2024 Tesla Model 3 Early Review | Consumer Reports
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Tesla has given its Model 3 sedan a major freshening for 2024. Improving upon its winning formula the Model 3 has updated exterior styling, a smoother ride, quieter cabin with soft-touch materials throughout, and a dedicated blind-spot warning indicator. While most updates are welcomed, the controls on the other hand have taken a turn for the worse.
Join CR at CR.org/joinviaYT to access our comprehensive ratings for items you use every day. CR is a mission-driven, independent, nonprofit organization.
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First Drive: Refreshed 2024 Tesla Model 3 Improves Upon Its Winning Formula
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2024 Tesla Model 3
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PLEASE lower the volume of the music. Completely drowns out the host. Also, background music should not be battling with the host, it should be subtle and muted. The song in the second half is much better.
Why would consumer reports buy the FSD outright and not go for the 100 dollar a month subscription option . CR usually reviews the car and then offloads them to keep a running business balance . This seems to be a poor choice by the acquisitions department to sign off on basically throwing away money
Buying a Tesla is already a loss.
More money to write off on taxes probably lol
That’s the difference between spending your own money vs. the company’s money.
Seems like a waste of money. Maybe FSD was $199 when they bought it.
The subscription was $199 monthly when they bought the car, but the purchase price is still far too high for the limited features it offers currently, and it's far from an autonomous system.
Buying FSD causes the price of the car to appear inflated. That's not comparable with other cars in this class.
Agreed. Pay the $100mth subscription instead.
Yea, I was shocked that CR did that. I consider paying $12k for FSD to be an option only for fanboys who want to donate more money to Tesla.
Yes it is.
It’s insane to buy FSD at full price. Just subscribe for a hundred bucks a month for the months you want to use it. Even if you pay every single month it would take 120 months or 10 years to spend $12,000.
When CR purchased the car it was $199.00 per month.
It’s now 8k
I guess that's what their plan is. It is a hard sell for anyone to try out such a new technology. Just in case of if Tesla achieves Level 4 autonomy their licensing would be drastically different. Their is no way Tesla can sell 15000 USD extra for every new Vehicle. 100 USD per month is far achievable.
It only costs 8,000 now
@@Jackson_2329 8000 + lost interest on 8000 will still be 10 years. So better invest that $8,000 and still pay $99 a month
Could you increase the volume of the background music?
😂
For 46,000 without the 12000 self driving I am happy with mine and works great and much improved compared to the older model. I have the 2 motors too! In blue yes I paid the extra but with the 7500 credit it is a good deal! It came out to 39872 dollars after the credit applied immediately! That is destination and taxes included! I had no problems with mine. Had a quality check to make sure it was ready and picked it up the next day! Nothing loose all tight. No problems with the carpet like yours. It is a matter of getting used it it! Much better build than byd Chinas car. Mileage is almost equal to epa short of 7 miles on general driving in city stop and go and highway around 80 mph.
But the 2024 Model 3 RWD and LR aren't eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit...
Refreshed Model 3 is a nice improvement to an already awesome car. Anyone who’s driven any electric car knows there’s no going back to gas. No comparison and being much more efficient is a bonus, getting about 3OO miles for just $7 of electricity
i honestly do not know personally anyone who owns a Tesla going back to a a toyota, honda or bmw…no unless they need a minivan or a category Tesla does not have
Meh, my Bolt gives you all the same benefits (and will be able to charge on Superchargers in a few months) and cost $12K. I had a Model 3 Performance for a week. Was tons of fun. But the Bolt does the same thing with better day to day usability… and it’s quick enough.
I don’t understand why CR won’t mention that Tesla rolled out a software update that marks whole side of the infotainment RED when car is detected in your blind spot. I think it’s an amazing feature and was pushed to EVERY Tesla that is currently on the road including new Model 3!
Nice!! Actually while watching this review I thought about the blind spot tiny indicator and how silly it is. Why not have the LED strip that wraps the inside of the car turn red on the side the car in the blind spot is?? The screen is a great idea too so I'm glad they implemented that. Just thought why not utilize the light strip for more then just ambiance
I can answer that, it is because Tesla doesn't advertise with Customers Reports. All a big bribe game if you ask me.
