Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD with Full Self Driving 2025 review

There are no two ways about it, Tesla’s sales are sliding in Australia. There’s an explanation, of course, with a stop-delivery creating pent-up demand for the updated ‘Highland’ Model 3 in early 2024, but sales are down a sharp 65 percent this year.

With no new models on the horizon for Australia — not the long-awaited, cut-price, entry-version, six-seat Model Y or RHD Cybertruck — the brand has debuted its most controversial yet for the first time in any right-hand-drive market: Full Self Driving (Supervised), or FSD (S).

To comply with Australian laws (which require drivers to ‘stay in control of the vehicle at all times’, but do not specify hands or feet on controls), it’s the Supervised version of the technology.

Essentially the best possible adaptive cruise control and lane trace assist you can imagine, able to drive a Model 3 or Model Y from one destination to another, theoretically, hands-free. And it’s not limited to motorway driving, either, with Tesla touting its ability to drive through urban and suburban environments, too.

Tesla flew Chasing Cars up to Brisbane for a first taste on a set route featuring mixed driving conditions, before letting us loose for a few hours around our Sydney home base in a Model 3 Long Range AWD equipped with an early version of the self-driving software.

This review will talk both about the new technology, and hand out a verdict on the mid-spec Model 3 in 2025.

What are the Model 3 LR AWD’s features and options for the price?

The Tesla Model 3 range has stayed static, price-wise, since the Highland update arrived. The RWD base car starts at $54,900 (before on-road costs) and for that you get 520km WLTP range from an LFP pack.

Our test car is the mid-spec Long Range AWD (or LR AWD) which boosts range thanks to a larger (circa-75kWh) NCM lithium-ion battery. It costs $10,000 more at $64,900 before on-road costs so you’re paying $84 per extra kilometre of WLTP range.

As the name suggests, LR AWD’s motor count doubles, and grunt jumps handily to 366kW and 493Nm.

You also get an upgraded audio in the mid-spec LR AWD, bringing the speaker count from nine to 17, with two subwoofers and amplifiers, which has bass strong enough to shake cabin trims loose… More on that later.

Our car was specced up with 19-inch ‘Nova’ alloy wheels ($1800) along with expensive ($2600) Quicksilver paintwork bringing the total to about $75,000 before on-road costs.

Naturally, the Full Self Driving Capability box had been ticked at the cost of $10,100, however Tesla will almost certainly offer 30-day free trials of FSD (S) along with the option to subscribe to the technology on a monthly basis.

The Model 3 may not be able to compete on sheer price with the BYD Seal and IM5, but it’s still sharp value against the Polestar 2, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and luxurious BMW i4 eDrive35.

Additionally, there’s plenty of Model 3 stock in Australia, with discounts around $5000 easy to find.

Model 3 LR AWD standard features listed below:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• LED head and tail lights
• Power-adjust front seats
• Black vinyl upholstery
• Heated and ventilated sets
• Tri-zone climate control
• 15.4-inch central touchscreen
• 8.0-inch rear touchscreen
• Bluetooth phone connectivity
• No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto
• 17-speaker sound system
• Onboard internet connectivity with downloadable apps
• Over-the-air software updates (SOTA)
• Two wireless smartphone chargers
• Two USB-C charge points
• 12-volt socket

How does the Model 3 LR AWD drive?

Though they aren’t really driving impressions because your writer isn’t turning the tiller, we’ll start with how the Model 3’s Full Self Driving (Supervised) works on Australian roads.

Unlike other Level 2 systems — FSD (S) still requires the driver’s attention at all times — Tesla’s latest doesn’t periodically prompt you to grab the steering wheel. Instead, an interior camera monitors driver attentiveness and gives you a ’strike’ if you’re distracted. Accumulate five of these and FSD (S) will be disabled for the rest of your drive.

For our car, Tesla pushed the software onto the Model 3 overnight, so when we woke up it was active. This upgrade was seamless, and a little spooky. Customers will need to connect their car to Wifi to download FSD (S) when it becomes available.

In practice, Full Self Driving effortlessly navigated motorways and main arterials, changing lanes to overtake and moving left once the move was done. It was even polite enough to let pedestrians cross and other motorists merge in a line of traffic.

The version we drove (13.2.9) was still pre-public release, and therefore tuned on the conservative side. It regularly travelled a few kilometre per hour below the posted speed limit and took corners gently. Probably best, to be honest.

