Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 4.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 10,887 individual Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 81.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 19 in every 100 Tesla Model 3 Performance Awds presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd tested had covered 43,490 miles and was built around 2020.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd sits 4.7 points above the national average, ranked 1,400 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see recorded closing bids for damaged Tesla Model 3 Performance Awds at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd

1. Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel, 0.9% of tests (15.01x the national rate for this defect)
2. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 9.6% of tests (5.73x the national rate for this defect)
3. A tyre has a lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. This includes any lifting of the tread rubber, 0.9% of tests (4.42x the national rate for this defect)
4. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.7% of tests (3.68x the national rate for this defect)
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 7.7% of tests (2.74x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brake performance unable to be tested, 0.3% of tests (1.66x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative, 0.4% of tests (1.51x the national rate for this defect)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.8% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2.8% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.1% of tests

From 10,870 DVSA-tracked Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 17.26% of these flagged Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 3.6% of tests (3.41x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 1.8% of tests (2.16x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 24.5% of tests (2x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 25.8% of tests, also fails
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 12.3% of tests, also fails
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 10.5% of tests, also fails
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.2% of tests
8. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.6% of tests
9. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 0.5% of tests
10. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 0.1% of tests

From 10,870 DVSA-tracked Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd tests, 2024.

Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd pass rate by model year

From its 2019 to its 2021 model year, the Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd's first-time pass rate has risen 2.4 points, from 81.6% to 84%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd year:

• 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd - 81.6% first-time pass, 3,660 tests
• 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd - 81% first-time pass, 4,824 tests
• 2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance Awd - 84% first-time pass, 2,278 tests

Other Tesla models

• Tesla Model 3 Long Range Awd - 85.3%
• Tesla Model 3 Standard Range + - 85.6%
• Tesla Model S - 80.4%
• Tesla Model X - 80.2%
• Tesla Model 3 - 89.5%
• Tesla Model X Long Range Awd - 81.1%
• Tesla Model Y Long Range Awd - 91.1%
• Tesla Model S Long Range Awd - 84.7%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Citroen C4 Sense + Puretech S/S - 81.5%
• Porsche 928 S - 81.5%
• MG Zs - 81.4%
• Jaguar Xjs - 81.4%
• Vauxhall Combo 2000 Sportive Td - 81.3%
• Volvo Xc60 - 81.2%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate