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Tesla Model 3 vehicles which will be exported to Europe

Despite Questionable Reliability, Owners Still Love the 2021 Tesla Model 3

The Tesla Model 3 is one of the hottest all-electric vehicles on the market today. While it doesn’t have the astonishing performance of competitors like the Porsche Taycan, there is more to Tesla cars than just their lack of gas tanks and combustion engines. In previous years, Teslas haven’t always had the best reputation for …

The Tesla Model 3 is one of the hottest all-electric vehicles on the market today. While it doesn’t have the astonishing performance of competitors like the Porsche Taycan, there is more to Tesla cars than just their lack of gas tanks and combustion engines. In previous years, Teslas haven’t always had the best reputation for reliability, in part because the technology they use is so innovative and new, but that hasn’t stopped Tesla Model 3 owners from loving their cars, and the newest model year should be better than ever.

Tesla goes above and beyond

The Tesla Model 3 offers users a more unique experience than any other car (well, except for other Teslas, of course). The Model 3 has all of the standard safety features you might look for in a brand new vehicle, but the brand does more than enhance the ownership experience. For one thing, Tesla listens directly to owner feedback, and shown by the addition of Joe Mode in the most recent update, as a response to one owner’s complaint of alerts being too loud.

They also have a handful of fun and nerdy games and quirks that users can unlock. Romance mode, whoopee cushions, and a game mode that displays nostalgic video games on the infotainment system don’t do much to enhance your driving experience but rather just make the car that much more enjoyable.

A person browsing Tesla Model 3 cars on the company's website
A person browses the Tesla website | Chesnot/Getty Images

Where does the questionable reliability come from?

There haven’t been any outright problems with the Tesla cars that have made them more notable than any other car that’s newer to the mass-production factory lines. A few recalls here, and there is nothing more than you see from many other cars, including 2021 models, but websites like Consumer Reports are skeptical about the Tesla Model 3’s long-term reliability.

Current owners of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 have not made any major or substantiated claims against the vehicle’s reliability. In fact, there isn’t even an active recall out for the car yet. These claims are instead made on the basis that the 2020 model of the Model 3 was riddled with minor, mostly annoying problems, and owners weren’t shy to voice problems or concerns on the Tesla Forum. For a vehicle that has only been in production for a few years, coming from a company that has only started mass-producing cars in the past decade, that isn’t all that surprising.

A close-up of the Tesla Model 3 on display in a small showroom
A Model 3 on display at a Tesla store | Gao Yuwen/VCG, Getty Images

Tesla Model 3 owners love them anyway

If there is one thing we’ve learned from Tesla’s countless updates, it is that they listen closely to owner feedback. It is likely that if any major problems have been openly discussed on forums or, in Elon Musk’s case, Twitter, the manufacturer would be working to resolve them. Since no issues have become problematic for the 2021 Tesla Model 3, there isn’t any concern for owners or potential buyers, and it is likely that this will be the most reliable model yet.

Employees work at the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, east China, as an almost completed Model 3 makes it's way through the production line
The Tesla Model 3 | Xinhua/Ding Ting, Getty Images

Mixed in with user-centric features and constant upgrades, the Tesla Model 3 just stands out from the crowd. Sleek and modern appearances make the car truly look like the future we had imagined electric cars would give us decades ago, with safety features and tech we couldn’t even have imagined.

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Everyone Loves the Tesla Model 3