← Back to news
Technology

Tesla Model 3 gets range and performance boost, plus a new 16-inch screen in US

Tesla Model 3 gets range and performance boost, plus a new 16-inch screen in US
Tesla Model 3 Performance with the 16-inch touchscreen and black headliner

Tesla is now putting its larger 16-inch center touchscreen in every Model 3 sold in the US, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, a day after it rolled out the same upgrade in China.

The Model 3 Performance also gets a black headliner, 316 miles of range, and 528 hp, while the Premium AWD now does 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. But there’s still no word on the US Model 3 getting vehicle-to-load.

What’s new on the US Model 3

Tesla North America announced the changes on X on Thursday evening, and the US configurator already shows them:

Every Model 3 in the US, Puerto Rico & Mexico now comes with a larger 16" center touchscreen

Additional highlights

  • Black headliner for Model 3 Performance, also more range (316 miles, up from 309) & improved peak power at 528hp
  • Model 3 Premium AWD accelerates even quicker… pic.twitter.com/dIdflr8F33
  • Tesla North America (@tesla_na) October 2, 2026

The 16-inch display replaces the 15.4-inch unit across the lineup, and that includes the base Model 3 RWD at $36,990. Tesla’s comparison tool now lists a 16-inch first-row touchscreen for every trim.

It’s the same screen Tesla added to the Model Y Premium in January, and the one every Model 3 in China got yesterday.

The rest of the update is about the two dual-motor cars. The Model 3 Performance gets a black headliner, its EPA-estimated range goes from 309 to 316 miles, and Tesla says peak power is “improved” at 528 hp. Tesla listed the car at 510 hp when it launched in 2024. Its 0 to 60 mph time is unchanged at 2.9 seconds.

The Model 3 Premium AWD gets the bigger jump. It now does 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, down from 4.2 seconds, with 346 miles of range.

Tesla Model 3 Performance interior with the 16-inch touchscreen and black headliner

Tesla didn’t say where the extra power and range come from, or whether any of it will reach cars it already delivered.

The base price didn’t move. The Model 3 still starts at $36,990, with the Premium RWD at $42,490, the Premium AWD at $47,490, and the Performance at $54,990.

What the US Model 3 still doesn’t get

Vehicle-to-load is the big one. In China, every Model 3 can now push out 2.2 kW of AC power with an adapter. In the US, Tesla limited V2L to the Model Y Premium, Model Y Performance, and Cybertruck in August, and nothing changed for the Model 3 with this update. Tesla’s comparison tool doesn’t list any external power feature for the car.

The new light gray interior that Tesla launched in China isn’t in the US configurator either. US buyers still choose between black and black-and-white, and the black headliner is only on the Performance.

And Canada isn’t part of this. Tesla’s post only names the US, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, and the Canadian configurator still showed the 15.4-inch screen when we checked. That’s odd, because Canada gets its Model 3 from Giga Shanghai, the same factory that builds the Chinese-market cars that got the 16-inch screen yesterday.

ReactApp.top - Complex software, clearly built. Senior React & Node.js engineering for systems with real business logic, data and integrations.