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New Tesla Model 3 Performance with federal tax credit is more affordable than Long Range AWD

Credit: Tesla

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With a starting price of $52,990, the reengineered Tesla Model 3 Performance is already a bang-for-the-buck vehicle. But while the new Model 3 Performance stands out from the upgraded Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) and the upgraded Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor All Wheel Drive (AWD) in terms of design, the vehicle also stands out in terms of price. 

This is because among Tesla’s current Model 3 lineup, only the new Model 3 Performance qualifies for the $7,500 federal tax credit. With the federal tax credit and estimated gas savings in place, the upgraded Model 3 Performance becomes more affordable than the mid-tier Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor AWD variant.

This is quite evident in the reengineered Model 3 sedan’s order page. If one were to click on the all-electric sedan’s prices including incentives and estimated gas savings, one would see that the Model 3 Performance’s price is lower than the mid-tier Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor AWD. 

Tesla’s order page for the new Model 3 indicates that the base RWD’s adjusted price with gas savings is $33,990 and the Long Range Dual Motor AWD’s adjusted price with gas savings is $42,740. With the federal tax credit and estimated gas savings, the new Model 3 Performance is listed with a price of $40,490. 

For context, the Model 3 RWD is priced at $38,990 before options without incentives and the Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor AWD is priced at before options without incentives. Without incentives and options, the reengineered Model 3 Performance starts at $52,990. It should be noted that even at this price, one could argue that the vehicle offers excellent value. 

There are few performance cars that can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds that cost $53,000, after all. A look at the new Model 3 Performance’s rivals would show this, as the 2024 BMW M3 starts at $76,995 before options and the 2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 starts at $80,050 before options. With its adjusted price of $45,490 with the federal tax credit, the new Model 3 Performance becomes closer in price to the 2024 Honda Civic Type R, which starts at $45,890 before options, and the Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Edition, which is priced at $46,235

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla tailwinds could drive momentum-filled finish to 2025: analyst

Tesla is heading toward some momentum to finish out the year, one Wall Street firm believes.

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Credit: @heydave7/X

Tesla has some tailwinds that could drive it toward a momentum-filled finish to the year, one Wall Street analyst is predicting.

The tailwinds are joined by some minor risks that have impacted the broader electric vehicle market, but overall, this firm believes Tesla has many catalysts moving forward.

Emmanuel Rosner of Wolfe Research believes that Tesla has plenty of things that could drive the stock upward as we approach the end of the year. With Q3 well underway, Tesla has about five months of catalysts to rely on to erase the roughly 18 percent drop in stock price it has so far this year.

At first glance, it is easy to see the things that would have investors bullish on Tesla for the rest of 2025 and even beyond. Initially, the Robotaxi launch and expansion, which spread to Northern California last night, provide potentially huge tailwinds for the company moving forward.

Tesla expands Robotaxi operation to California’s Bay Area

Along with that, and slightly related, are the advancements in Full Self-Driving that the company has made over the past few months.

This includes the potential launch of the FSD suite in regions like Europe and Australia, where the company believes it will make some progress on regulatory approval in the coming months.

Finally, Wolfe says the company’s Optimus project, which is expected to enter scale production sometime next year, is the third catalyst for Tesla moving forward.

With these three projects in motion, Tesla truly can begin to work on rebounding from a rough 2025 on the market.

Rosner writes:

“This name trades more around the narrative than the numbers. And net-net, we tactically see an improving narrative from here. Tesla has several catalysts coming up w/r/t FSD and Robotaxi, including an expansion of their AV service into several new U.S. markets (San Francisco, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, etc.). The company plans to unlock hands-free/eyes-off autonomy for FSD owners in select U.S. locations by YE25. Supervised FSD in China and Europe is expected to launch over the next ~12 months. And, Optimus is expected to enter scale production in 2026.”

Tesla is currently trading around $310 at around 3:20 p.m. on the East Coast.

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Two driverless Waymo cars collide at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

Two Waymo vehicles collided at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona

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waymo self-driving crash in phoenix
Credit: Reddit | u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET

Two driverless Waymo cars collided at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday, but details are incredibly slim as the accident has barely been mentioned on many social media platforms.

The video of the two Waymo vehicles was shared on Reddit’s r/SelfDrivingCars subreddit by u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET (an interesting username), showing the two Jaguar I-PACE EVs at a standstill.

They were still making contact in the video, with one front driver-side quarter panel still in contact with the other’s front passenger door:

There are relatively no details on the matter, but we reached out to Waymo earlier today, and an employee was able to share the following information.

Waymo told Teslarati that the accident occurred at a low speed, which is evident based on the lack of major damage done to either vehicle. Waymo did not reveal a specific speed at which the accident occurred, but they did mention it was a low speed.

The message Waymo’s vehicles showed after the accident in Phoenix. (Credit: Reddit | u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET)

Additionally, there were no passengers inside either vehicle at the time of the crash. The cause of the accident is still unknown, but the company is currently investigating any potential causes and aims to have more answers in the coming days.

This is an expected growing pain of driverless vehicles, as autonomous rides are still in their very early phases. We have seen Waymo vehicles encounter a variety of challenges over the past several years, including getting stuck at construction zones in other cities.

Here’s one example of one nearly driving into a trench:

Waymo self driving car almost drives into a trench at construction site

Waymo is in direct competition with Tesla Robotaxi, which is operating in both Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo operates in both of these areas.

As Waymo updates us with more details, we will share them here and update the article.

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Tesla tips off where it wants to expand Robotaxi next

Tesla looks to have its sights on several major cities in the United States to expand Robotaxi operation.

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Credit: @AdanGuajardo/X

Tesla has tipped off where it wants to expand its Robotaxi ride-hailing platform next, as it has launched rides in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday.

Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area of California are the two areas where Tesla is currently operating its ride-hailing service. In Austin, there is nobody in the driver’s seat, whereas in California, the rides will operate with someone in the driver’s seat.

This is a regulatory difference, but it is not all bad. California’s geofence for the ride-hailing service is nearly 70 miles long and spans from above San Francisco to the south, all the way down to San Jose.

However, this is not where Tesla is stopping. Expansion is going to occur when Tesla is ready to do so, but it is not being conservative with its expectations.

During last week’s Q2 2025 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects half of the U.S. population to have access to Robotaxi by the end of the year:

“As we get the approvals and prove out safety, we will be launching the autonomous ride-hailing across most of the country. I think we will probably have autonomous ride-hailing in probably half the population of the US by the end of the year. That’s at least our goal, subject to regulatory approvals. I think we will technically be able to do it. Assuming we have regulatory approvals, it’s probably addressing half the population of the US by the end of the year. We are being very cautious. We do not want to take any chances, so we are going to go cautiously. But the service areas and the number of vehicles in operation will increase at a hyper-exponential rate.”

In order to do this, Tesla will need to expand to additional cities. A recent list of job postings captured by Tesla Yoda on X showed that the automaker is hiring in major metropolitan areas of the U.S. to reach more people.

The cities listed in the job postings are:

  • Palo Alto, California
  • Brooklyn, New York
  • Houston, Texas
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Tempe, Arizona
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Orlando, Florida
  • Miami, Florida

Accessing markets like New York City, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, Tampa, and Orlando will enable Tesla to gain access to more customers. These are also major hotspots for tourism in the United States, where people might be able to get Tesla Robotaxi rides during trips or vacations.

These cities are unconfirmed to be in Tesla’s sites as it has not made any official statements about where it will expand in the future. However, these job postings are a good indication of where it could be looking in order to expand.

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