Updated Tesla Model 3 electric car now on sale in Australia, bringing Project Highland updates to reality with more features, tech and EV range

The updated Tesla Model 3 has finally broken cover and is now on sale priced from $61,900 plus on road costs, adding more heat to the fast growing electric car market.

The much anticipated new model was codenamed Project Highland and introduces a raft of upgrades to the Model 3, which was formerly the top selling EV in Australia and is currently the country’s top selling passenger car.

The new Tesla Model 3 went on sale in Australia this morning, with price increases of $4500 for the entry-level Rear-Wheel Drive single motor model and $1500 for the Long Range dual motor. It also introduces two revised colours: Stealth Grey (replacing Midnight Silver Metallic) and Ultra Red (replacing Red Multi-Coat).

Tesla Australia is currently not listing the Model 3 Performance for sale, instead only providing pricing and delivery details for the two more affordable models.

The company is estimating people who order a new Model 3 today will take delivery between January and March 2024.

Updates to the Model 3 include fresh styling front and rear. The basic four-door shape remains – including doors, panoramic glass roof and windows – but new bumpers and lights make for a sleeker look.

There are also new 18-inch wheel covers (called Photon) over alloy wheels. Optional Nova 19-inch alloys have a mix of silver and charcoal finishes.

Inside, the 15-inch screen that dominates the dash remains although it’s claimed to be brighter and more responsive.

There is also now an 8.0-inch digital touchscreen in the rear, allowing rear seat passengers to control of features such as ventilation and infotainment. Presumably, Tesla could also introduce the ability to stream videos to the back seat.

Tesla has also upgraded the materials in the cabin for a more upmarket look, although it’s still very minimalist inside. Plus, the centre console is larger for additional storage.

The new Model 3 also gets added more features, including ventilated front seats and ambient lighting with 200 colour choices.

Plus, the company has added more sound deadening, which is claimed to make the cabin quieter.

The steering wheel has also been tweaked to incorporate new buttons and change the look of the centre boss. It’s been reshaped and the T logo replaced with “Tesla” spelled out instead.

And just in case you thought Tesla couldn’t make the interior any more minimalist, the company has deleted the stalks from either side of the steering wheel.

That means there is no gear selector stalk, with Smart Shift software designed to work out which direction you want to go; there’s also a manual selector within the main touchscreen.

It appears the electric drive train is unchanged with identical performance claims to the model it will replace.

The entry level Rear-Wheel Drive is still claimed to accelerate to 100km/h in 6.1 seconds. The dual motor long range version lowers that sprint time to 4.4 seconds.

However, improvements to aerodynamics have given the new model 3 a longer driving range.

The Rear-Wheel Drive previously had 491 km of WLTP range, whereas the updated car has 513 km of range between charges. 

The Long Range jumps from 602km of range to 629km. 

The updates to the Model 3 are eventually expected to flow through to the Tesla Model Y SUV that arrived in Australia in the second half of 2022.

The two share architectures and design themes, making it a logical sep for the Model Y.