Tesla Model 3: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
The Tesla Model 3 has 3 model year(s) in the federal index and no scored complaint record yet, so this page carries the catalogue entry and the years we hold rather than a verdict.
Editor's note
The Model 3's 2018 launch year carries the highest count of the nameplate — paint and panel-fit complaints, the touchscreen, phantom braking under Autopilot, and delivery-quality issues — and the counts fall in every subsequent year. The 2021 onward cars have a moderate record dominated by driver-assistance complaints. The heat-pump failure on 2021–2022 cars in cold climates was addressed by a recall.
Read the guide
Used Tesla Model S and Model 3: what the record says and what it cannot — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
Year-by-year data table
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | DATA PENDING | $1,220 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | DATA PENDING | $1,360 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | DATA PENDING | $1,500 | 0 | 0 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Model 3, through the years →
Model 3 sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Model 3 on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04