Nowadays you have probably noticed a lot more Tesla vehicles on the road compared to a few years ago. Although in 2024 Tesla became the most preferable choice for the youngest car owners. In recent years Tesla has become the most valuable car company in the world, they had the top 2 best-selling electric vehicles globally as they quickly approached the milestone of delivering above 1.5 million vehicles in a single year.
I’ve seen so many satisfied Tesla owners for nearly 5 years so if you’re planning on buying a Tesla or just want to learn more bout them, this buyer’s guide will cover everything you need to know about Tesla vehicles to help you decide which one is the best for you. Heading into H2 (second half) 2024 there are currently 6 Tesla vehicles that are being manufactured and delivered: Tesla offers six vehicle models: Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Tesla Semi, and Cybertruck.
Safety
The first S is for safety. It may not be obvious but Tesla as a company has always said safety is their number one priority, and they’ve proven it by engineering their vehicles to be the safest vehicle in the world. Using its all-electric architecture, Tesla vehicles provide a very low probability of rollover risk and occupant injury. In fact, Tesla has achieved a 5-star safety rating for all its vehicles, but the Model 3, in particular, received the lowest probability of injury of all cars that the NHTSA has ever tested. A Tesla’s battery pack position and weight reduces rollover risk and improve emergency avoidance handling. Their patented side still structure supports the chassis to absorb impact energy and protects occupants and battery. The rigid body and fortified battery help to reduce and prevent cabin intrusion. And they have large crumple zones in the front and rear to soften the impact.
There are 8 cameras that provide 360 of visibility while twelve ultrasonic sensors can detect both hard and soft objects. All Tesla comes standard with Automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, Blind spot collision warning, and lane departure avoidance. If you’re worried about fires, here’s a fun fact: from 2012 to 2020 in the U.S, Tesla vehicles were approximately 10 times less likely to catch fire per mile driven compared to average gas vehicles. And in the rare case of damage, Tesla battery packs are designed to spread heat away from the occupant cabin and battery, helping to prevent fire and protect occupants.
Software
The next s is for Software. Paired with a powerful onboard computer, Tesla’s software is the core of the vehicles and allows them to stay at the cutting edge of car technology. All their vehicles come with a center mount touch screen that controls nearly all aspects of the car, and Tesla owners can use the free mobile app to control certain functions of the car from wherever they are since all Tesla vehicles come with built-in LTE cellular connection that maintains a constant connection to the internet. Unfortunately, Tesla does not have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, unlike many other new cars. Instead, Tesla decided to build their own vehicle software so that they have more control over the user interfaces and how they integrate with the hardware.
Although something like Apple CarPlay would be handy at times, Tesla’s software is very easy to use and has pretty much everything you need. Each new vehicle comes with 30 days of complimentary premium connectivity which includes live traffic visualization, satellite-View Maps, Video streaming, allowing access to content from Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Twitter, and more, music Streaming, And an Internet Browser. If you wanna continue to have the premium connectivity feature it costs $10/month. However, If you are okay with streaming music from your phone via Bluetooth, and you don’t want video streaming apps, then you can get by just fine without premium connectivity. The cool part is Tesla releases software updates pretty frequently that automatically get downloaded to the car so it essentially gets better over time for free.
The best software though is Autopilot which is Tesla’s advanced safety and convenience features that are designed to assist you with the most burdensome parts of driving and comes standard with all vehicles. Autopilot enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within just its lane. For a one-time fee of $10k or for $199/month you can get access to full self-driving capability which adds more features like Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon, Navigate on Autopilot, Autosteer on city streets, and Traffic and stop sign control along with any other feature that Tesla add up to the point of full autonomy.
