2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range Review - Honest UK Tesla Review

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

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[@peteredmundson3331]

Bought a 2021 model 3 long range 6 weeks ago. I absolutely love this car. It’s range, it’s power, it’s comfort are all the things that I’ve not had with any previous cars I’ve had. The icing on the cake for me is the Tesla charging network. Charging is trouble free and generally cheaper than the competing chargers.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Couldn't agree more!

[@mpersad]

One of the most balanced and objective reviews of the Model 3 I've seen, really deals with the everyday driver's issues about transferring to EVs. Top video.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Wow, thanks very much Mark 👍

[@willhclay]

Best review I’ve seen so far. I’m moving on from my second 330e and was very hesitant about getting a Tesla, but after watching Jim’s review I’m looking forward to my long range arriving in April.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Will 👍👍👍

[@UKTonyMagill]

A very useful review, many thanks. Picking up on a comment below about wanting a Performance model but buying a Long Range to keep the wife happy, I believe there's a £1500 software upgrade to the LR which gives it the same acceleration as the Performance version, so he could do a secret download :). Also, we're just going into autumn 2023 as I write this, and the Model 3 facelift version 2021 (the version you were driving) is now an excellent used buy. The Long Range model is around £27-29k used, which is very tempting, as an alternative to leasing a new one.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

The 2021 model is very tempting at the moment

[@stuarts124]

You're incredibly realistic, down to earth and honest. Absolutely love it. Keep up the top work!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Well thanks very much Stuart. You’re obviously very knowledgeable and a great judge of character. 😂 Seriously thanks though 👍

[@railvlogger1439]

I took a Long Range for a test drive last week. As you say the guys at Tesla are great. He gave me the card and showed me how to adjust the mirrors and steering wheel, and I was off. The sheer power was amazing. I loved the one pedal driving and was surprised at how quickly I got used to it. I thought I would have trouble not having gauges in front of me. I found the tablet was fine though I didn't play around with any of its functions. All in all a great car and I want one.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I got used to the gauges in about 5 seconds, it was pretty much a non issue. I enjoyed the car much more than I though I would. I’m not an EV or Tesla sceptic but I’m not a fanboy either. Very impressive car.

[@taz2392]

Hands down the Best Tesla review on KZbin.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Appreciate that a lot mate, that's a comment I don;t see very often :)

[@timcollins7063]

I'm getting Top Gear Chris vibes, really good review, almost Guru-like 😁 We get our LR3 in December, been a petrol head all my life,,, improvements through software will interesting to see going forward. Cheers and looking forward to new content

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Wow, that’s far too kind I’m sure. Thank you 🙏

[@ESL-SM]

good review 👍 - you could see the excitement on your face, same feeling i had when i hit the accelerator for the first time in one of these!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Huge grin factor for me 😄

[@TheophilusPWildbeest]

That grin at 8:02 is why I want a Tesla, every reviewer does the same thing.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

It’s grin all the way. I miss it…..

[@johnroberts9212]

Excellent review Jim. Thanks. Loved the point at about 8 minutes in when you couldn't help but grin like a loon at the crazy acceleration...................you looked as happy as a man that had sense 😉! The attraction of these cars is plain to see but until the charging infrastructure/range issues are significantly improved I will resist temptation.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Honestly John I was grinning like an idiot for much of my time with the car. It really was great fun and very easy to live with, as you say the charging issue is one that cannot, or at least should not, be ignored.

[@cornishblue58]

Your point about charging infrastructure is so relevant. I’m changing from my IPace to Tesla as there are just not enough chargers for none Tesla vehicles. Recently visited services where there were lots of Tesla chargers and I didn’t even notice where the none tesla chargers were.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I think Tesla have opened theirs up to other brands but it’s a pretty sad show still in a lot of service stations.

[@thomasschwarz1973]

Great video, thanks! I get one TM3, LR, FSD, White on White, with xtra winter tires and rims on 2022 May. Oooh I can not wait. What you drove was a computer on four wheels, a.k.a. a robot, the guy that wrote pay pal came up with that IT Machine! Enjoy!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Yep, very cool things indeed

[@Tom55data]

I have a T-M3, great review and honest, just a couple of comments. You have a Chinese built car (door inserts), and they are built with good build quality - it was the original Fremont built cars in 2019 that were not so good, it is no better/worse than any other car these days. My Fremont 2020 car has no panel gap problems I would recommend to only get the 19" (cheapest) wheels on the car for the UK crap roads as it improves the ride quality. Sound in the car - this is a problem with US cars - they don't double seal the doors which is just stupid. I fitted an after market door seal (yes of course you should not need to do this - stupid) and it made a 3-5 db difference - will worth doing it yourself if you get a model 3 until they fix this issue, takes less than 1 hour. It is worth it. The voice commands are good (for those without a Tesla) is because it is button activated and NOT voice activated. The problem with a voice activated commands is that you need a key word - which can cause problems, then it has to answer you, then you ask a question - that is 3 actions, button pressing is a single action and you don't accidentally ask a question. Battery degregation - there are very good statistics for Tesla - in general you get over 95% left after 100,000 miles, and you will certainly get 1/2 million miles at least from their public statistics. The problem that gave battery cars a bad rap was the Nissan leaf that used (and still does use !!!) an air cooled battery which means it does have problems with lifetime due to temperature management - and it even suffers from charging limits (due to heat) if you charge more than once in a journey. All other electric cars use liquid cooled which means the traction battery is will protected and you should not get a problem, though of course there is little statistics for the new cars. Efficiency - over 15,000 miles including this and last winter I have an overall average of 4.0 miles/kWh and I have a 2020 LR model without a heat pump. Long term average is therefore a 300 mile range on the 75kWh battery , which of course depends on driving style etc.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Great post there Tom, thanks for your input 👍

