2018 Tesla Model 3

CarBuzz (opens in a new tab) says Tesla launched the Model 3 as a 2017 model, a compact sedan with a reasonable starting price that opened the brand to a much larger audience, so 2018 was the first year deliveries reached volume. Kelley Blue Book's review notes that Tesla updates cars continuously over the air and does not follow traditional model years, so it is hard to say exactly what changed in 2018, and that the cheaper Standard Range Model 3 with 220 miles of range did not arrive until 2019.

A Tesla Motors Club changelog (opens in a new tab) says early 2018 cars saw a redesign of the rear seats and a change to the control arms after early failures, which is one reason the build date matters more than the model year on these cars. EPA rates the 2018 Model 3 at 116 to 130 MPGe with 260 to 310 miles of range and an annual fuel cost of $600 to $650.

NHTSA lists 19 recall campaigns that cover the 2018 Model 3. Most are over-the-air software fixes shared with other Teslas, such as 21V846000 for false forward-collision warnings and 22V063000 for the Boombox external-speaker feature. The mechanical ones are the ones to check on a used car: 23V235000, where the front suspension lateral link fasteners on 2018 and 2019 cars may loosen and let the link separate from the sub-frame, 21V00D000, where the rearview-camera cable harness can be damaged by the trunk lid on all 2017 to 2020 cars, and 21V389000, where the front shoulder-belt fasteners at the b-pillar may not be attached properly.

Owners have filed 1,025 complaints with NHTSA on this model year. By component, forward collision avoidance leads with 202, followed by suspension with 186, unknown or other with 175, electrical system with 168, air bags with 142 and seat belts with 104. ProblemsByVin (opens in a new tab) reads the same data as suspension failures clustering between about 9,000 and 40,000 miles and electrical failures between about 20,000 and 55,000, and scores the year 2.8 out of 10. Consumer Reports (opens in a new tab) rates the 2018 Model 3 about average for reliability, and EV Seekers (opens in a new tab) notes that early 2018 and 2019 cars carry the highest combined recall and complaint counts and that most recalls were fixed by a software update rather than a mechanical failure that stranded owners.

Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) puts used 2018 Model 3 prices at $19,450 for the Mid Range sedan to $21,400 for the Long Range sedan from a dealership, with trade-in values of about $15,100 to $17,250 and private-party values of about $17,950 to $19,700.

The 2018 Nissan Leaf is rated 112 MPGe with 151 miles of range and about $700 a year in fuel, against 116 to 130 MPGe and 260 to 310 miles for the Model 3 at $600 to $650. On EPA figures the Tesla goes nearly twice as far on a charge at a slightly lower annual fuel cost.