Although Tesla touts its camera-based Full Self Driving (Supervised) software as urban-capable, we found its limits.

In older parts of Sydney (Glebe, Surry Hills, Redfern and Chippendale) where unlined streets without room for two cars to pass are the norm, FSD (S) naturally struggles. We also found it unable to interpret variable speed limit signs in some places, sticking instead to the default max, and sometimes confusing speed bump advisory signs for limits.

There are some snags but on the whole FSD (S) is astoundingly good. It is so much more competent than Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot, which was a glorified adaptive cruise control that freaked out at any real challenge. Full Self Driving will only improve with further updates, too.

The impressive self-driving is backed up by an otherwise respectable, if polarising, driving experience.

Tesla gave the Model 3’s suspension a thorough going over, with revised spring, damper and anti-roll bar settings along with updated geometry. The harsh edges that were apparent the pre-facelift car are largely gone. The frequency selective passive dampers are supple in the mid-stroke and provide decent body control.

With noticeable lateral stiffness, which promotes head toss on uneven roads, the Model 3 still crashes through the worst potholes, sending a loud ‘thwump’ through the cabin. The new Toyota Camry is more consistent and compliant, if you’re wondering.

Pace remains prodigious, with a whip-crack response to the short travel accelerator pedal. The 4.4-second 0-100km/h claim is easily believable.

The short travel accelerator aids this feeling of speed, giving you a lot of pace for a small input. One-pedal driving is relatively natural around town, but can be a little jerky on bumpy country roads.

The Model 3’s steering is still hyperactive (just two turns lock-to-lock) and feels like you’re controlling a video game. You grow accustomed to the fast ratio, but never the lack of feel makes the Model 3 tricky to place on the road. Similar story for the heavy brake pedal.

Push beyond the Model 3’s comfortable cadence on a twisty, lumpy road and things get uncomfortable. It doesn’t step up to the challenge and deliver smiles like a BMW i4 or Polestar 2.

Some of the dynamic limitations come down to Tesla’s quite conservative ESC programming. While we wish there was a Sport mode halfway house, the sheer grunt on offer (366kW and 493Nm) even in the mid-power car can easily fluster the chassis.

We also noted creaking from the Model 3’s front suspension under load, which could be heard loudly outside the car.

The Model 3 is still defined by sheer pace and deeply digital feel from the steering, pedals and chassis. It’s now comfortable enough not to bother most riders, and when you’re in Full Self Driving mode the bumps somehow don’t feel as harsh.

What is the Model 3 LR AWD’s interior and tech like?

Again, like the driving experience, the Model 3’s cabin is controversial, but there is plenty to be admire in Tesla’s confidence — and a lot of the details have since been copied by rivals.

Where normally climate controls buried in a screen get a hiding, because the Model 3’s 15.4-inch touchscreen is so bright and responsive it’s a non-issue. The auto program (which now extends to the heated and newly-ventilated seats) worked seamlessly in Sydney’s cooler winter months.

Video streaming, games, and fun modes to play with — Boombox and whoopee cushion — bring some whimsy into the otherwise sterile cabin.

There are a few instances where Tesla has gone overboard. Funnily, removing a physical gear selector isn’t one of them, thanks to the now-intuitive auto drive/reverse select, though door controls (placed on the grabs at your thumb to tap) take a little getting used to, as well.

The high-beam flash and screen wash buttons are also on the steering wheel, and yes, our Model 3 randomly wiped its windscreen with no atmospheric water present.

But the wheel-mounted indicator switches that bugged us most, taking a gross motor skill and turning it into an awkward, fine one is never appreciated. It’s also a cost-saving measure streamlining right- and left-hand-drive production.

Material quality is elevated from the pre-facelift Model 3s with soft faux leather on the door tops and even below the belt line, both around the centre console and on door cards. This continues into the back seat, as do felt-lined door pockets that accept 1.5-litre water bottles.

Practicalities continue to impress, with deep, felt-lined, covered storage cubbies and two cup holders in the centre console.

Seat comfort needs further attention, though, with the flat chairs lacking lateral support up top. Under-thigh bolstering remains insufficient, too.

But the biggest question by far in the Model 3 is build quality. We counted four rattles in total located in the dash, b-pillars and parcel shelf variously set off by bumps and coarse road surfaces.

The rattles take away from Tesla’s cracking sound system, which delivers bass powerful enough to add a trim-piece backing track especially when listening to bassy albums — Jamiroquai’s remastered Travelling Without Moving, for example.

