural, as if the car has always looked this way.

Get in, and you'll discover the Model 3's surroundings are far different from those of other cars. For example, nearly all the instruments and controls live in the 15.4-inch center touchscreen display except for the door releases, seat adjustments, and steering wheel buttons. No gauges sit ahead of you, and there's no button to start the vehicle.

There's also no gear lever. To drive the Model 3, you swipe a digital lever on the touchscreen, and it only works after you've buckled up. When you unbuckle after stopping, it automatically selects the park setting.

Jim Resnick

The driver's seat proved comfortable, including during a five-hour round trip from Phoenix to Tucson. The rear seat provided just enough room for my 6-foot, 1-inch frame, although the rear seat bottom offered little thigh support, so I think long drives would prove tiring for taller people.

Open the trunklid, and the Model 3 offers a roomy 21 cubic-foot space, which is remarkably large for a car this size. There's also a front trunk (frunk) under the hood that provides an additional 3.1 cu-ft of cargo space.

Jim Resnick

All-in-One: A Giant Tablet Houses Just About Everything

All driver information and almost all of the controls are accessible through the 15.4-inch center touchscreen. While a systems engineer might consider this an excellent simplification of displays, it's thoroughly unfamiliar to most people, including myself. I interviewed several friends who own Model 3s, and they agreed that there was a learning curve, but they got used to it after a short while.

However, even after acclimating to the sheer volume of information in one place, I think the Model 3's touchscreen has shortcomings. First, the lettering is too small. Second, I found the locations of various functions unintuitive. There's no arguing about the system's lightning-fast processing speed, though, even if the Model 3 I tested did not have the latest software. Therefore, it lacked the latest Grok AI voice recognition and the ability to interpret natural speech.

All Model 3s include Bluetooth connectivity, SiriusXM satellite radio, navigation, and streaming apps. Frustratingly, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility is unavailable. I connected my iPhone via Bluetooth, but it got disconnected from the system several times. Reconnecting required searching through a maddening maze of menus to find the one that could restore it. In today's market, the Tesla Model 3's lack of proper phone integration is simply unforgivable.

The Model 3's native navigation system worked well, but I don't think it matches the best current systems in other vehicles in terms of visual cues for upcoming directions. Additionally, the system defaulted to a heading-up map view, rather than the north-up arrangement I prefer. It should preserve user choices on each startup.

Jim Resnick

Every Model 3 also has Autopilot, a semi-autonomous driver-assistance technology that has been subject to considerable debate over the years, chiefly due to its name. People familiar with the term "autopilot" from aviation might assume that the tech can autonomously drive the car in all circumstances, but in fact it can't. It's a Level 2 system and has never been fully autonomous.

Autopilot includes adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assist. However, when paired with the optional Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system, it offers a level of driving assistance that surpasses similar technology in other vehicles because it functions in urban environments, not just on highways.

Tesla's FSD (Supervised) integrates navigation with Autopilot to help you drive to a destination. Additionally, it equips the Model 3 with bicycle and pedestrian detection, parking assist, an Auto Lane Change function, and City Street Autosteer. FSD (Supervised) differs from the standard Autopilot technology by using multiple cameras feeding data into the system. It does not employ radar or lidar arrays.

Tesla states that FSD (Supervised) is suitable for local and urban roads with traffic signals, intersections, bikers, and pedestrians. That's different from similar technology from other automakers, which is for use only on highways. However, as is true in any vehicle with semi-autonomous driving technology, Model 3 drivers must supervise FSD by remaining alert and ready to intervene when necessary.

I tested FSD (Supervised) on Arizona's wide, uncluttered suburban streets and highways during sunny weather. It operated smoothly on the open road, picking up everything happening around the car, and never caused a moment of panic. The steering and lane-assist systems also operated flawlessly. Suburban street operation made me a bit nervous, but it didn't cause any significant problems.

Jim Resnick

High Temperatures Made for Less Range

Equipped with a single electric motor producing 286 horsepower, the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive provides rapid acceleration from a dead stop and when passing on the highway. As with most EVs, the response to your right foot is immediate, and Tesla quotes a zero-to-60 time of 4.9 seconds.

A powerful regenerative braking system meant I rarely had to touch the brake pedal, as simply lifting off the accelerator created ample slowing. On the few occasions I needed to brake with extra power, the pedal felt firm, positive, and easy to modulate.

The recently retuned suspension provides an excellent compromise between ride comfort and sprightly handling. It effortlessly whizzes along twisty roads, thanks to communicative steering with adjustable steering assist. It also quietly gobbles up highway miles, thanks to the electric drivetrain and the double-pane side glass.

Jim Resnick

The Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Model 3's maximum driving range is 363 miles, achieving a combined rating of 137 MPGe. Since my testing occurred during summer in Arizona with maximum temperatures of 113 degrees, the car's air conditioning pumped away at DEFCON 1 most of the time, negatively affecting energy consumption.

I saw a predicted range of 283 miles for my first drive, which included a mix of highway and suburban roads. But, after traveling just 31 miles, the range indicator showed 204 miles of range. Not a promising picture of things to come. Fortunately, subsequent trips reduced that gap in real versus estimated ranges.

My longest charging session at a Supercharger station yielded a 96% charge and 328 miles. That represents just 90.4% of the 79.7-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery's official maximum range of 363 miles, but that's likely due to the Arizona heat. During my time with the Model 3, it indicated an energy consumption of 27 kWh per 100 miles, or approximately 125 MPGe. That's slightly worse than the EPA estimate of 137 MPGe and 125 kWh per 100 miles.

Jim Resnick

Is the 2025 Tesla Model 3 a Good Electric Vehicle?

The updated 2025 Model 3 handled every curve I threw at it well, literally and figuratively. Its ample cargo space and driving comfort were also commendable. However, the lack of phone integration is a huge miss. Additionally, the Bluetooth connectivity failed three times. Despite these imperfections, the Model 3 is a good choice for EV seekers, especially given the strength and breadth of Tesla's Supercharger network.

Jim Resnick

From racing exotic sports cars, to ranking new cars, to peeling back layers of cover up in an exhaust emissions scandal, Jim has chronicled the automotive sector for decades. Jim has also worked inside the corporate headquarters of three carmakers, and therefore understands how the automotive sausage is really made. But Jim’s affinity for vehicles takes a back seat to finding the truth and the cultural implications of modern transportation. He has also lectured at universities to engineering and policy students and faculty on the industry’s relationship with legislation in the wake of the diesel exhaust emissions scandal several years ago. Put simply, Jim reports on autos, mobility, tech, car culture, and the traffic jam of topics within.