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It’s no secret that electric vehicles are continuing to gain popularity in the US. Last year, electric cars accounted for 8.7 percent of all new vehicle sales, compared to 7.8 percent the year prior. As EV tech continues to improve and prices fall as a result, more and more Americans are turning to the battery-electric vehicle for their daily driving needs, rather than the tried-and-true internal combustion offerings.

One such electric vehicle stormed onto the scene last year without much of a warning, and ended up making quite a name for itself. The model in question is the Tesla Model 3, specifically the Performance iteration. While it doesn’t quite offer the earth-shattering performance of Teslas like the Model S Plaid, it’s still able to set your pants on fire at a price that’s a bit more agreeable than the Model S’s base MSRP of $94,990, before any gas savings or incentives are factored in.

Small Price, Big Performance

2025 Tesla Model 3 Performance Key Points

• Introduced mid-2024
• Boasts a 0-60 mph time of 2.9 seconds
• Prices start at $54,990 before any gas savings or other incentives
• Sports a new performance-tuned suspension system

The Model 3 sedan has been sitting in Tesla’s lineup since its introduction in 2017. Its purpose in the model range is to serve as the entry-level model, with a current base price of $42,490 before any of Tesla’s gas-savings or math is factored in, which you all have to untick to see the actual MSRP.

What Sets The Model 3 Performance Apart

The Model 3 Performance is different from the rest of the Model 3 range straight away. It features a slightly altered and more athletic appearance, with subtly different front and rear fascias and a trunk-lid spoiler. It’s also been lowered by almost half an inch, and sits on a special adaptive new suspension setup designed to better handle cornering and increase responsiveness. Its chassis has been stiffened and reinforced, and it also comes with a set of upgraded brakes.

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2025 Model 3 Performance Detailed Spec Breakdown

*Specs courtesy of Tesla

Overall, Tesla worked to create a performance-oriented model for those who aren’t looking to spend nearly $100k on a Model S Plaid. Being able to achieve a supercar-like 0-60 mph time of less than three seconds and a respectable top speed is one thing, but it also offers all-wheel drive and adaptive suspension setup that, reportedly, rides just as absorbently as the regular Model 3 when in its normal setting. However, when its Track Mode V3 is activated, Tesla claims it provides the Model 3 Performance with an exhilarating, sports car-like experience.

What You get For Your Money

While the Performance trim doesn’t completely rewrite the Model 3’s story regarding its features, it does add quite a bit in terms of mechanical options, along with adding some new convenience and tech features. Things like the aforementioned adaptive suspension are unique to the Model 3 Performance, along with a special set of 20-inch forged wheels and sports front seats with extra bolstering. A full list of the Model 3 Performance’s unique upgrades is shown below:

• Bespoke Performance design
• AWD with Performance Drive Unit
• Sport Seats
• Lowered adaptive suspension
• 20” forged wheels
• Track Mode V3

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Pricing

If you only pay attention to Tesla’s advertised price of the Model 3 Performance, you’ll be excited to see the figure read $42,490 on Tesla’s website. However, Tesla is known for including all estimated gas savings, federal EV tax credits, and even individual state EV tax credits into its vehicles’ initial prices. As far as the figure stated above, though, that’s after the federal EV tax credit of $7,500 is applied, which the Model 3 Performance qualifies for, along with Tesla’s individual gas savings estimate of $5,000.

Take all of those away, and you end up with the 2025 Model 3 Performance’s true base MSRP of $54,990. Of course, Tesla offers a few options which can inflate that price. Keep in mind that if you add an option that can’t be added via an over-the-air update later, the price will go above $55k, which means the federal tax credit is no longer in play.

How The Model 3 Performance Stacks Up To The Competition

The performance-oriented EV market has begun to heat up in recent years. We can attribute the growing interest in it to the relative decrease in EV pricing, and the gradual improvement of the tech involved in electric vehicle development. In the Model 3 Performance’s case, it has to contend with a slew of moderately priced models, including the 2025 Kia EV6 GT and the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, both of which offer a good deal of all-electric performance at reasonable prices.

Kia EV6 GT

Kia unleashed the EV6 just a few years ago, near the end of 2022. The EV6 itself has been around for three years now, and serves as Kia’s electric compact-crossover SUV, but the GT only arrived for MY2023. The range was refreshed for MY2025, but the 2025 Kia EV6 GT still looks much like the GT-Line trim, which is to say, very understated. Like the Model 3 Performance, it boasts an AWD drivetrain and a respectable amount of power. Over the normal EV6, it gets larger, 21-inch wheels and a set of upgraded, four-piston brake calipers.

*Specs courtesy of Kia and Tesla

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

One of the newer boys on the block, we have the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which is the CarBuzz EV of the Year. It sits as the top trim on the Ioniq 5 lineup, and comes standard with just over 600 horsepower. It’s equipped with something Hyundai calls “N Grin Boost Mode” which injects an extra 40 horsepower into the mix for a short duration. It also features some unique tech features to help simulate the feel and sound of an internal-combustion vehicle, including a simulated eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and sporty exhaust notes that get piped into the Ioniq 5 N’s cabin and outside the vehicle itself.

*Specs courtesy of Hyundai and Tesla

Sources: Tesla, Kia, Hyundai.