Connect with us
tesla model 3 tesla model 3

News

Tesla Model 3 drivers traded in these cars most often to get an EV

Credit: Tesla

Published

on

Tesla Model 3 drivers traded in Honda Civics and Toyota Tacomas most frequently to get their electric vehicle, a new study shows.

A lot of people have made the transition from a combustion engine vehicle to an EV over the past several years as electric powertrains have flexed their advantages.

While EV companies have frequently shown that lack of maintenance and gas savings are the two biggest cost advantages to switching, we have not seen much data over the past several years that includes which cars are most frequently traded in for certain electric models.

However, a new study from CarMax shows that information, particularly pertaining to the Model 3.

The report states that the Honda Civic and Toyota Tacoma pickup were the two most frequently traded-in vehicles that owners gave up for a Model 3:

Advertisement

“Drilling down deeper into the specific makes and models used car shoppers are trading in for an EV also uncovers buying trends. For the Tesla Model 3, our most popular EV at CarMax from September 2022 – February 2023, the most common trade-in was a Honda Civic and the second most common was a Toyota Tacoma.”

Additionally, Tesla shoppers who upgraded to either the more premium sedan, the Model S, or the Model 3’s sibling vehicle, the Model Y, which is a crossover, were most frequently Model 3 owners.

Nissan Leaf buyers were most commonly coming from a Toyota Prius, the study found.

Additionally, all four Tesla models landed in CarMax’s Top 10 most popular electric vehicles. The Model 3 and Model Y topped the list, while the Model X and Model S finished in 7th and 8th place, respectively. The Nissan Leaf was 3rd, the Mustang Mach-E from Ford took 4th, and the Chevrolet Bolt was 5th.

Toyota drivers were the most frequent visitors to CarMax centers in terms of trading their cars in for an EV. BMW, Ford, Honda, and Chevrolet followed.

Advertisement

Tesla drivers made up 5 percent of the brands that were traded in for another EV. The study does not explicitly state how many of these drivers ended up buying another Tesla.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla adds useful Model 3/Y feature home chargers will love

Tesla has made it easier for Model 3 and Y owners to unlock the charging cable with certain adapters, chargers, and home chargers.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla China

Tesla has recently added a small, albeit useful feature for owners who charge their electric vehicles (EVs) at home, and specifically for those who use third-party chargers.

Although Tesla’s first-party home chargers include a physical latch and unlatch button, many third-party chargers do not. As such, in Tesla’s software update 2025.20 that began rolling out this week, the automaker added a subtle shortcut for the Model 3 and Model Y that allows users to stop charging sessions on third-party charging handles and adapters without the unlatch button (via Not a Tesla App).

To unlock the pin that locks the charging cable in place, Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners will now be able to pull and hold the rear left door handle near the charging port for three seconds, at which it will unlatch. Owners would previously have had to crawl into the trunk to do this from inside the vehicle, and the addition will simply add another option to open the door.

The feature requires owners to have the vehicle be either unlocked or have the key nearby, and is especially of benefit to owners who regularly use home or other chargers with NACS adapters such as the J1772, which often don’t necessarily unlatch even when pressing the cable’s button or don’t include a button at all.

READ MORE ON TESLA CHARGING FEATURES: Tesla exec shares unique Supercharger team rule that accelerates EV adoption

Advertisement

You can see a short video of the feature at work below, as posted on Thursday by X user Max Bracco.

It’s not clear as of yet whether or not the feature will be added to Tesla’s other vehicles, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see down the road. Tesla writes the following on the Model 3 and Model Y feature in its 2025.20 release notes:

Charging can now be stopped and the charge cable released by pulling and holding the rear left door handle for 3 seconds, provided the vehicle is unlocked or a recognized key is nearby. This is especially useful when the charge cable doesn’t have an unlatch button. You can still release the cable using the vehicle touchscreen or the Tesla app.

Advertisement

Tesla makes it easier to find towing-compatible Superchargers

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

SpaceX to decommission Dragon spacecraft in response to Pres. Trump war of words with Elon Musk

Elon Musk says SpaceX will decommission Dragon as a result of President Trump’s threat to end his subsidies and government contracts.

Published

on

SpaceX will decommission its Dragon spacecraft in response to the intense war of words that President Trump and CEO Elon Musk have entered on various social media platforms today.

President Trump and Musk, who was once considered a right-hand man to Trump, have entered a vicious war of words on Thursday. The issues stem from Musk’s disagreement with the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which will increase the U.S. federal deficit, the Tesla and SpaceX frontman says.

How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies

The insults and threats have been brutal, as Trump has said he doesn’t know if he’ll respect Musk again, and Musk has even stated that the President would not have won the election in November if it were not for him.

President Trump then said later in the day that:

Advertisement

“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Government Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

Musk’s response was simple: he will decommission the SpaceX capsule responsible for transporting crew and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS): Dragon.

Dragon has completed 51 missions, 46 of which have been to the ISS. It is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth’s orbit. It is the only spacecraft that is capable of returning vast amounts of cargo to Earth. It is also the first private spacecraft to take humans to the ISS.

Advertisement

The most notable mission Dragon completed is one of its most recent, as SpaceX brought NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth after being stranded at the ISS by a Boeing Starliner capsule.

SpaceX’s reluctance to participate in federally funded projects may put the government in a strange position. It will look to bring Boeing back in to take a majority of these projects, but there might be some reluctance based on the Starliner mishap with Wilmore and Williams.

SpaceX bails out Boeing and employees are reportedly ‘humiliated’

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla cites competitive harm in attempt to keep certain crash data private

Tesla wants some data to be kept from the public because competitors could use it for their own benefit.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is citing competitive harm as it is attempting to keep certain crash data private from the public in relation to a lawsuit against it and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from the Washington Post.

In a federal court filing seen by Reuters, Tesla said it wanted some of the crash information the Post was attempting to obtain to be kept confidential because it could be used by rivals to assess the company’s self-driving tech.

Tesla touts its self-driving suite as one of the most robust on the market, and those who have used it believe it to be one of the best around. However, accidents do happen, and while Tesla still has not reached full autonomy and tells drivers to continue paying attention to be prepared to take over, the company still seems to take a lot of the blame for them.

There are also some things that could be revealed about Tesla’s self-driving strategy if it were to release the data, the company says. The efficacy of each version of its FSD suite could allow competitors to calculate how many crashes occurred on each release.

Attorneys for the Washington Post said that Tesla’s versions of both software and hardware are not kept private from owners themselves, so the information should be made public.

Advertisement

The NHTSA has been investigating accidents involving Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite since it opened an investigation last October.

The company is used to dealing with attempts to hinder the progress or capabilities of the FSD suite. When used correctly, it can be a widely beneficial suite that helps make driving less stressful, but Tesla has always been more than vocal that it cannot be used as a replacement for human drivers, at least not yet.

Currently, Tesla Full Self-Driving still requires owners to pay attention and be aware of road conditions, as they may have to take over unexpectedly.

Tesla is hoping to launch its Robotaxi platform in Austin next week on Thursday, as it has reportedly landed on June 12 as its launch date.

Tesla lands on date for Robotaxi launch in Austin: report

Advertisement

However, media skepticism regarding the suite’s capabilities has conveniently started to ramp up as the Robotaxi platform launch nears.

Continue Reading

Trending