CR doesn't understand TESLAS.
I have a '22 M3P and will admit up front that I'm 100% a Tesla fanboy. But I had to chime in about the turn signal buttons that everyone seems to be griping about. I had my car in at the dealer a few weeks ago for a rear seat rattle and while I was there I decided to take a '24 Model S on a drive. I had 30 min to get used to the turn signals (same as in the new 3) and I felt comfortable with them after about 5 min. The raised bar between the buttons makes it so you can pretty easily find the top button to signal right and the bottom one to signal left, without taking your eyes off the road. Sure it's different, but it wasn't a big deal in practice, so just wanted to add my .02. As for FSD, it's a neat trick for anyone not accustomed to letting the car take full control of driving, but I would not pay for it at this stage. Autopilot works well enough for my needs.
As an owner of the 2024 Model 3, I find the no "stalks" to be a total non-issue. Having the signals at my fingertips is convenient, and the auto-shift is flawless. I also have no trouble using the slider.
I open my model 3 with my right hand all the time. It’s actually easier than using my left hand. Not sure if you know this, but you can turn your palm up!
CR - the 2024 model 3 Refresh is the CAR to Benchmark , against ALL others. #1 - offers BEST in class SAFETY above all else. #2 improved Efficiency . #3 PERFORMANCE - when LUDA variant Launches.
Absolutely loving my 24 M3 and the FSDs trial. Had a loaner 22 M3 for a couple of days while it was in the shop for a cosmetic issue which really accentuated the upgrades. Hated the stalks on the 2022. Non-intuative and annoying. Especially the turn signals. Loving the silence in the 24. A great car for listening to music. I've driven > 100 miles on FSDs. Does it have issues? Yes it does. It's also absolutely amazing. Be vigilant and enjoy it.
If mentioning the lack of a gear shifter you should also mention the new auto shift software which predicts whether you want to be in drive or reverse and removes the need for it in many cases, additionally I assume that software will get better and more accurate over time.
On exterior improvements you neglected the new tail lights!
and when you lift the Trunk up, you have place to sit your Coffee.
How did you get full self driving? I only see full self driving supervised advertised?
screen in the back seat could have been replaced with a screen in front of the wheel...
The background music in the video was much too low, allowing approximately 20% of the commentary to be audible. Ideally, the music should have drowned out the commentary entirely, because the review itself exemplifies ideological subversion, subtly manipulating public perception under the guise of objective reporting. Specifically, the inclusion of an additional $12,000 for the full self-driving option in the cost analysis of the Tesla Model 3 is a clear manipulation of facts to inflate the apparent cost of the vehicle. This not only distorts the consumer's understanding but also unfairly biases the audience against the product by exaggerating its expense.
When you brought up the gear selector for forward and reverse you failed to mention that the majority of the time the car automatically knows which direction to go so why didn't you mention that?
You do realize fsd is a 100$ a month subscription, right?
Now I'm wondering if I should trust cr's judgement
It was $199 monthly when they bought the car. The purchase price and monthly subscription are far too high for the limited features currently available. It's far from a true autonomous system.
@@JamaicanMeCrazy - CR = Consumer FRAUD.
@@jamespaul2587 - what OTHER Consumer car has hands free STREETS & 3D vision park assist ?
Found it easy and preferable with no stalks after having my 2024 model 3 for over a month now
One day after this was posted, FSD went down to $8,000!
6:55 If you know the door handle is easier to open with your left hand then use your left hand every time duh.
IMO it'd be great when you are talking about the headlights and front grill, that you walk over there and do your thing. As opposed to turn your body around and point. My 2 cents. Still the review is good and timely!
FSD is NOT hands free. It’s even called Full Self Driving (Supervised) now. It requires a hand on the steering wheel and an attentive driver.
