NEW 2025 Tesla Model 3 PERFORMANCE Review: Supercar Slayer | 4K

A few months ago, we hit the streets to bring you a review of the updated Tesla Model 3, which brought with it improved looks, efficiency and luxury. But Tesla, in their infinite wisdom, forgot one thing. The fun factor. Luckily, they've been working overtime and they've now brought us this, the new Tesla Model 3 Performance. As you'd expect from the name, it's a Model 3 with a lot more power. 510 horses to be precise, an increase from the previous version's 450. Tesla wanted to create something that wasn't only usable day to day, but also that you'd want to jump into and drive simply for fun. Not just in terms of straight line acceleration, but also in terms of dynamic ability. This isn't just a one trick pony, but being a Tesla, it does have that one very, very impressive trick, which is now arguably more impressive than ever. Apparently, the new Model 3 Performance will do 0-60 in 2.9 seconds. Two tenths quicker than the previous generation car. So let's see what that feels like, shall we? Yep. Painful. Painful, is what it feels like. It managed the sprint in 2.9. And that compares very favourably with its rivals. A BMW M3 takes 3.9 seconds with the manual box and 3.4 with the automatic. In fact, the new Model 3 Performance will see off even supercars like the McLaren Artura to 60mph. And the cool thing is, you don't have to do any launch control or cheater stunts to get the thing to fly down the road. All you've got to do is come to a stop, mash the throttle, and there you go. It's ridiculously quick, every single time. How's it making all that power? Well, it uses the same front motor as the standard Model 3, but the extra grunt comes courtesy of Tesla's fourth generation drive unit, which offers more power and torque thanks to precision grinding on the gears, hairpin windings instead of simple coils, and a new inverter providing more current, 950 amps versus 830 on the previous car. That makes for a 16% increase in peak torque, 20% more overall torque, and 30% more peak power. But there are some changes on the outside too. Let's talk about the new design changes on the Model 3 Performance. This is actually, apparently, the first time that Tesla have been able to differentiate between a standard and Performance version of their car. All Model 3s have a re-profiled front end, new headlights, but the 3 Performance now comes with this very delicious looking front splitter and a duct at the side that channels air around the front wheels, and those two work together to reduce lift by around 35%. Now at the side, wheels, these are now staggered for the first time, 19 inches up front and 20 inches at the back, and what's really cool is that you get these aero blades, which improve aero efficiency, or you can rip them out completely to reduce a bit of weight, although this does look a bit ugly if you do remove these, so I personally recommend that you leave them in. They actually look quite cool. The rest of the car is pretty much standard Tesla Model 3. You won't be able to really tell this is a Model 3 Performance until you get to the back, where you'll find this very impressive looking carbon spoiler and a new rear diffuser. And also, if you look closely back here, that, it might look like a Tesla Model S plaid badge, but it's not. This is Tesla's new Performance badge, which does look like the plaid badge, but I'm reassured it's not a plaid because the plaid is only reserved for Tesla Model S and X with the three motors, but yeah, there you go. One more thing actually, noise. We all think electric cars are meant to be super silent, but especially the Performance versions of electric cars, they can be really noisy. Listen to this. I forgot to show it to you earlier, but have a listen. You hear that? That, I think, is one of the cooling fans working overtime to try and keep the batteries and the motors cool, and this car has actually been sat here for quite a while. There is a mode that lets you turn off the fans, but seemingly never completely, so it is a little bit on the noisy side, shall we say. On the inside, the changes are subtle but significant in places. You now get new seats, which feature more supportive bolsters without losing the heating or cooling functionality. More on these in a moment. You also get carbon trim on the dashboard, as well as the other upgrades you get in the latest generation of Model 3, including ambient lighting and double glazing all round. Check out our review of the latest Model 3 Long Range in the link below, and if you want to buy or lease your own Model 3, visit the site for the very latest deals, also in the link down below. Normally, when you get into the performance version of any standard car, you can identify that you're in the sporty one pretty much straight away. Everything usually feels a bit more angry, and that involves the sound of the car, the steering, the suspension, but you don't actually get that in the new Tesla Model 3 Performance. If anything, it kind of feels like the standard Model 3, but that is actually by design. Tesla wanted this car to feel like a nice, usable daily that anybody can jump in and use for normal journeys. The car comes as standard with adaptive suspension, unlike the normal Model 3. That allows you to have a soft setup during normal driving, and a stiffer one with improved body control and less roll when driving sportily. The dampers feature hub-mounted accelerometers that sense what's happening during driving, allowing the suspension to adapt on the fly, improving primary and secondary ride. In other words, big bumps as well as small bumps. Lighter forged wheels with a lower unsprung mass help here as well. I'd have to say the suspension is definitely one of my favourite things about this car. The suspension in the previous version of the Model 3 felt quite harsh and unsophisticated in many ways. There isn't air suspension, and it doesn't feature the latest multi-valve dampers, but the ride, you can't really argue with it. It feels nice and plush, and in fact, I struggle to think of many other 500 horsepower cars that have suspension that feels as nice as this. The other thing I've got to give immediate praise to are these seats. As soon as I jumped in, I was like, wow, this feels a lot better. I don't know what the