Tesla Model 3 News

Tesla has underperformed most analysts worst-case scenario, with the EV company reporting a total 323,800 units sold globally in the first three months of 2025.

Tesla has secured its first permits required to make its future Cybercab autonomous hailing service real.According to Reuters, Tesla received a transportation charter party carrier permit from the California Public Utilities commission, which allows the brand to operate an app-based rideshare fleet service for pre-arranged trips.This is important, as it is the first step in the brand moving toward offering an autonomous rival to the likes of Uber, with Cybercab rides theoretically ordered via the Tesla app, with Tesla owning and operating the fleet.However, it is noted by multiple outlets that this permit doesn’t authorise the company to operate autonomous rides, and the version given to the brand only allows it to provide rides to employees and not the general public.The company will need to apply for multiple different permits which will allow it to run a public ride-hailing service like Uber, but also one to allow it to run autonomous vehicles like Waymo, which already operates several geofenced robotaxi services in multiple American cities.Controversial Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in January the company planned to have self-driving cars on the road in Texas as early as June of 2025, telling Tesla investors that 2025 will be “the most important year in Tesla’s history.”According to a separate Reuters report, there is nothing in Texas law that would stop Tesla from operating a robotaxi service in the state, so long as the vehicles are registered and insured.The Cybercab was revealed in October of 2024 at a Tesla event titled 'We Robot' with Musk saying the driverless vehicle would enter production “before 2027” alleging that the price will be lower than AU$45,000 for private buyers.Musk pitched the Cybercab as a form of “individualised mass transit” which he claimed would be more affordable per mile than a bus to run. He said buyers would be able to rent their vehicle out when they weren’t using it. Strangely, Musk also added that the powerful computers the Cybercab will need for its autonomous driving functions could also be used by the company to be a part of a cloud computing service while the vehicle is not in use.Strangely for a purpose-built rideshare vehicle, the Cybercab takes the form of a two-door two-seat coupe, the version shown even having supercar-like scissor doors.At the time, the brand also showed a Robovan mini bus which could “carry up to 20 people.”Musk also claimed the current Model 3 and Model Y will eventually be able to support robotic taxi functions via over-the-air updates “wherever regulators will approve it” but has since admitted the 'Hardware 3' computer in current vehicles is not capable of supporting the ‘Full Self Driving’ (FSD) software despite the brand continuing to sell it as a $10,100 option on Australian-delivered vehicles.Tesla sales are down a whopping 71.9 per cent compared to this time last year, a drop likely due to several factors, including a general retraction of the EV market in Australia as well as many buyers waiting for delivery of the updated version of its best-selling Model Y SUV. However, the brand’s chances of recovery to the point where it continues to dominate the EV market are questionable, as Musk’s political activities abroad have polarised potential buyers.In the meantime, the brand has also taken the previously-unprecedented step of releasing an even more basic version of the Model 3 in Mexico (swapping the leather seat trim for cloth, as well as removing the rear screen and heated seats). A recent report suggested Chinese-built Model Ys will undergo a similar de-specification as the brand chases further price-competitiveness with an increasing field of Chinese rivals.

There are some surprising changes to Tesla's Model Y which reverse some controversial choices made on the Model 3.

A class action lawsuit is being levelled against Tesla in Australia.It is being organised by law firm JGA Saddler and it alleges the company sold vehicles that were defective in Australia.It concerns Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built from 2021 onwards that are equipped with the Autopilot feature.The class action alleges the brand over promised on the capabilities of its vehicles and some functions didn’t work properly.The three main issues were for phantom braking, which the lawsuit alleges occurs when the auto emergency braking tech brakes at inappropriate circumstances that could lead to an increased risk of an accident.It calls out the vehicles’ driving range, too. The lawsuit alleges owners can not achieve or come close to the advertised range or the range displayed on the vehicle’s dashboard when the battery level is greater than 50 per cent.The final point of the class action surrounds the vehicle's Autopilot claims. It said the hardware on Tesla vehicles is incapable of supporting fully autonomous or close to autonomous driving despite claims to the contrary.The firm is looking for aggrieved owners to take part in the action against Tesla, which will be argued in the Federal Court of Australia.“Tesla made promises about their vehicles’ safety, performance and features such as their ‘full self-driving’, but it appears some of these promises are falling flat,” said JGA Saddler director Rebecca Jancauskas, according to news.com.au.“Imagine your EV has never reached 75 per cent of its advertised battery range, or the promised self-driving features, that you paid a premium of more than $5000 for, have never been delivered,” Ms Jancauskas said.“It is hoped this claim underscores the importance for all EV manufacturers to be truthful in their marketing, deliver on their promises, and ensure their products are safe and reliable,” she said.This isn’t the first time Tesla’s Autopilot feature has been put in the spotlight.In 2020 Germany banned the company from using the term “Autopilot” to describe its semi-autonomous driving features.There have also been numerous reports overseas that Teslas have been involved in accidents when owners have relied too heavily on the technology.Last year an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US found the Autopilot feature had been involved in at least 13 fatal accidents.

