Earlier than the arrival of the Tesla Mannequin Y, the Mannequin 3 was the best-selling electrical automotive by a large margin and for good purpose. The Mannequin 3 was comparatively inexpensive and has change into much more so through the years. Plus, it has entry to Tesla Superchargers, which make road-tripping it comparatively simple.
At the moment, you will get a Mannequin 3 for as little as $38,990 for the bottom rear-wheel mannequin. With 272 miles of vary, although, it is not the one we might advocate shopping for. Stepping as much as the longest-range mannequin for $42,290 will get you 363 miles of vary. That is a killer deal, however possibly you simply do not desire a Tesla, or maybe you do not just like the look of a Mannequin 3.
If that is the case, then that is okay as a result of there are stable alternate options to contemplate. For instance, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is a stellar EV with improbable fast-charging functionality. You may additionally need to take into account the BMW i4 and even the Polestar 2. The i4 can go as much as 307 miles on a cost, although the model that goes that far is quite costly. The $49,900 Polestar 2 single-motor model has 320 miles of vary, so it is not too shabby both.
Let’s discover the Mannequin 3 alternate options by beginning with what Tesla’s least expensive automotive affords after which diving into the opposite choices.
The Tesla Mannequin 3 continues to be the go-to EV if you’d like a compact electrical sedan that does the whole lot effectively and is inexpensive. There are a number of variations to select from, beginning with the $38,990 base rear-wheel mannequin, which has 272 miles of EPA vary and a 0 to 60 mph dash time of 5.8 seconds. The highest $54,990 Efficiency mannequin has 303 miles of vary and an acceleration time to 60 mph of two.9 seconds. The longest-range mannequin is the $42,290 Lengthy Vary Rear-Wheel Drive variant, which has 363 miles of vary.
The one Mannequin 3 rival that isn’t a bespoke EV, that means it’s constructed on a combustion automotive platform, but is sweet sufficient to problem the Tesla is the BMW i4. The bottom single-motor i4 eDrive 35 prices $52,200; it has the identical dash time as the bottom Mannequin 3 and a spread of as much as 276 miles in case you keep on with the smallest obtainable wheels. The longest-range mannequin is the dual-motor $61,600 i4 xDrive 40, with a claimed EPA vary of as much as 307 miles and an acceleration time of 4.9 seconds.
In case you’re after all-out efficiency, BMW affords the $69,700 i4 M50 with 536 horsepower and a dash time to 60 mph of three.7 seconds. We’ve tried a number of variations of the i4 through the years, and it’s undoubtedly a reliable EV that appears nice and is well-built. Nonetheless, it’s additionally fairly heavy and never as easy to string round a twisty street because the a lot lighter and extra nimble Mannequin 3.
Hyundai went all-out on aerodynamics with the Ioniq 6, which is why it appears like a pebble—a design that appears to separate opinions. Below its streamlined physique sits the E-GMP platform that underpins most electrical Hyundais and Kias. This platform runs on 800 volts, serving to the automotive be environment friendly and cost shortly, with a median of about 200 kilowatts when hooked as much as a sufficiently highly effective charger.
The Ioniq 6 begins at $37,500, and for that, you get 240 miles of vary from its 53-kilowatt-hour battery and simply 150 horsepower from a single rear-mounted electrical motor, sufficient for 0 to 60 mph in round 8.5 seconds. If you would like barely extra energy and probably the most vary, the $42,450 SE variant with 225 hp and a bigger 77.4 kWh battery offers you 361 miles and far faster acceleration. Including a second motor for all-wheel drive bumps the worth up by $3,500 and the ability to 320 hp whereas the vary drops to 316 miles.
A good spicier Ioniq 6 N can also be within the works.
The Polestar 2 is among the authentic Mannequin 3 rivals launched again in 2020. Nonetheless, whereas the 2024 model-year car could look virtually an identical, loads has been carried out beneath the pores and skin. The $49,900 single-motor mannequin has 299 hp, sprints to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, and has 320 miles of vary. Upgrading to the $55,300 dual-motor all-wheel drive will increase energy to 421 hp, drops the dash time to 4.3 seconds, and will increase the vary to 276 miles.
If you would like much more energy, there’s a $5,500 Efficiency Pack, which pushes energy to 455 hp and lowers the 0 to 60 mph dash time to 4 seconds. It additionally provides Ohlins dampers and 20-inch wheels, which drop the vary to 247 miles. All variants have the identical 127 mph high pace no matter energy output.
InsideEVs contributing author Andrei Nedelea contributed a big quantity of content material to this story.