[@dazfrombramley]

Good review and your experience sort of mirrors mine. I come from a BMW M235i so when I asked what I would like to test drive, it had to be the performance. The biggest take aways I had from that experience were (a) the one foot driving is a game changer, loved it (b) the simplicity - it made going back to the BMW feel cluttered and claustrophobic (c) the shove is immense and delivers acceleration so lineraly and relentlessly that you have to try it to really understand it (initially I was set up in 'Chill mode' and quite disappointed, once I remembered to change that to Sport the grins appeared). As you say, you do need to recalibrate your mind (d) The tyre/wind noise was quite surprising and certainly wasn't the whisper quiet experience I had in my head, and I also expected some motor noise which other than a very quiet whine on full beans was quite surprising also. Whilst I wish I could justify the performance to the wife (she hates speed), I have an LR on order and for £1500 you can have an extra 50hp and reduced 0-60 time of 3.7 if you feel the need. Anyways, good work.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks buddy, yeah I kind of feel that the performance is already bonkers enough. I can’t really imagine the need to increase it unless you were taking it to the drag strip. I’ve never smiled so much at or with a car before which is testament to what a fun package this car really is.

[@chezchezchezchez]

Great review, but I think the resale value of the car you’re driving right now, will be fantastic even three or four years from now. The battery degradation is not super significant even seven or eight years from now. Check the online graphs. Can you imagine a 21-year-old man wanting this used car four years from now? It will be valuable!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Jim

[@MrPaxan11]

Nice review, thank you.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks for watching 👍

[@benfarrow9498]

Tesla’s 18” wheels are more comfortable. Charging is 1/10th petrol costs. The maintenance will be less than 1/20th the cost of the BMW. Rotate tires /20k, air filters /2yrs, and wiper fluid - that is it.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Ben. Home charging is obviously a fraction of the cost of petrol, public charging isn’t always such a great deal though. I’m sold mate, I’d swap the BMW for one even though it would make life very difficult for me. My next car will likely be an EV.

[@jamescarter7663]

Looking forward to this one 👍🏼👍🏼

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks brother 🙏

[@h.bsfaithfulservant4136]

Thanks Jim. A very enjoyable video… informative and easy to watch 👍. Tesla obviously believe in their product if they’re not trying to coax you into a positive review… so thumbs up to them too. Of course, my Ford Escort van was much cooler than a Tesla, and HB was way faster on acceleration 🤔🤣😁😂… 🚗

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks dear, I bet that Escort Van was a rocket ship. Yeah fair play to Tesla 👍👍

[@neilpatterson1357]

Great review Jim. Would you bother paying for autopilot or self driving if you are leasing. Thanks

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I think basic functions come as standard but you pay for the wider autopilot features (to best of my knowledge). I definitely wouldn’t pay though.

[@neilpatterson1357]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru thanks for that Jim. Appreciate the reply

[@anthonycraig274]

FYI: Not engine breaking, its motor breaking - back to enjoying the video

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Yep fair enough, I’ll say a thousand Hail Marys and hopefully god will forgive me.

[@anthonycraig274]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru All is forgiven. You even have an extra thumbs up. Great review.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@anthonycraig274 I knew the lord would grant me mercy. Thanks pal 👍👍👍

[@sayed978]

Enjoyed it 👍

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Sayed

[@GreenTorque]

What phone did you use? That dB reading seems crazy high for both cars. I've never seen such a high reading from a non-supercar

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

iPhone 12

[@moriartythemundane]

I like these Tesla's and by the amount I am seeing on the road of late I think we all quite like them. However, this thing about electric vehicles and their range per charge being a worry, would the Tesla go further on its existing batteries if it had only one electric motor and half the performance! Do we really need a rocket ship vehicle? Why are electric vehicles more powerful than there petrol/diesel counterparts? We want to save the planet, we want to save lives and we want to remove range anxiety, surely, if electric is the way to go and I am not sure it is, then reducing the power to the wheels to what's adequate may help? Or, have I missed something? Great revue, the infotainment system looked epic, the gadgets numerous and sadly it suffered with wind noise. That came as a surprise! Keep up the channel, I for one love it!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Nick. EV's are so much faster because they have an electric motor rather than an internal combustion engine and electric motors are much simpler than internal combustion engines. EVs can provide full torque, the force that drives the vehicle forward, immediately, resulting in instant acceleration. I'm not anywhere near intelligent enough to know if reducing the rate of acceleration would significantly improve range but common sense would suggest that it would have some bearing. I think for most people the range would not me an issue and small top up charges would become the norm rather than always having it full - I think EV ownership would make you think very differently about things you've always done as second nature. I really miss the Tesla.

