Model S

Make
Tesla
Segment
Sedan

According to Tesla, its new Model 3 sedan is capable of going 310 miles on a single charge. No doubt that's quite impressive, especially for an EV. However, Teslarati suggests that Tesla is purposely "under reporting" the car's true driving range. This information has come to light thanks to data gathered by the EPA during the Model 3's certification summary. Quick side note: the base Model 3 has a 220-mile range, while the Long Range variant, the one currently on sale, supposedly has 310 miles.

But Teslarati examined the EPA's certification document more closely and discovered that the Long Range Model 3 did indeed return 334 miles of range. What's up with this? Well, this isn't the first time Tesla has under reported its cars' driving range. For example, it rated the Model S 100D at 335 miles, but the EPA certified it at 341 miles. Teslarati further explains that the EPA goes through a five-cycle testing process, and once range is determined, it's then multiplied by 0.7, which is part of the agency's weighted system that takes into account real-world driving situations. When calculating combined ratings, 55 percent accounts for city driving, 45 percent for highway.

As for the Model 3, it returned 495.04 city miles and 454.62 highway. Using that 0.7 factor brings things to 347 and 318, respectively, and there's your combined 334 miles. So yes, the Long Range Model 3 essentially ties the Model S 100D's driving range, which is mighty impressive. But the question is why did Tesla so drastically underestimate the Model 3's range? Could it be because Tesla simply can't build enough cars fast enough to satisfy all of those pre-orders? Or, more than likely, is it simply trying to play it safe with a conservative figure, instead of risking bad publicity in case its (higher) estimate didn't turn out? Whatever the reason, this is simply more proof the new Tesla Model 3 will likely end up the benchmark affordable EV on the market.