So Much Better Than Gas Cars The last S is So Much Better than Gas Cars. Seriously they are. Driving an all-electric car like a Tesla has many advantages including a front trunk that adds more storage space no more stopping at gas stations, no more oil changes, running on electricity that is usually much cheaper than gas, less maintenance due to fewer moving parts, a very quiet drives due to lack of a rattling engine, and instant torque that leads to quick acceleration. For charging, a tesla comes with a mobile charger that can charge on a regular outlet, but you’ll probably want to have a dedicated charge port like a NEMA 1450 outlet to charge at a faster rate. But whatever you choose, one of the best parts of owning a Tesla is charging at home overnight so you always wake up to a 90% charge for daily driving. And on a road trip, Tesla’s onboard navigation will automatically guide you to a supercharger station along your route which can charge a Tesla at rates up tp 1000 miles/hour. At this rate, a Long-range Model 3 long Range Model operating at peak efficiency can regain up to 75 miles of charge in just 5 minutes. Ever owning my Model 3 I don’t think I could ever go back to a gas car.
Model 3
The Model 3 is Tesla’s smallest and most affordable vehicle. It’s a sporty four doors sedan, and it’s the only current Tesla that comes in a single motor rear-wheel drive option that starts at $46,190 with 272 miles of range and 0-60 speed of 5.8 seconds which is Tesla’s slowest acceleration. The dual motor all-wheel drives Model 3 comes in two varieties: Long range starting at $ 52,193 which has the most range for any Model 3 variant at 358 miles and a 0-60 speed of 4.2 seconds while the performance Model 3 starts at $60,190 with a range of 315 miles and the fastest acceleration of any Model 3, Going 0-60 in 3.1 seconds.
A performance Model 3 comes with the performance upgrade package which includes 20′ Uberturbine wheels, performance brakes, carbon fiber spoiler aluminum alloy pedals, and lowered suspension. All non-performance Model3s come with 18’aero wheels included or can be upgraded to 19′ sports wheels for $1500. But the large wheels will slightly decrease the estimated range for me I have 18’aero wheels to maximize range and usually always recommend them but if you absolutely hate the way the3 aero wheels look, the 19’sport wheels are fine and aren’t a huge deal breaker for range.
There are two free paint colors to choose from pearl white multi-coat or midnight silver metallic. premium paint includes deep blue metallic, solid black, and res multi-coast which will cost $1,000 to $2,000 depending on the color. I have seen so many owners with the red Model 3 and it’s absolutely gorgeous because it changes shades depending on the lighting, but when I saw a white car that was not a free color and if you bought one today I’d probably stick with white because white Model 3 with aero wheels is not only the most affordable but I have honestly think it looks the best.
All interiors include an expansive tinted glass roof with ultraviolet and infrared protection, a 15-inch landscape touchscreen display, an integrated center console with deep storage and a wireless charger that can charge two phones at the same time, two front and two rear USB-C charging ports, All vegan interior, premium audio system with 14 speakers, 1 subwoofer,2 amps, and immersive sound, Bluetooth integration, a USB port in the glovebox with a 128GB portable storage device included for automatic dash cam and sentry mode video recording, power-adjustable front seat and rear seats, Heated steering wheel. all black interior with a wood veneer dash comes standard or you can upgrade to a black and white interior for $1,000.
Model Y
The Model Y is Tesla’s most affordable SUV and is basically just a larger version of the Model 3 but with a hatchback instead of a trunk. In fact model Y and model 3 share about 75% of the same parts. The Model Y comes in two variants, both of which are dual motor all-wheel drives. The Long Range Model y starts at $60,190 with a range of 330 miles and a 0-60 speed of 4.8 seconds while the performance version starts at $65,190 with a range of 303 miles and a 0-60 speed of 3.5 seconds and comes with the performance upgrade package which includes an increased top speed, 21″ Uberturbine Wheels, Performance Breaks, Lowered suspension, and Aluminum alloy pedals. The Long Range Model Y comes with 19″ gemmy wheels or 20″ induction wheels for $2,000 which will decrease the estimated range slightly to 318 miles. The paint option and price are the same as the Model 3.