Just took delivery of my new 2024 Model 3 and wow. Just wow. This car is awesome in every single way. 5 years above all competition on a tech front, EV front, and a drivability front. Nothing else compares, and yes, I drove 5 other EV's including the Seal, and no, they don't competitively compare. Enough said.
Lol
Lol they aren't 5 years out when they dont even have android auto/apple CarPlay. Despite how good Tesla's native UI is or something like Polestar's google based system, AA and ACP are just better. CR is correct though. "Autopilot" is very misleading as it's just adaptive cruise that every other car can do lol. So tech wise they're up there, but not 5 years ahead lol
I would have wanted a front bumper camera and power frunk lid instead of the rear display. It seems like back seat passengers got the benefit of the upgrades, not the driver. The driver got things taken away.
Seems like the rear display is nice for rear passengers but I almost never have anyone in the back seat so maybe could have been an option.
Definitely want the front bumper camera. Young passengers love the rear display though.
CR - Tesla innovates @ speed of thought. Tesla makes 100+ line changes per day. 1000 changes per Month. the BEST changes are compiled into NEXT Refresh. (whichever is First).
The full self driving is over priced. I wouldn’t pay $12K for it. It’s better to just pay the $100mth subscription.
It's called FSD supervised you more on.
The lack of gear stalk isn’t too bad, but taking away the turn signal stalk is really dumb/potentially unsafe.
No, it is bad. Really bad.
I've done 1500km so far in mine, and I find it the other way around. Not a big fan of the swipe to drive/reverse. I got used to the signals pretty early on and prefer them in most cases than not.
Speaking from experience (I've driven several Model 3s and own a 2024) the turn signals very quickly become intuitive. I see them and stalklessness as a significant improvement.
Operational consistency between cars is important. You should be able to get into your friend's car to make a quick trip to the store without a half hour lesson in its operation and muscle memory should kick in if an emergency occurs. Likewise, a cell phone isn't the only distraction in a car. The car itself can be a distraction if it is hard to use the controls or requires you eyes to leave the road.
@@aurora_occidentalis2248There is nothing intuitive about it if you need to turn the indicator on or off in the middle of a turn. Roundabouts and changing lanes on an off ramp curve etc. Not everyone only needs to use the turn signals when the wheel is pointing straight.
Ahh yes pay 12,000 for full self driving and ignore the 100 fsd monthly package
I've owned an M3 RWD for two years, and unless you need the AWD capability of the Long Range version, or the better sound system (the RWD has a very good sound system), don't waste your money. We also recently purchased an Model Y Long Range, which uses the same type of battery as the tested Model 3. The RWD version of both cars uses batteries which can be charged routinely to 100% which gives you more useable range for everyday driving and on highway trips, with Tesla charging network, It's plenty. While the controls are different, once you get used to them and have them set up for each driver, they don't need to be touched again. As for the turn signals on the new version, I'd say that there's a pretty large elevated separator, that would make it immediately obvioius where the buttons are by touch. Get used to using them, and they won't be a problem - just like audio volume controls on the steering wheel. I'm just waiting for "Hey Tesla, put it in Drive" voice commands!
FSD is now $8,000 as of today
Tesla keeps making completely idiotic decisions about the controls. The changes with the turn signals and gear selector are simply dangerous. As much as I hate government legislation, I think NHTSA needs to step in and set some basic standards when it comes to controls.
In my experience they are not dangerous. They _are_ different but very intuitive. An improvement imo.
If the controls were buttons to bring with and they went to stalks people would be saying the same thing.
@@akennedystocks No stalks are superior bc both require one input to use, but in situations you have to look say over your blindspot, its 100% guaranteed you'll hit the stalk, but with the button you may fumble and miss it completely or hit the wrong signal button at times.
They can drop the money for a LED light strip, but not stalks of the steering wheel? I know it is a design choice, but is clearly a step back.
They PURPOSELY took the stalks off!
In your opinion its a step back because if you ask me its a step forward so here we are
I don’t have one, but I’ve heard owners say that they prefer not having stalks after a month or so to get used to it.
