Tesla Model 3 SR+ 5 Year Review

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It’s been five years since I bought my Tesla Model 3 SR+. (My, time flies!) So how is the cheapest Tesla Model 3 doing after five years? What do I still love about it and what don’t I love about it? Can it last another five years? I’ll address these issues and more below.

First, I’ll just say that not much has changed with the car in those five years. There were a few things that needed repair or replacement, and I’ll cover those below along with their costs. I’ll also briefly discuss the charging experiences and costs, but I was in a unique position for most of those five years with free Supercharging and there’s not much to generalize from that. Then there’s the wear and tear, particularly with the Model 3’s white vegan leather seats, which I imagine a lot of people are curious about. Along those same lines, there’s the issue of battery degradation — or how much my driving range on a full charge changes over time.

There’s also the experience of “full self-driving” (FSD) ownership, how Tesla’s reach and community response to it has changed in the past five years, and what over-the-air software updates have delivered over those five years.

We hope this article has been helpful to people considering buying a new Tesla Model 3, a used Tesla, or any other electric vehicle. However, if there is anything else you would like to know about, feel free to ask in the comments! I also know that many of our readers have also owned Teslas for several years, so feel free to add anything you think I have missed.

General satisfaction

Overall, we’re very happy with our car. We’re a family of four (two young daughters) and this is our only car. It’s handled just about everything we’ve needed it to do in those five years. There have been a few times when I’ve needed to haul something big and bulky and had to use someone else’s SUV or truck. But for normal use — including lugging the family’s tennis, soccer and beach gear around town — the Model 3 has been everything we’ve needed.

For long drives around Florida, Supercharging was very convenient and easy. I bought the lower-range Tesla Model 3 because I didn’t see any need for the extra range, so I didn’t see any point in spending thousands of dollars more on more batteries, and I’m very happy with that decision. I don’t think the longer-range model would have done me much good at all, and I still wouldn’t pay more for something I didn’t think I needed.

One thing I wasn’t sure about when I made my purchase was whether or not to buy the white seats. I decided to do so, and I recommend them every time, especially for people who live in hot climates. They’re cooler and more beautiful in a place like Florida, in my humble opinion. However, they’re not exactly made of some magical material, and I’ll get to that below.

The car drives great. I don’t think there’s another car on the market that I’d rather drive. Although I haven’t driven the Hyundai Ioniq 6 yet, the more expensive Porsche Taycan is certainly a fun ride. The two big downsides to the driving experience of an older Model 3 like mine are that it doesn’t have good sound insulation and the suspension makes you feel every little bump in the road – it can feel like you’re driving over bricks when you’re driving over small bumps. Road noise is quite intense when you’re on the highway. This is the only downside to the car that I would honestly tell people to make sure they’re okay with before buying one. However, the new Model 3 is much, much better at this and it’s not a problem at all. In fact, the quietness and great suspension of the new Model 3 are now selling points for the car.

I still love the Model 3’s simple interior, infotainment options, and seats, which I think are unmatched in the U.S. market. (It seems like some Chinese models may now outperform Tesla in some of these areas, but of course, those models aren’t available in the U.S. and I can’t confirm that from here.)

Quick note: You can get $1,000 off a new Tesla with my Tesla Owner Referral Code. If you need one, you can use my code: https://ts.la/zachary63404

Maintenance and repairs

I reported in December that my maintenance costs had risen to $3,199.59 after I got my third set of tires. The total has not changed since then. I have not had any additional maintenance or repair costs this year. I did have one thing I had the car fixed for, a weird fault with the front passenger seat restraint system, but that fault was covered under warranty and so I did not incur any costs. As a result, over 61 months, $3,199.59 translates to just $52.45 per month. (Yes, I am writing a 5-year review, but now it is 5 years and 1 month.)

corrosion and damage

There was very little wear and tear on the car. There really isn’t much to note. The biggest issue was definitely the material on the steering wheel that started bubbling a couple of years ago. Tesla replaced the steering wheel for me, and it’s been fine ever since. However, under the YouTube video I posted about it, I noticed a steady stream of comments from other Model 3 (and I think Model Y) owners who had the same problem and had to pay for a steering wheel replacement. I’m concerned about the problem reoccurring with the new steering wheel in time. We’ll see. However, one possible point worth noting is that I used to park the car during the day in the hot Florida sun, whereas now I leave it in our garage most of the time. Also, there was some suspicion from Tesla service personnel that hand sanitizer might have been causing the problem. I haven’t used hand sanitizer much, but I did use it a little bit during Covid, before I started to suspect it was causing my skin problems and stopped using it. Again, we’ll see if the problem returns (unintentionally) with the new steering wheel.

