On the road in Laois: Tesla gives the Model 3 a refresh for 2025

Tesla has been in the news of late for all the wrong reasons. Notably a backlash against their CEO Elon Musk due to his political stance in The USA of late and of course the well documented fall off globally in EV sales. Tesla’s problems don’t end there as the onslaught of new and rather good Chinese EV brands such as BYD to name but one have taken sales from the Tesla brand. As we enter the fourth month of 2025 though the electric car market has slumped with many first adopters going back to hybrid and others avoiding electric cars altogether. The reasons are well documented so we won’t go there now. So to the model 3. It is not a “new” car but a refresh model. In this week's motoring column Hugh Maguire tells us what he thinks. 

First Impressions

The model 3 has the same clean lines of the Tesla family of cars with uncluttered lines. New slimmer LED headlights identify the refreshed model. These are not distinctive cars really and lack a bit of character in my opinion but the 3 is the most attractive of the range right now. It looks sleek and purposeful.

What’s it like inside?

Very very minimalist! Basically there is just a steering wheel and a gigantic central touch screen through which everything is operated. White faux leather seats, a huge glass panoramic roof and that's about it. The Tesla philosophy takes a bit of getting used to at first. For example just adjusting the mirrors or indeed the steering wheel requires you to go through the touchscreen and then use one of the multiple function buttons on the steering wheel. These buttons change functionality depending on what you choose on the touchscreen. Even opening the glovebox is done via the touchscreen! Now in this version the control stalks for indicators and wipers are gone too. Indicators are now arrow buttons on the steering wheel as are the wipers and headlight beam flash. Even the drive selector is via the touchscreen swipeup or down for D or R not very intuitive I feel. It takes a bit of getting used to and I am not sure it's an advance. It feels like change just for the sake of it. Netflix, You tube and others are also available on the screen. Interestingly there is no Apple Car Play or Android Auto, something I missed as I use Waze amongst other apps. Tesla use Google for all the navigation functions and it's very good but I would prefer to be able to use my own choice rather than have one imposed upon me. The refreshed model 3 has plenty of kit, much of it all automatic. There are a myriad of apps and some gimmicky stuff you will rarely use. Rear seat passengers now also have a smaller touchscreen giving access to the same gizmos and climate controls. The model 3 boasts a roomy cabin and build quality seems to have improved quite a bit too.

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Performance and Handling

Like most EV’s it's quick in a straight line. The Model 3 though impresses in the corners too and I must say it's one of the more rewarding EVs to drive, proving nimble and agile in the corners. Tesla claims an increased range of 620 km from 100%. My test car showed a range of 523 from a 93% charge. I returned 370 km for that predicted range. Tesla's fast charging works very well too where available and use of heating etc did not seem to compromise range as much as in many other EVs.

Hugh’s Verdict

The model 3 is priced from €38,600 which is competitive. The all wheel drive long range version tested here costs €50,170. As an EV it's a very good one!