[@moriartythemundane]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru I can guess that you miss the Tesla as you really did seem to enjoy it. My mate had a Nissan leaf and he was gutted when he got rid of it. It was early days and three kids a dog and a wife made camping holidays difficult in a leaf! Will be talking to my son next time he gets back home, he is working on electric motors for cars, he can fill me in with all the gen! Saying that, I know they have bucket loads of torque etc but why no gearbox? An automatic sequential gearbox would have to be beneficial even if only three gears?!!?

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@moriartythemundane as I understand it, internal combustion engines need multiple gears (and clutch) with different ratios for power output but electric motors produce consistent torque at any given RPM. EV motors deliver power instantly, so building up torque through revving like in traditional engines is not needed...basically from what I understand gears would almost serve no purpose….I am an idiot though so may be wrong. 😁

[@mudskipper0075]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru power delivery is linear on an electric motor ,it spreads the load over the windings so doesn’t need to offload stress like an ICE ,don’t know if that explains it very well …🤔

[@casstor]

Great review mate, I am still considering leasing Ioniq 5, waiting for another price drop, thoughts ?

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Brilliant cars, I haven’t had the chance to actually drive one yet but it’s much roomier than the Tesla. Don’t overlook the Kia EV6 either, basically the same car as the IONIQ 5 but deals may differ between them. 👍

[@mudskipper0075]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru that’s the 2 I would be looking at ,I think the Hyundai design swings it but depends what day you ask me….👍🤣

[@dinosrules]

In US leasing is a complete waste of money and a poor financial decision. You cannot buy the car at the end and you have milage limits which would prevent you as a traveler enthusiast to enjoy the car.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Oh really? It’s usually a great way of getting into a car here but it’s a broker lead market rather than dealer lead so quite different to US I think. Thanks for watching!

[@patpong5873]

Tesla 2 years a go was top EV car still very good but other Manufacturers are catching up fast Kia E nero 285 miles range on 66kw battery vw id3 etc......I would like to see on the Model 3 Heads up display and Ambient lighting and apple or andriod car play

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I personally don’t think it needs carplay but agree that a heads-up display wouldn’t go amiss. There are plenty of rivals that are getting closer with range but only a few that deliver such a good all-round package and very few that deliver as many silly grins! 😁

[@patpong5873]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru the long range can get a performance upgrade for 1.5k that's makes it quicker from 4.4 to 3.8 0.60 That is the best bang for buck Can't wait for Tesla model 2 meant to be under 25 k have 250 miles range big fan of Tesla 👍🏻

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@patpong5873 yeah Model 2 could be a game changer. I seriously don’t think anyone needs a quicker car than the long range, the acceleration actually physically hurts at times. It’s not just the speed it’s how it’s delivered. Very fun car.

[@neilharding4662]

I live in a ground floor council flat, So cannot get car close so will need a hybrid Estate car. Help

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

They do seem to be the reserve of the rich at the moment. There are companies looking to solve this problem include putting chargers into lamp posts etc but at the moment you’re pretty much out of luck unless you live next to a public charger 🥲 RAV4 is not a bad hybrid with plenty of room and there are non plug-in versions.

[@mudskipper0075]

Would the lower quality interior put you off….🤔

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Interior quality was actuially very good in my opinion (which I know differs from others and is based on the one car I had to test), fantastic steering wheel too

[@mudskipper0075]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru good to hear ,I’ve been binging on your channel since subscribing…👍

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@mudskipper0075 so I see, thanks buddy 👍

[@petergersbach7355]

I have one of these Shanghai builds and I don’t think it has lower build quality at all.

[@alastairc2373]

Hi Jim,I a few years we will all be doing 4sec 0-62mph even your granny ...scary...and the £ will be down sub 25-30k or even cheaper ?Cheers 🤔

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Let’s hope so pal, I had a great laugh with that car, was gutted to hand it back 👍

[@HeresHope45]

I want one. Now. 😂

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Same here, I’m still grinning

[@HeresHope45]

The voiced controlled air conditioning. I love the little details.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

The infotainment video will be out next week, it’s a brilliant system.

[@thescallytrader]

Who the hell does long journeys every day - charge it at your house for next to nothing.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Me, just like thousands of sales reps, contractors, IT workers, account managers etc

[@AutoAbsolute]

Dude, the model 3 is at least 400kg heavier - it's not gonna handle like a 3 series

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

It handles really well mate

[@AutoAbsolute]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru I know, I have one 😂

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Nice 😂 your original comment sounded like you thought I was putting the handling down a bit, I thought it handled great and loved the steering feel. The only real negative for me was the noise on the motorway but not exactly a deal breaker. I’d love one mate.

[@AutoAbsolute]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru yeah the noise is grating after a while, dropping to 18" wheels helps a lot and new door seals which you can pick up from Amazon helped a lot.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@AutoAbsolute oh that’s interesting, good tip. My assumption was maybe so much glass was the major contributor but door seals makes sense 👍