Much better w/o the stalks imo. Muscle memory develops surprisingly quickly. I drove a 2022 loaner M3 this week and found the stalks to be very annoying.
@@eddieg6436 I know that. I just think it is a mistake.
love this car, Push the cloth trim behind the steering wheel down, looks like one of the clips are in the back side not pressed making that trim piece uneven there.
I thought the video cuts were great and I’m glad that you tried something new. Alex is one of their best on camera reviewers, and that says a lot because everyone else is awesome as well! Keep up the amazing work 👍
I see the haters are out in force. You really don’t know what it’s like owning a vehicle until you lived with for a while. That’s why I don’t critique vehicles I haven’t owned. This is my second Model 3 while not perfect it’s the easiest vehicle I’ve ever owned. From the buying process to overall ownership. The ignorance on here is stifling.
$60K car with interior panels falling out. 😅
That's Tesla.
E-Lawn is a fraud..
Its 48k. They didn't need to buy the FSD. That was a personal choice by them
Like the last Durango I rented.
Other cars have thus problem transmission goes out so
Long time CR member. Great video! Thanks!!!
And now the Full-Self Driving costs $8,000 after they just dropped the price. Or $99/month.
the FSD software now costs $8000 😆
FSD is now $8000 and why would anyone pay for it upfront when it's $99/month?
60k for a model 3 is crazy!
Not a huge fan of your shake transitions
The turning indicators location is a real safety problem. They have no feel to them so you have to look down for them, and take your eyes off the road. Also, when using the radio button, especially changing channels, you will also hit the turning indicator. The ideal location would have been left turn on left side of the steering wheel and right on the other side. That way they could easily be selected with the thumb, without searching.
FALSE , they have s BUMP Divider for LEFT or RIGHT.
It's insane how quickly the price skyrockets once you add a few options. It's a $60,000 car with the cabin quality of a Honda Civic
The Civic has a better quality than that!
Don't insult Honda like that! Tesla is way more likely to have a loose or rattling interior out of the factory.
The Civic doesn’t appreciate that comparison 😏
build quality is like a Ford Pinto
Not really since you can subtract $12K for the FSD package and just pay $99 a month to subscribe. So $48,000 for the car. Tesla is actually has VERY few options. Then they would have only got white paint option added to the car.
WHY they would agree to put the gear switch on the screen in beyond me. I can't imagine being in thick traffic, having to make a u-turn or something, and being flustered to say the least in all that traffic and chaos. This automatically takes this vehicle out of any consideration for me to even want to drive.
Strange there has been 10+ reviews , no one mentioned a bad floormat before.
(CR)- hung weights from the steering wheel of a Tesla you don’t think they would YANK OFF a piece of trim? Of course they would.
WHO OPENS THE DOOR LIKE YOU DID AT 6:54!!!????🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
It actually is a very impractical door handle. Will you get use to it? Yes. But by no means is it good. its one of the worst handles in the industry lol
Best BEV for the money.
Guy said “of course we bought FSD” as if it isn’t idiotic.
Did they actually drive it?
Heres a $60k car with panels falling off 😂
No stalks = no sale
Your comment = no care
I've driven 2021, 2022 & 2024 Model 3s and have the opposite opinion. The stalks seem non-intuitive and annoying. The old steering wheel is ugly. The new controls feel very natural. Muscle memory develops very quickly.
Love no stalks!
You're a Lexus fanboy you wouldn't have purchased one regardless. Enjoy that BZRX or whatever the hell Toyota/Lexus calls their crappy EVs.
Haha love how your overall tone is very negative throughout the whole video for me so I don’t have to think!
No advertising revenue to CR-equals negativity. Same old CR.
If you can't use the turn signals while turning the wheel, shame on you since you shouldn't be doing that anyway. FSD is for you.
Long term build quality hold up is already suspect.
CR - Tesla AUTOSHIFT is very Reliable , BEST way to shift car into gear.