hell took Tesla so long, but these are an absolute game changer. They stop you flying into the passenger seat, and they're actually pretty comfortable as well. And better seats mean you can push harder in the bends. Here the car feels much more settled, with the suspension firming up nicely and working with a multi-section stabiliser bar and stiffer top mounts to allow superior body control. New Pirelli P04 tyres have a stiffer sidewall, which again reduces unwanted movement at the back, but with bigger tyres all round, 235-35-19s up front and 275-30-R20s at the back, there's a lot more grip and traction. I would say that's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good in the sense that there's pretty much no understeer to speak of. You can go barrelling into a corner, and the thing just hangs on and holds its line. But on the flip side, there's also no oversteer. The thing is just so planted. As soon as you come out of a corner, you can hammer it and pretty much be confident that the back end is going to stay in line. Great for the track, because it means lap time, but on the road, is it a bit less fun? Potentially. Don't get me wrong, you can play with it, but that often requires a fair amount of commitment, shall we say, and ultimately I don't think it's quite as accessible in terms of fun as some of its rivals, specifically the Taycan rear-wheel drive. It sounds like quite an odd thing to say, but I am going to stand by this. A bit less grip and a bit less traction and a bit less tyre will make this car, yeah, a bit slower, but ultimately, a bit more fun to drive. This new drive unit at the rear is something else. Tesla reckon it can deliver 32% more peak power and 16% more peak torque, and it's believable, because you put your foot down and it just wants to headbutt the horizon. It is rapid, and that is not an overstatement in the slightest, believe me. I've been driving this thing pretty much all day now, and even on a lowish factory at 50%, it's still doing 60 pulls in just over three seconds. It's just ballistic. The steering is one of the big highlights in this car. There isn't a lot of feel or feedback from the front axle, but it's very direct, very quick. You point it and it just goes where you want. The brakes are also really impressive. They're not using carbon ceramics in this car. They probably don't need to, because it is a road car, but they have switched the brake pad material from adhesive friction to abrasive friction, similar in concept to what they did on the Tesla Model S track pack. You can look up the difference between abrasive and adhesive friction one day on the internet if you're bored, but what it means, essentially, is that the brakes are now very, very consistent. I'd like to feel what they feel like on track and whether they hold up to repeated hard stopping, but on the road, yeah, they work really well. Now, as I'm sure some of you will agree, this simply wouldn't be a review of a Tesla if I didn't have a moan about the steering wheel. Yep, it's a circle, so big tick on that one. It's not the ridiculous yoke. However, they have tried to reinvent things by getting rid of the stalks and replacing them with buttons and on-screen controls for selecting drive, neutral and park. It's not a deal-breaker, but it isn't as good as the old system. Bring back stalks and things would be a lot more user-friendly and intuitive. The car features numerous drive settings, including a track mode that lets you choose where most of your torque ends up, front or rear, and how much traction assistance you have. Don't worry, though, it never usually feels completely front-wheel drive in the way that a hot hatch does or completely rear-wheel drive like some Taycans might, but it's nice to be able to set the car up for your driving taste and experiment with your setup. As I mentioned, one of Tesla's objectives with the Model 3 Performance was to make it not just fast, but also fun. Have they succeeded in that last deliverable? Well, in some ways, yes. The speed is often hilarious, and there's a laugh to be had if you go looking for it. But personally speaking, the experience of driving the Model 3 Performance did at times leave me cold. I've been trying to rack my brain, trying to work out what it is this car is missing. What is that X factor, that missing ingredient that would take it from good to great? And I think it might be noise, you know. Not the noise of an internal combustion engine necessarily, but just any noise. The kind of noise that you might get in a Taycan or a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or any number of this car's rivals which make some sort of sound to indicate that you're making progress or you're on the brakes. I'll tell you what it's like. It's a bit like dancing with no music. Yeah, it might be fun to throw your body around, but it's a lot more fun when there's a banging tune to accompany it. Does the extra power affect efficiency? Tesla doesn't think so. In fact, those new tyres, despite having more contact patch, have a lower rolling resistance, leading them to claim a 2% increase in efficiency. Expect range to be around 290 miles and expect recharge times to be in the region of 30 minutes going from 10% to 80%. So what's my verdict on the new Tesla Model 3 performance? Well, I think they've done a fantastic job with this car. They really have. Not only is the straight line performance absolutely blistering, but it's also very, very good through the corners. One of the best things about this car is the dual personality that it has. It's quiet, it's refined, you can drive it on a highway without feeling like you're in a 500 horsepower car until you get to a set of twisty switchbacks and then you power into a bend and you realise that not only is it really handling it, but also excelling in those corners. Is it lacking a little bit in fun factor? Arguably, yes, particularly if you come from a background of enjoying the internal combustion engine. But I think the more time you spend with this car, the more you're going to learn to love it. It's rapid, it handles well, it's full of tech, it's got tremendous range, it drives itself. To be honest with you, I think it's got an awful lot going for it and might just be the best all-round car that Tesla have made to date. And that's saying something.