White and silverware are free while blue, black, and red will cost you extra. An optional tow hitch costs $1,000 but I honestly would just get this from a third party like Teslarati for under $400 if you don’t mind installing it yourself. The interior features and options are pretty much the exact same as the Model 3 with the option of the black interior or upgraded black and white interior, but the Model Y has one more extra option for seating. It Comes standard with a five-seat interior but can be upgraded to 7 seats which include third-row seating for two, easy Entry into third-row USB-C charging, sliding the second row with adjustable seat backs, fold-flat second and third rows for maximum cargo storage, and Electonic fold-flat releases in the trunk.
Model S and Model X
Next up are the Model S and Model X which I’ll talk about together since they share many features and since they have a smaller customer base given their prices start around six figures. The Model S is Tesla’s flagship vehicle-a powerful sleek four-door sedan that has the longest and quickest acceleration of any electric vehicle in production right now. The Model X is Tesla’s high-performing SUV with the most power and Quickest ACCeleration of any SUV. They both are all-wheel drive with automatic hatchbacks, but the Model X has falcon wing-style doors that open upward which is definitely not for everyone.
They both have the same brand-new redesigned interior with a 17″Cinematic landscape Display, Ventilated and heated seats, Tri-zone temperature controls, and HEPA filtration. they have in-car gaming with up to 10 teraflops of processing power and wireless controller compatibility, multi-device Bluetooth, wireless and USB-C charging for every passenger, and Tesla’s best audio system to date including 22 speakers with Active Road Noise Reduction. And both 2022 versions of the S and X come with the most controversial feature- the new steering yoke which has replaced the normal steering wheel.
It’s definitely something that you should be aware of because even though people who have driven it to say they get used to it after a while it still is a new way of driving and turning the wheel that not all people will want in a car that they just spent $100,000 on. The Model s is built for speed and range and claims to have the lowest drag coefficient on Earth and can still seat up to five adults with fold-flat seats, while the Model X has the, most storage space and a towing capacity of any electric SUV, with seating up to seven adults. Both Models S and X come in two variants- dual motor or tri-motor. The Dual motor Model s starts at $96,190 with the most range of any Tesla right now at 405 miles. and a 0-60 speed of 3.1-second place which is the same as the performance of Model 3.
The trimotors plaid Model S coasts at $35,000 more than the dual motor and has a range of 396 miles and the quickest 0-60 speed in any current Tesla at 1.99 seconds. Both Model S versions come with 19″ Tempest wheels or you can upgrade to 21″arachnid wheels for $4500 which decreases the range slightly. Switching over to the Model X, the dual motor starts at $106,190 with a range of 351 miles and 0-60 speed of 3.8 seconds while the tri-motor plaid Model x costs $15,000 more and has a range of 335 miles and 0-60 speed of 2.5 seconds. The Model X comes with 20″ Cyberstream wheels but can be upgraded to 22″ turbine wheels for $5500 which slightly decreases the range.
For the Model s Model X white is the only free paint color, while black, silver and blue are $1500 and red is the most expensive paint at $2500. The interiors come in black as standard but can be upgraded to white and cream for $2,000.The Model x comes with 5 seats standard but can be upgraded to 6 for $3500 and no you didn’t hear that wrong, The 7-seater model x is cheaper than the 6-seater model x. And adding seats does decrease the estimated range slightly. The Model S and Model X are extremely expensive but they are the best vehicles that Tesla currently offers. According to the owner of the Tesla Model S the car has stupid fast, the most luxurious Tesla he has ever been in, and the new interior is so much better than the old one that they had for years. The storage space, head and leg room, and seat comfort were to the Model 3 in every way.
Tesla starts shipping $3,000 Cybertruck tent
In March 2024, it was reported that Tesla started shipping its ‘Basecamp’, a $3,000 tent designed for the back of the Cybertruck. Accessories are big with trucks. Tesla has planned a series of accessories designed specifically for the Cybertruck.