The back seat is improved with a more sculpted bench, backrest and a pull-down armrest with two cup holders. Space is agreeable for adults, but if you’re much over six-foot headroom is a little tight.

Those who regularly carry adults or tall children will appreciate Model Y’s higher roofline and greater vision.

New for the Model 3 is the responsive rear screen that gives control of ventilation, seat heating, access to audio streaming, video streaming and even games to which you can connect a Bluetooth controller.

Air vents, two USB-C ports, 60/40 split fold rear seats and a 12-volt socket round out the in-cabin practicalities.

The boot space is a generous 594 litres including the deep under-floor area, though the Model 3 (with standard power tailgate) is still a booted sedan, making it trickier to load bulky items than you’ll find with a liftback such as the Skoda Superb.

Being an electric vehicle, the Model 3 has a ‘Frunk’ (or Froot for British English speakers) that adds practicality. It’s the perfect spot for excess hand luggage or charging cables, so you don’t have to dive under luggage on a road trip.

Is the Model 3 LR AWD a safe car?

Tesla’s goal is to make the safest vehicles possible, with a combination of physical crash structure and advanced driver assistance to both minimise injuries, and prevent accidents happening.

The Model 3 was awarded five stars in ANCAP safety testing with strong scores across all assessment categories.

Full Self Driving (Supervised) is a system in itself, though we’ll deal with the rest of the Tesla’s aids here. The driver attention monitoring is helpful, and AEB plus forward collision warning chimes are a good volume and cut in at the right time.

One complaint is that the lane-departure warning bleat is louder than feels necessary for minor lane strays.

Elsewhere, passive safety is relatively strong thanks to the sedan’s planted chassis and strong brakes.

What are the Model 3 LR AWD’s ownership costs?

Two of Tesla’s biggest drawcards remain in 2025, those being plentiful charging infrastructure and excellent motor efficiency.

Finding a Tesla-branded charging pylon is still much easier than one unbranded, and the thinner cables are far easier to wrangle than other providers’ chunky wires.

Charging speed caps out at 250kW (DC), according to Tesla, with 27 minutes from 10-80 percent quoted. On a 350kW pylon we observed a peak speed of 175kW, and our car took 29 minutes to go from 29-80 percent.

The efficiency of the Long Range AWD was its most impressive aspect, and it returned our best tested highway range at 13.3kWh/100km for 563km of driving range, against a 629km WLTP rating.

This beats much bigger battery rivals, including the Polestar 2 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 despite the Model 3’s smaller 75kWh NCM lithium-ion battery pack. Urban range was great as well, recording 12.9kWh/100km for 581km.

Tesla doesn’t mandate service intervals but the vehicle will prompt when it’s time for maintenance. There are no pre-paid service plans available.

Warranty is a sore point for Tesla models, limited to four years and a short 80,000km on the vehicle and its systems. Compared to other electric car-making brands such as Kia (seven years), Skoda (seven years), BYD (six years) and BMW (five years), all with unlimited-mileage coverage.

The battery and motor warranty for the Long Range AWD is a more impressive eight years and 192,000km.

Tesla’s residual values are also poor, though not drastically worse than a BYD Seal, Polestar 2, or IM5. A look at the classifieds shows three-year-old Model 3s starting from under $30,000, so be aware of that before signing on the dotted line.

The honest verdict on the Model 3 LR AWD

When you take every element of the Tesla Model 3 into consideration, it becomes an extremely difficult option to overlook. The Highland update made the ride and handling decent, while various software tweaks have kept most of the rest of this car best in class.

One of the underlying problems is a polarising, distinctly digital control feel. This will be a deal-breaker for some, but you probably already know that.

More cut-and-dry is the patchy build quality — plenty of rattles in our tester — short warranty, and poor resale value. The Model 3 (and any Tesla, for that matter) is more a technology purchase than a typical car-buying experience.

We don’t expect our smartphones to last and perform at their best for 10 years, so why should our cars? This is, naturally, a very different philosophy to, say, Toyota’s.

As for which Model 3 to buy, the RWD is probably all most will ever need but the tested Long Range AWD is the most proficient, well-rounded variant in our book.

Fundamental differences in approach aside, the Tesla Model 3, now with nerve-soothing and mostly excellent Full Self Driving (Supervised) in Australia, sees the evergreen sedan retain its status as one of the best electric cars on sale right now.