Tesla's putting a bigger 16-inch centre touchscreen in every Model 3 it sells in the US, Puerto Rico and Mexico, a day after it made the same change in China. Tesla North America announced the update on X on Thursday 1 October US time, and the US online configurator already shows it, Electrek reported.

The two dual-motor versions get more than a screen. The Model 3 Performance gets more range and more power, now rated at 528 hp, and the Premium All-Wheel Drive gets noticeably quicker. US prices haven't changed, and the base car still starts at US$36,990.

What's new on the US Model 3

The new display replaces the 15.4-inch one across the whole range, right down to the entry-level Rear-Wheel Drive. Tesla's comparison tool now lists a 16-inch first-row touchscreen on every trim, according to Electrek. It's the same size screen Tesla put in the US Model Y Premium in January. Tesla has quoted the Model 3's screen at 15.4 inches since the refreshed car, the one Tesla fans call Highland, launched in September 2023. So this is the first size bump Tesla has listed for it since then.

Photo: Chanokchon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), cropped

"Every Model 3 in the US, Puerto Rico & Mexico now comes with a larger 16" center touchscreen," Tesla North America posted. The post went on to list a black headliner for the Model 3 Performance and "more range (316 miles, up from 309) & improved peak power at 528hp".

In metric terms, the Performance's EPA-estimated range goes from about 497 km to about 509 km. Its peak output of 528 hp works out to roughly 394 kW. Electrek pointed out that Tesla listed the car at 510 hp when it launched in 2024. The 0 to 97 km/h time stays at 2.9 seconds.

The Premium All-Wheel Drive gets the bigger jump in performance. Tesla now quotes 0 to 97 km/h in 3.8 seconds, down from 4.2 seconds, with an EPA-estimated range of 346 miles, or about 557 km.

Tesla didn't say where the extra power and range come from. It also hasn't said whether any of it will reach cars already on the road, Electrek reported.

US prices stay put

The update came with no price change. According to Electrek, the US Model 3 line-up still runs:

  • Rear-Wheel Drive: US$36,990
  • Premium Rear-Wheel Drive: US$42,490
  • Premium All-Wheel Drive: US$47,490
  • Performance: US$54,990

So people buying the cheapest Model 3 get a bigger screen for the same money, and Performance buyers get a bit more range and power on top.

China got it first

Tesla China announced its version of the update on 1 October local time, with a set of marketing posters on its official Chinese channels, Electrek reported. Every Model 3 trim on sale there now has the 16-inch screen. Tesla says it's sharper and refreshes faster, but it didn't give figures for either.

The Chinese update goes further in two ways. Buyers there can now pick a new light grey premium interior, paired with a black fabric headliner. And every Model 3 and Model Y on sale in China can now put out up to 2.2 kW of AC power, enough to run small appliances on a camping trip. Tesla's example was a rice cooker, a hot pot and a kettle all running at once. Owners need Tesla's separately sold power adapter, except in the three-row Model Y L, according to CnEVPost.

Chinese prices didn't move either. The Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive still lists at 235,500 yuan, and the Performance at 339,500 yuan, CnEVPost said. Tesla's also running a promotion there, with 5,000 yuan off the final payment for orders placed by 31 October.

The deals stack up. Electrek reported that Tesla China is also offering five-year 0% finance, an 8,000 yuan insurance subsidy on three of the four trims, an 8,000 yuan paint credit and a choice of charging perks. With the discount and the subsidy, Tesla advertises the Model 3 from 222,500 yuan. The competition isn't far off, though. Electrek noted that BYD's new Formula S sedan starts at 189,900 yuan.

The Model 3 has been picking up in China. It had 20,787 deliveries there in August, up 17.18% on a year earlier and its best month of 2026 so far, according to China Passenger Car Association data compiled by CnEVPost. Tesla's total China deliveries fell 12.43% to 50,047 in August, so the Model 3's doing better than the brand as a whole.

What the US car still doesn't get

The US update leaves out two things Chinese buyers got. The light grey interior isn't in the US configurator, so American buyers still pick between black and black-and-white. And there's no vehicle-to-load on the US Model 3.

When Tesla brought vehicle-to-load to the US in August, it kept the feature to the Model Y Premium, the Model Y Performance and the Cybertruck, at 2.4 kW through an US$80 adapter, Electrek reported. Thursday's update didn't add the Model 3 to that list.

Canada isn't part of this round. Tesla's post named only the US, Puerto Rico and Mexico, and the Canadian configurator still showed the 15.4-inch screen when Electrek checked. Electrek pointed out that Canada's Model 3 comes from Giga Shanghai, the same factory that builds the Chinese cars that just got the bigger screen.

Tesla hasn't said anything yet about other right-hand-drive or export markets, and Australian buyers will want to keep an eye on that. Tesla owners here have had other good news this year, including insurance discounts for FSD Supervised drivers, as we reported.

What's next

The screen update landed just ahead of Tesla's third-quarter production and delivery report, which was due on Friday 2 October US time. Tesla doesn't usually break out individual model changes in those numbers, so it won't be easy to see what a bigger screen does for sales.

For buyers, the short version is simple. A new Model 3 in the US, Mexico, Puerto Rico or China now comes with the 16-inch screen at no extra cost, the US Performance has more range and power, and the Premium AWD is quicker than it was last week.