Electric cars are finding their footing in the new car market, but used EVs remain mysterious. You can’t check the oil, the service records won’t tell you much and the single most expensive part — the battery — typically requires full replacement if there’s an issue, rather than repair. Good news is that data from online auction house Pickles shows that battery health is in line with — if not better — than manufacturer predictions. Which should help allay one of the biggest fears of buying a second hand electric car.The vast majority of electric cars on sale today have an eight-year or 160,000km — whichever comes first — battery warranty. These typically guarantee the battery health of any car will remain above 70 per cent. If not, the manufacturer will replace the unit free of charge. Battery health refers to what percentage of the battery’s original capacity remains usable and dictates maximum driving range. For example, if a car was capable of travelling 500km from 100 per cent charge when new, a battery health of 80 per cent would see your maximum range fall to 400km. Additional aspects, including fast-charge time, may be affected as well. Pickles has found the average battery health of vehicles sold to be in excess of 90 per cent, even for vehicles that have travelled more than 120,000km. Many of these cars would have travelled this distance in less than five years, which is an impressive result. Additionally, cars over four years old with lower kilometres retained, on average, more than 93 per cent battery health.Data was collected from the ‘Pickles EV battery health assurance process’, which uses consistent third party software and has been run on 250 vehicles so far. See the below table for observed battery health against kilometres travelled. “This underlines that Pickles is selling used EVs with very healthy batteries, as early data suggests battery health is in line with manufacturer expectations,” said Brendon Green, Pickles General Manager, Automotive Solutions.Some brands fared better than others, though exact reasons why would be speculative. Hyundai and BYD had the highest average battery health rates, followed by Tesla. Partially this can be attributed to Tesla being around for longer. With advancements in battery temperature management such as liquid cooling and heat pumps, lifetime health has generally improved. Admittedly, Pickles’ sample size is small compared to the 90,000-strong new electric car market last year. The auction house had 334 electric cars come through in 2024, a huge leap from 2023’s 115 units. Naturally, the used market has lagged behind the new one but there’s an important milestone coming up, with the government’s FBT exemption for electric vehicles coming up to three years old in July. This will see numbers increase as cars come off lease. Along with bringing broader choice, prices are only expected to fall further in response to intense new-car discounting and a flood of the market.Not ideal for those who purchased new electric cars, but a great thing for those looking to get into an EV without the capital for a new purchase. Pickles' data shows used petrol and diesel vehicles remain 20 per cent above pre-COVID prices, electric vehicle are back to, or below, those values.Interestingly, the report shows that a much greater number of electric cars are selling to private buyers (51 per cent) versus the split for petrol and diesel vehicles (24 per cent) which are motor trade heavy. Green said that EVs may have attracted a “marginally smaller” dealer pool, but the private buyer interest is a good thing for Pickles and its sellers as they are typically less outright price sensitive. “In general, EV buyers are far more educated than any other vehicle buyer category that we’ve seen so far. They do a lot of research, because they’re all stepping away, often for the first time, from a traditional ICE . “They’ve probably test driven them elsewhere and gone, right, I want a Tesla Model 3 with two years and 30,000kms and there’s three of them on Pickles already,” explained Green. 

When Tesla CEO Elon Musk called 2025 the “biggest year in Tesla history” at a recent investors meeting, he was right, though not for the reason of becoming the world’s biggest company as he might think.

The revolution hasn’t been canceled, but it appears to be delayed.

Here are our top 10 cars released in the first 25 years of this century.

It’s been another huge year at CarsGuide, especially when it comes to our video content.

According to the Chinese Zodiac 2025 is the ‘Year of the Wood Snake’ but it could prove to be the ‘Year of the Electric Car’ when we look back on it. That’s because electric vehicles (EVs) have a lot to prove in 2025 after surging (pun intended) and now seemingly in need of a recharge (pun also intended).