Tesla launches new Model 3 in the UK and Ireland

The new Model 3, more commonly referred to as Project Highland, is now available to order in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The expanded availability of the Model 3 refresh in a left-hand drive (LHD) configuration comes a little over a month after it was first launched as a right-hand drive (RHD) vehicle in China and other markets.

According to an update to the Design Studio in the UK and Ireland, both the Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) and Long Range (LR) variants of the Model 3 are now available to order with the refreshed design, with the Performance variant still missing (although that should change soon).

However unlike when the new Model 3 launched in China, UK buyers can get the entry level variant for a lower price than before. The RWD variant now starts at £39,990, down from the previous price of £39,990 according to Top Gear, while the starting price of the Dual Motor AWD variant remains the same at £49,990.

In Ireland the RWD variant starts at €42,990 and the LR variant at €50,990.

Credit: Tesla

Customers placing an order for the new Model 3 will have to wait a few months as the online configurator is estimating the first deliveries will take place early next year between January and February 2024 for both variants in both countries.

While this is good news for customers in those countries, buyers in Canada and the US are still waiting for word on when the new Model 3 will launch on this side of the pond. According to internal communications, first reported by Drive Tesla, the company is informing staff not to expect it to arrive in North America until some time in early 2024. The delay is due to Giga Shanghai being the only factory that produces the new Model 3, as Fremont has yet to undergo the same production line upgrades to accommodate the new design.

This also means that Tesla is no longer exporting cars from China into Canada, a practice the company only started back in April.