2020 Model 3 Performance vs Long Range range difference

[Walter Sobchak]

I’m currently looking to get a used Model 3 and weighing up which to get, it’s going to be doing a roughly 150 mile a day round trip and plan to charge at home at night to 80%.

What is the real life difference in range between the Performance and Long Range?, I’d love d of like the Performance for the nicer wheels and won’t lie the occasional putting my foot down but a few people I’ve asked say the Long Range is definitely the better choice for doing big mileage it uses less charge?.
This will be my first EV and being honest I’m not too clued up on them.
Looking to get a 5 ish year old one with 40-50k miles on and want to get one with the advanced autopilot.
Price wise on the used market there isn’t much between the 2 models so really think it’s a case of if the Performace is more than capable I’d go for one, if not then it will have to be the Long Range.
On paper it only looks like 20 miles between them on the figures but people have said this doesn’t translate in real world driving.

[Hans_Gruber]

Both will do that range, both will mean you can charge from home. Both are fast, safe and comfortable for a regular 150 round trip.

However only one literally took my breath away when I floored it and made me re-think what fast was.

Other consideration is insurance but, be honest, you ve already stated which one you prefer

[Gone fishing]

Theres a good chance the two cars will be very similar except for the wheels on that age. There are a few metal bits on pedals etc but typically the battery was the same, the rear motor and invertor was slightly higher rated on the performance but as the limiting factor was often the battery the differences were not great. A long range with the accleration boost was between the two but there wasn't a big spread in performance as countless head to head videos show.

The bigger wheels however do hurt range a little, and I suspect those buying the performance tend to enjoy the performance a little more so its hard to tell how much real world difference is wheels and how much is "fun". Either way, The performance wheels also seem to be a curb magnet for many users, and lack of top down cameras etc make it a guessing game, but the issue depends on how often you park next to a curb. Either way 150 miles is not hard in either model.

4-5 year old is on the cusp of the facelift - generally speaking if you can afford a facelift model, the easiest way to tell is the black window trim or the China "LRW" starting VIN, then its worth doing. There were quite a few updates such as heat pump, and the build quality back then was improving steadily but notably. I had a 2019 LR and it was pretty much the worst built car I have ever owned.

[OIGMatt]

Agree with Gone Fishing on the later models, my (limited) exposure to the earlier cars was also not favourable.

When I was in your shoes, I seriously considered all three options and ultimately went for a 2021 SR+ last year. Honestly? I still kick myself for not stretching to the Performance.

Why? It just ticks more boxes: it looks sharper, it's noticeably quicker, comes with better brakes, and you get Track Mode thrown in for a bit of extra fun when the mood strikes. The price difference isn't massive in the grand scheme, either.

I've usually gone for the top-spec version of whatever car I'm buying (not intended as a flex, trust me, some have been right old snotters), I can't think of any occasion where I've regretted purchasing the 'halo' model. The Tesla was already more of a head over heart purchase for me, so going conservative with the SR+ ended up being something I regret.

So, my two cents? Go for the Performance. I wish I had

Edited by OIGMatt on Thursday 10th July 14:09

Edited by OIGMatt on Thursday 10th July 14:09