Coming Soon

Tesla Model 3 Pre-Highland (Original)

2017–2023 · sedan

Tesla doesn't do traditional model generations — the Model 3 from 2017-2023 is what the community calls 'pre-Highland' or 'original Model 3.' Builds rolled through continuous over-the-air and hardware revisions: the 2017-2018 early VINs had the most quality issues (paint, panel gaps, MCU1 with the failing eMMC flash chip); 2019 brought HW3 ('Autopilot 3.0') with the in-house FSD computer; 2021 got the heat-pump HVAC and the dual-pane front glass; late-2021 onward came standard with LFP batteries on RWD/Standard Range. RWD, Long Range AWD, and Performance trims throughout.

Watch out: MCU eMMC flash-chip failure on early (2017-2018) builds — the infotainment computer dies because the flash wears out from constant writes. Tesla's NHTSA eMMC recall (21V-035) covered MCU1 cars but explicitly excluded the Model 3; out-of-warranty replacement runs $1,500-$2,500.