No it's not. I tried backing out of a parking space, only to have a car drive behind me. I stopped, and then when I began backing out more, the car had switched back into Drive from Reverse without any audible warning. I was looking behind me, as one should while backing out of a parking space, so I didn't see the visualization change on the screen. A stupid design. I have disabled it for my safety and that of the people around me.
I'm owning a model 3. That trim on the A pillar just needs to be pushed in and that is all you have to do CR. You guys are so dramatic.
If that tiny LED as a blind spot warning were an option no one would buy it
Needs turn signal and gear stalks!! Obvious cost-cutting move!! Tesla needs to offer a heads-up display on the 3 and Model Y.
The lack of stalks is a nothing burger. I own the former and have driven the current model and I adapted just fine. I don’t have any experience with a heads up display so I can’t say, but I do know that a lot of people share the same sentiment!
Actually, having driven our model Y now for six months the heads up display isn’t necessary at all. The large screen with the big map and everything you need on the top left corner works perfectly. people are hung up on old ways and can’t embrace something different. I wouldn’t wanna drive it any other way.
I don’t miss not having a heads up display but removing the stalks is dumb.
It’s called Head-Up display, not HEADS UP
I've had a HUD, I doubt you have and just talk. It's not that great.
You are absolutely crazy putting in that license plate on that front bumper I would have never drilled holes screw the law I have a license plate on the rear.
When a company has numerous employees driving their cars (as CR does), they are going to follow the law as far as registration plates are concerned. They don't want their employees getting ticketed.
FSD literally just got cut from 12k to 8k today lol. But never buy it, it's literally $99 a month. Way better value lol
lol yes so difficult to swipe your finger for drive or reverse 😂
A lot of the ‘complaints’ are just unfamiliarity with a different approach. similar ‘complaints’ were made with original stalks, no gauge clusters and center screen focus for traditional gauges. All those were quickly adopted by Model 3 owners, and frankly in my case, preferred. In all, the styling, both inside and outside, are definitely improvements over my 2020 Model 3, and have me seriously thinking about the upgrade.
OF COURSE Consumer Reports is not going to give Tesla good rating. Tesla doesn't advertise in their publications like other manufacturers. Which is funny because Tesla, despite this fact, has the highest brand loyalty. So that's hard to explain: Tesla has a high brand loyalty rate, with 68.4% of people who previously owned a Tesla buying a new one in the first half of 2023. This is higher than the industry average of 50.6%. The Model 3 has the highest retention rate of all Tesla models, with over 74% of returning customers remaining loyal to the brand. The most popular choice of vehicle for previous owners of the Model 3 is the Model Y.
I have the 2018 Model 3 LR. Like it, don't love it. My main complaint is the lack of tactile controls - and the 2018 is FAR superior to the 2024 in that regard. I'm older, with an essential tremor, which makes navigating the screen tricky, even when stopped. While I like a lot of what the screen offers, including teh owner's manual, the requirement for finer motor control would make the 2024 a no-starter for me. Plus the fact that the car's panels and floor mats are so badly designed. They need to hire someone from Switzerland for the design department.
I bought a ‘23 Model Y, but it that didn’t have any stalks last year, that probably would’ve been a deal breaker. …just saying
test drive a rwd model 3 for yourself and you,ll see what an awesome value it is. Book online; zero sales pressure unlike traditional car dealers.
Quick question Is it Just me or is Tesla charging stations have WEB service & access then Normal Folks do at each & every Charging Station? Wise is that one Security or Two to Spie?
Still having build quality issues is a real bummer and for anyone who has paid attention to the Cyber truck launch that's a whole other ball game of quality issues. They still have lots of catching up to do to legacy auto in regards to overall build quality and legacy auto is catching up to the tech that Tesla has nailed.
I guess 7 years and a refresh still isn't enough for Tesla to iron out QC bugs in manufacturing?
I can see they copied the Subaru Forester crab pinchers XD
I was surprised that the taillights of the "reengineered" Model 3 were crab pinchers (or lobster claws). It seems like this design aesthetic has been around for almost 10 years now and it is getting old. The 2025 Toyota Camry "redesign" also just got crab pinchers.
