When put through a tough full-to-empty range test on the highway, nearly all Tesla Model 3 variants, except for the highest Performance model, exceeded their EPA estimates, in some cases by a significant margin.
Best Option for Efficiency
For those hunting for the most efficient Tesla, the Model 3 Long Range AWD with a Panasonic battery appears to be the best choice right now, just before the Robotaxi arrives.
This Long Range model performed exceptionally well, surpassing its official EPA estimate of 341 miles by over 20 miles, achieving a total of 365 miles on a single charge. This is nearly as efficient as the Lucid Air Pure, which is known as America's most energy-efficient electric vehicle.
Testing Conditions
The test involved nearly new vehicles driven at a steady speed of 70 mph, with consistent tire pressure, cabin temperature, and load. The cars started from a full charge and continued until the battery was completely drained, close to the starting point, to account for any wind or elevation impacts.
In this setup, the Model 3 Performance did not do well, running out of battery 15 miles short of its official EPA range of 303 miles. The Model 3 AWD with an LG battery pack was the second least efficient, only managing to exceed its EPA range by 3 miles, while the base RWD version with the LFP battery, which is no longer available in the US, managed to beat its estimate by 5 miles.
Long Range RWD Performance
Despite these figures, those are still respectable performances. The new Long Range RWD version, which is the most affordable Tesla, stood out by exceeding its official range estimate by 23 miles, reaching an impressive total of 386 miles on a single charge, the highest of all Model 3 versions.
It has been recognized for some time that Panasonic provides batteries with superior energy density compared to LG, and the recent highway range test for the Model 3 only reinforces this finding.
However, it's worth noting that the high-performance version seems to consume more battery than what its EPA range estimate indicates.