Otherwise, there are a few areas of the white seats where there’s a bit of fabric, and the color has changed. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s noticeable. I noticed a few years ago that Tesla stopped including this cloth section — it’s all faux leather now — so it’s definitely not a concern for new vehicle buyers.

Lately, I’ve noticed that some areas of the seats aren’t as white or soft as they used to be. Time and use really do take their toll. However, I think the seats are holding up very well and are still soft, inviting, and remarkably white. I’m really curious to see how the seats will evolve in the next five years.

To be honest, I think the seats look nicer and whiter in real life than in these pictures, but that’s what my camera captured.

There is a small area in the cup holder on the driver’s door where the leather-like material is coming off. This area has been used extensively over the past five years, so it’s not too surprising, but now I’m aware of it (trying to avoid making it worse) and I notice it constantly. Here’s a picture:

Okay, it’s really small. But it’s the most wear and tear I’m working on right now. I might try putting a little glue in there to hold it all together again. Or maybe I’ll see if it gets any worse.

Battery degradation

Our car’s range dropped from about 230 miles on a full charge to about 200 miles on a full charge in about a year, and has remained steady ever since. This is generally to be expected. Batteries take an initial hit to capacity fairly quickly, then remain pretty flat for years or even more than a decade before typically seeing another significant drop. I’m not really worried about battery degradation. These batteries should last with enough range to last until the rest of the car is finished and ready to be recycled.

Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD)

I’ve been documenting Tesla’s progress on “full self-driving” extensively over the past few years. You can read all about it here and watch the YouTube videos here . The short story is that after years of little or even “regressive” progress, driver assistance features have gotten much better with Version 12. However, when I bought the car, Elon Musk had indicated that the level it was at now was where it was supposed to be in late 2019, and he certainly predicted that we would have the technology to drive robots by now. Full self-driving is still not ready for deployment in self-driving robotaxis. However, it’s already at the stage you can imagine. But no one knows how long it will take until enough of the edge cases are solved and it’s truly at a level where robotaxis can be operational. In some ways, that still seems a long way off, and I still worry about the “seesaw problem” where improvements in some areas lead to problems in others. We’ll see.

Tesla in society

When we got the Tesla Model 3, the kids were going crazy when we went through the pick-up line at school. They were so excited to see a Tesla, even though there were already a few at the school. As time went on, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are everywhere. I would say it’s like the Toyota Corolla or Toyota Camry in this area now. The kids at school don’t seem to care about the Model 3 at all now. Although now the Cybertruck is at the school, and I’m sure the kids are going crazy over it.

Overall, with so many Teslas on the road, it seems easier for “mainstream buyers” to trust the technology, see its appeal, and go electric. There are also plenty of non-Tesla cars on the road all around us now. In short, electric cars are becoming normal. They’re not the majority of cars yet, but they’re finally normal.

Wireless software updates over time.

I was spoiled by some of the wireless software updates I got shortly after purchasing the Model 3. We got Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and some great video games. We got an efficiency boost that extended our maximum range. (Again, though, the original range is more than adequate for me, so I can’t say I really noticed the improvement, in practice.) There were also some new Easter eggs added for some fun. Although in recent years, there haven’t been many. I don’t really see any noticeable improvements. The touchscreen UI changes from time to time, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. After those first big updates, I was hoping for more consistent major improvements, and Elon Musk once said at the time that we should get an update every month or so, but I’m not sure what to ask for other than some minor improvements or new features. Overall, the wireless updates we do get are nice sometimes, but rarely groundbreaking.

Would I buy a Tesla Model 3 again?

Sure! But if I were buying a new car right now, I’d pick a Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6, or Hyundai IONIQ 5. I’m also very drawn to the Ford Mustang Mach-E on the outside, but I prefer the interior design and feel of those other three models more.

At this point, I think choosing an electric car is more about personal aesthetic preferences than it was in the past. There are many options with a wide range and features at a reasonable price, and almost all automakers have committed to making their electric cars compatible with Tesla’s Superchargers.

You can currently get $1,000 off a new Tesla with a Tesla Owner Referral Code. If you need a code, here’s mine: https://ts.la/zachary63404