Tesla's most affordable car has gained a larger battery and slightly longer driving range for the new year, but no price changes.
Electric Cars
The cheapest – and most popular – version of the 2025 Tesla Model 3 has quietly received an update with a new battery pack and longer range.
The Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) sedan is now rated at 520km of driving range based on European WLTP testing, up from 513km, in effect for examples built after February 10, 2025.
It is thanks to a new battery pack, believed to quote a net capacity of 62.5kWh – up from 60kWh – sourced from the same supplier as before, China's CATL.
There have been no price or performance changes to correspond with the new battery, which is also fitted to the entry-level version of the facelifted Tesla Model Y RWD SUV.
It continues to use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, which can be regularly recharged to 100 per cent without accelerating the wear of the battery cells, as with the Model 3 Long Range's nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) pack.
Tesla's website still lists an RRP of $54,900 plus on-road costs for the entry-grade sedan, with an unchanged 6.1-second 0-100km/h acceleration time and 201km/h top speed.
Power is still sourced from a single electric motor on the rear axle, which Australian government documents list with an output of 208kW.
It is the first mechanical upgrade for the Model 3 since the 60kWh battery was introduced to the pre-facelift model in late 2021, and follows a boost in range due to aerodynamic tweaks introduced with the updated sedan 18 months ago.
It means driving range in the cheapest Model 3 on sale has increased by 72km in close to three years – from 448km, to 491km in late 2021, to 513km in late 2023, to 520km today – with only a modest increase in battery capacity.
There are no changes to the other variants in the Model 3 line-up.
Orders are now open for the revised Tesla Model 3 RWD, with a number of examples already listed in stock across the country.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