That onscreen gear selector is THE BEST IDEA EVER. It’s so seamless. Just point your finger and swipe. You have to be a true Luddite to not appreciate it.
Why no mention of the fact that certain Teslas can receive the tax credit? This car could have received it if you didn't buy the FSD outright.
The blinkers should be automatically activated everytime The driver turns The steering wheel from one side to The other, many people are not using them correctively...
That makes no sense. You are supposed to signal *before* you perform the manoeuvre.
NOPE.
Complains that sliding the screen to shift gears is hard. Proceeds to show it, looks like the easiest thing ever🤣
This takes me back to your review of the BMW 2002. You cemented your reputation then. I canceled my subscription. You are really Pontiac guys.
From the video it sounds as though this is a very fast vehicle for people who don't like to drive.
I hope they vastly increased the quality.
LOL did you watch the whole video? Interior trim falling off right out of the factory.
They did
Judging by that trim issue on the A pillar, they did not. Lol
Consumer Reports, This is so fun! I'm happy I found your channel!
Conjob Reports.
He literally said “we think has a misleading name” when the name is now Supervised Full Self Driving. Does he not know that? Then he says “you can basically drive hands free in a wide variety of situations“?!&@ NO YOU CANNOT. That’s the whole point of supervised FSD, you cannot drive hands free, you are nagged constantly and must have your hands on the wheel. CS is really starting off bad here, mangling features and conflating the tech. Awful And he can’t turn his hand over to open the door? Oh boy
And it gets worse. He complains about the door handles - that are not new. They were on the 2018 Model 3 and the Model Y, which is literally the largest selling car model in the world, and he acts like it is something new and he can’t figure out how to turn his hand over - OMG!
What a waste of money ehh?
*one of its only models
I have never had a problem with the indicator buttons and after a while of using it you get use to where the buttons are when the wheel is turned. As for swiping the screen to drive or reverse its very easy and much better in my opinion than the stalk. It will even choose either forward or reverse for you in most cases so all you have to do is put your foot on the brake and it will choose which way it thinks you need to go which most times is correct and if not all you have to do is swipe the other way. I would hate to have to go back to stalks again now as I find it much easier having buttons at my fingertips.
Curious to know why you guys decided to shell out 12k for "FSD" when you could pay monthly fees instead. This makes me think you guys don't really need any donations as you guys seem to be doing pretty well ....
…….Most Tesla drivers don’t use their turn signals anyway. 🤷🏼♂️🤔🙄
Like Audi and BMW owners
No stalks? Monsters!
Sounds like you already hate it, and telling us FSD is “controversial” is BS
Why is he so handsome
I don’t care for the new exterior changes and the fact there are no physical switches or stalks is just a huge turn off. You basically have to take your eyes off the road to do basic things which is a distraction. For $60K there are way better options out there
I own one. Do you? You have no idea what you're talking about. Guess what? You take your eyes off the road to look down at speed what's the difference? Are you really monitoring your speed constantly.
I'm not a Tesla fan and wouldn't buy one, but to be fair, they bought the FSD option for $12,000 which was a little silly when you can get it for $99/mo. It's a $48k car.
Will the REAL/ truly negative towards Tesla CR please stand up. Well, they do at 4:17. Great job, corruption at its finest. Bet the tune would change if Tesla paid ad-revenue to CR like other manufacturers.
Gear selectors and turn stalks should be mandatory by law
FALSE , DELETE what is NOT needed Anymore.
Having unconventional controls hurt the rental deal with Hertz and for anyone else that has to drive it without a tutorial session. I can get in my friends F150 Lightning and just drive it away. Not having the lane warning light on the mirrors is a miss, that should have been fixed.
During my 9-hour test drive with Model 3 Highland with cruise control switched on, the car had 7x phantom braking. Is that normal with Tesla?
That was years ago!
i had a lot of phantom breaking early on, but it seems to have gone away now for the most part. I am on hardware 3
When in your life have you opened the driver side door with your right hand? 🐒