A Tesla Model 3 has taken on the all-new Kia EV6 GT in a crazy all-electric drag race.
As electric vehicles have rapidly grown in popularity within the drag racing scene, it was only a matter of time before a new contender challenged Tesla’s dominance. The latest challenger is the Kia EV6 GT, which has taken the already nimble EV6 and cranked its performance characteristics to 11. In a new video posted on Youtube, the Tesla Model 3 Performance takes on the new contender in a drag race.
The video of the drag race, posted by The Fast Lane Car, pits the Tesla Model 3 Performance against its new tire-shredding rival, the Kia EV6 GT. To show just how fast these two EVs are, a Chevy Corvette is also put on the line.
On paper, the matchup is quite close between the Tesla and the Kia. The Korean contender produces a highly respectable 576 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque from a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup. On the other hand, the Tesla has slightly less power overall; 455 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque coming from a very similar dual-motor all-wheel-drive system.
And while it may look like the Kia has the upper hand in the fight, it actually comes down to a different metric altogether; the power-to-weight ratio. The Kia produces slightly more power but weighs roughly 500 pounds heavier, giving the EV6 GT a power-to-weight ratio of 0.12 horsepower per pound. The Model 3 comes in just below that at 0.107 horsepower per pound, once again hinting at an advantage toward the new Kia.
It should come as no surprise that racing the two incredible EVs was incredibly close, with each vehicle taking a win over the other, likely coming down to launch timing or even tire choice.
As noted in the video, pricing will likely be the most significant determining factor for those still stuck, considering both vehicles. The EV6 GT is significantly more expensive, starting at just above $61,000, and does not qualify for a federal tax incentive.
Besides the pricing discrepancy, Tesla holds one final advantage over Kia, which is quite significant. With its 82kWh battery, the Tesla Model 3 Performance demolishes the Kia EV6 GT in range, reaching 315 miles compared to just 206 from the smaller 77.4kWh battery in the Kia.
Ignoring the range and price difference, it is clear that automakers like Hyundai and Kia are finally approaching competitiveness with Tesla products, especially considering the performance they are capable of. And with Kia’s 800volt architecture, it may be leading its American counterpart in terms of charging speed. Nonetheless, the increased competition is great news for the market. Automakers will be pushed in the coming years to provide the best electric vehicle experience possible, not just a vehicle designed to meet government regulations.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) reported its earnings for the first quarter of 2026 on Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what the company reported compared to what Wall Street analysts expected.
The earnings results come after Tesla reported a massive beat on vehicle deliveries for the second quarter, delivering 489,126 vehicles and building 451,758 cars during the three-month span.
This was a major shock for those on Wall Street as they anticipated somewhere around 400,000 deliveries for the quarter, and showed Tesla still has plenty of demand for its vehicles around the world and in the U.S. despite losing the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year.
Tesla Q2 2026 Earnings Results
- Non-GAAP EPS – $0.33 reported vs. $0.53 expected
- Revenues – $28.236 billion reported vs. $26.4 billion expected
- Free Cash Flow- -$1.092B
- Profit -$ 4.751B
Tesla (beat/missed) analyst expectations, so the market response to the company’s quarter is what we will look for next.
Tesla shares closed today down just over 1 percent, trading at $374.01.
In the past, it has been anyone’s guess with what Tesla shares will do after they report earnings. Strong quarters have resulted in sharp drops, while lackluster quarters have seen the stock shoot up considerably.
Tesla will hold its Q2 2026 Earnings Call in about 90 minutes at 5:30 p.m. on the East Coast. Remarks will be made by CEO Elon Musk and other executives, who will shed some light on the investor questions that we covered earlier this week.
You can stream it below. Additionally, we will be doing our Live Blog on X and Facebook.
Q2 2026 Earnings Call https://t.co/zZS6ii2TWK
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 22, 2026
Tesla is about to make parking in busy parking lots at businesses and other points of interest less stressful than ever by allowing drivers more control over where they park and how, CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X.
Tesla has been working to improve the parking performance of vehicles utilizing the Full Self-Driving suite, but now it is looking to add more customization, allowing drivers to choose the specific space they park in, but also potentially the orientation the car pulls into the spot:
It’s coming soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2026
Musk has reiterated on X twice over the past several weeks that Tesla is working to make things with the FSD suite based more on the driver’s specific preferences and behaviors that were seen in past drives.
Essentially, it sounds like if you tend to park away from a business to avoid other vehicles, Tesla FSD will soon recognize that preference of yours and start parking further away as well. Additionally, the prospect of assigned parking spaces has been something many owners have voiced concerns about.
Living in a community with assigned parking spaces makes using FSD incredibly difficult as it will rarely park in the correct spot when there are so many to choose from. This is also pertinent in work settings where there are sometimes assigned parking spaces.
The updates to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite in terms of listening to driver preferences with parking are also extending to routing. Tesla announced yesterday that with the release of its 2026 Summer Update, it was adding Automatic Navigation and Preferred Routes:
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
Tesla has always maintained the idea that any human input is bad input, and that, ideally, Tesla Full Self-Driving will always make the right decision. Of course, this is all in theory, but the issue is that so many of Tesla’s interventions have come because it does something that is not necessarily wrong, but perhaps not what the driver would prefer.
Taking these preferences into account will help Tesla alleviate some of the potentially unnecessary interventions that drivers perform.
Tesla is starting to prepare for the launch of the Optimus robot in its smartphone app, new coding strings show. Elon Musk has referred to Optimus as what will be the greatest-selling product of any kind of all time, and now, Tesla is getting ready for its launch.
Tesla’s smartphone app had several first-time mentions of the Optimus program, according to Tesla App Updates, who intially reported on the appearance. Here’s what they found:
A Dedicated “Robot” Phone Key Authentication
Tesla is working on a Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, authentication that is specifically for robots. This does not only apply to Optimus, though, as Robotaxi, which is Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, might also identify vehicles within the fleet as robots as well.
Tesla shows rapid teardown of Model S and X lines, paving the way for Optimus at Fremont
Essentially, pairing your phone as a key to anything Tesla identifies as a robot to a “whitelist” of authorized devices. Optimus, Robotaxi, or other products that fall into this category will only respond if the device trying to communicate with it is authorized.
This is a great security feature that will eliminate at least face-value and low-level threats.
Home Data Collection and System Alerts
This appears to be somewhat of a neural network for Optimus within your house. There will be a dedicated screen that asks for consent to collect both video and spatial data while Optimus performs in-home tasks. Everything from vacuuming, washing dishes, dusting, and other activities will be tracked.
There will also be a comprehensive alert system that will track everything from low battery to mechanical issues.
Other Changes
Most of the changes tracked in this particular app update are related to Tesla’s 2026 Summer Update, and include things such as image assets for new features, a preview of the new custom wraps feature, and other unique features.
You can check out our coverage on what is included with the 2026 Summer Update here:
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue
Tesla is about to make parking in busy lots less stressful than ever
