Tesla's cheapest EV gets range boost for free: 2025 Tesla Model 3 RWD receives bigger battery from the 2025 Tesla Model Y RWD to cement its lead over the 2025 BYD Seal

2025 Tesla Model 3 RWD (Image: Tom White)

Tesla has quietly increased the range of its entry-level Model 3 electric sedan for no extra charge.

The Model 3 RWD is now fitted with a larger 62.5kWh (up from 60kWh) lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack from CATL, which has helped increase the WLTP claimed range to 520km (up from 513km).

This larger battery pack comes from the related Tesla Model Y RWD, and it’s worth noting the Model 3 Long Range AWD and Performance still have the same 79kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery pack.

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While the Model 3 RWD has only picked up an additional 7km of claimed range with the larger battery pack, its asking price of $54,900 before on-road costs remains unchanged.

Also unchanged is the car’s claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.1 seconds, and the top speed of 201km/h.

Power still comes from a single, rear-mounted electric motor which produces 208kW and 350Nm.

This new battery pack marks the first time the entry-level Model 3 RWD has received a mechanical upgrade since the pre-update model received the CATL-sourced 60kWh LFP battery in late 2021.

The updated Model 3 ‘Highland’ did bring a number of aerodynamic tweaks that improved claimed range across the entire line-up, but until now the battery pack remained the same.

Examples of the Tesla Model 3 RWD with this larger battery are already available to order and are in inventory across many Australian states.

Although Tesla is still the best-selling EV brand in Australia, sales in the first four months of 2025 are down almost 62 per cent compared to the same period last year.

2025 Tesla Model 3 RWD (Image: Tom White)

For the Model 3 particularly, sales are down almost 67 per cent year-on-year, with a total of 6865 examples sold in the first four months of 2025.

Despite this, BYD has only managed to sell 627 examples of the Seal electric sedan over the same period. This means the Model 3 is currently outselling the Seal almost 11 to one.