6 Months with a Tesla Model 3. Here is What I Actually Think.

The moment you drive an EV for the first time, something clicks. No vibration. No engine noise. Just acceleration that feels almost unfair for a standard model. The Model 3 does 0 to 100 in a few seconds and every single time it still catches me off guard. The handling is tight, the center of gravity is low because of the battery pack sitting on the floor, and the whole thing just feels planted. Confident. Safe.

The interior is everything I wanted. Minimal, functional, clean. As a UX designer I pay attention to these things and Tesla takes the user experience seriously. Almost no physical buttons. Everything lives in the 15 inch screen and it works. The panoramic roof is one of my favorite details. Until Australian summer hits and you are bald and tall like me. Then it becomes personal. I keep a cap in the car now. My wife thinks I am being dramatic. She is probably right.

The white seats almost stopped me from buying the car. I spent weeks overthinking it. Then I watched a video of someone wiping beets off white Tesla seats like it was nothing and that was it. Decision made. Zero regrets since.

Charging. The real conversation nobody has properly.

For the first four months my charging was almost entirely free. Twice a week at the office, sometimes at shopping malls with destination chargers. It felt too good to be true. Because it was.

Free chargers are getting harder to find. Superchargers are now my main option and they are genuinely impressive. 20 to 80 percent in about 20 minutes. In Australia they are actually cheaper than most paid station alternatives.

The problem is I live in an apartment building with no charger in the garage. This is not the car's fault. It is just the reality of EV ownership in 2026 if you do not have a dedicated home charger. It is manageable. But it is something you need to think about before buying one.

One thing that surprised me in a good way. Staying at an Airbnb or a hotel with a power outlet and waking up to a full charge. There is something quietly satisfying about that.

The tech is genuinely good.

Autopilot is something I use every single day. Adaptive cruise control that maintains distance from the car ahead, auto steer that keeps you centered in the lane. It sounds like a gimmick until you drive 40 minutes on a highway and arrive less tired than usual.

Software updates keep coming. Apple Music got added and it is my go-to. They added the ability to adjust the passenger seat from the screen. Volume drops automatically on reverse. Small things that add up to a product that keeps getting better after you buy it.

The sound system punches above its weight too. No subwoofer in my Model 3 but the door woofers deliver real bass. Good enough to make a long drive genuinely enjoyable.

The one thing that actually bugs me.

My parking spot is on the third basement. The moment I drive down I lose internet signal. Music cuts out. Navigation takes a few minutes to reconnect once I am back on the street. It is not a deal breaker. But if Tesla added offline maps it would solve this completely for people in my situation.

Small fix. Big quality of life improvement. Someone at Tesla please read this.

So. Is it worth it?

Yes. Without hesitation. The performance, the tech, the design, the driving experience. It changed how I think about cars. I do not miss anything about petrol.

Just make sure you have somewhere to charge it.