RWD is less expensive, more efficient and degrades slower. If you are doing a road trip, ask yourself, how often will you be able to skip a charging stop in a LR. Unless the chargers are less than 50 km apart, you will do the same stop, pay more to charge it and potentially wait longer if the charger is capped - e.g Tesla 120kw charger with two cars charging will be limited to 60 ish per car. Connect RWD and LR and you will get roughly the same charging speed, and a bigger battery to fill.
Yep, I think I agree on all of those. Of course there is the performance and AWD features, but I guess everyone needs to look at what is important for them. The LR also charges at a faster rate, but I am not sure that makes that much of a difference.
I’d be looking at what charging options they have near home, work and other frequented places. We live in an apartment, no building charging (yet) the nearest charger to us is a 5 minute walk away and a level 2 Chargefox. There are no Tesla fast chargers within 20+ mins of us so for the overwhelming majority of our charges are on the cheap level 2s so having the faster charging, longer range model would be pointless for us. Also, if you look at the recent charging grants from the Governments (State & Fed), they’re mostly targeting level 2 curb side sharing for non car park EV drivers. Now in the event you move into an apartment down the track, (a very common housing step these days in the city) then the LFP is a much easier sell to the building Luddites as they are considered a ‘safer’ battery. Finally, even if your main use case is hwy driving, your range is still limited by the placement of the charging network which, based on the RAA and NRMA rollout plans (2 of the largest Chargefox networks) then give or take your stops are going to be 150km apart. So your high level distances will be 150, 300, 450, 600 (very roughly - lots of factors a play in real life) I can’t see any advantage for the LR over the SR given the difference in range is maybe 50-80 kms let alone the additional cost. On the performance side of the argument, the SR has more than enough power around town to burn some licence points. I couldn’t see any reason to pay more chasing 2.5 seconds on my 0-100 times when most of my trips are along 50 or 40 marked roads.
I think you've thought it out very well. Lucky that you have the level 2 charger a 5 minute walk away. That should be very handy so that you can maybe leave the car there for a couple of hours once or twice a week to top up when you need to.
I bought the MYLR. For me personally I travel frequently to my folks who are 200Kms away. The LR easily does 400Kms on a single charge so that's a big plus for me - I've never once used a supercharger in fact (home charging). Extra performance is nice, and while I can't compare it to the RWD having no experience, the AWD certainly holds the road amazingly well. The wear on the tyres so far has been perfectly even which might be another small advantage, and don't forget fog lights (is that true?). Seriously very happy with my decision.
I think for your needs the Long Range would make more sense. Though I a guessing you are able to charge at home? If so that make's it a fair bit easier. I can see how it could be less convenient if you couldn't charge at home. Certainly not a deal breaker, but less than ideal. Could still charge at shopping centers or slow council chargers once or so a week. Would be cool if gyms installed slow chargers, so you could top up the car whilst you're at the gym.
I went with the LR. I travel a lot to visit friends and family since I’ve moved away so I’ve made use of that extra range. When I got it I knew I still had a few weeks of living in my apartment before my lease was up but I didn’t learn until right before I ordered that I should only charge it to 80% for daily driving. Still worked out since I WFH so only have to charge once like every 2 weeks. And my new place will have a garage so I should be set after that with even the 120v charging.
Thanks for the review, Lee. I bought my LR at the start of the year (M3 2024). My first EV, a lotta thought went into. But it was very much taken on as a learning experience and the Technology is changing rapidly. Living in regional NSW I like the idea of charging at home and getting where I need to go in one hop. I like the idea of getting home and having some extra battery for the next day too. Extra benefits include a boost to acceleration but also 4 driving wheels on the road (or wherever you would like to place them). I don't think it has been reviewed, but I wonder if the SexyButtons single motor option would give the LR even better range.
Glad to hear it's working well for you. I am hesitant to install anything like the buttons as I am always a bit worried about anything that could potentially effect warranty. I am probably being over cautious but here I am. 🤣
You are right, the LFP is the better option, I charge my Model Y to 100 percent each time I charge it. Also I have been looking forward to your Melbourne to the Gold Coast and back so bring it on. Thanks Rob
Hi Lee I think the value proposition of the current rear wheel drive coupled with the battery charging requirements of each car would push me to the cheaper rear wheel drive model Y. I just wish the LFP model was a little faster but you can have everything!
I have thought about this question many times. You are completely right that the standard range batteries should be charged to 100% at least once a week. However, leaving your car at high states of charge isn’t good for the battery regardless if it’s a NCM or LFP. If you want to optimize an LFP battery, you should charge it to 100% and leave as soon as the battery hits 100%. Sadly for the Australian market, you don’t get the BYD LFP batteries like we do in Europe. The CATL batteries are fine, but they don’t charge nearly as good as the BYD. I would therefore only consider the long range if you do long trips regularly, but I think the standard range is fine for most people.
All good points, I guess it does comes down to some other points that the person may consider. Seeing as it's a friend of a friend in my case, hard to know. I guess everyone has to look at their individual needs and go from there. ☺️
It depends on where your Model Y is manufactured. The Model Y RWD in the US is also a NMC battery. Therefore the RWD in the US has lower range any way you look at it. Not a car guy's logic definitely applies to the US Model 3 LR (NMC battery) vs US Model 3 RWD (LFP battery) though
I just went through all the same research and thoughts and watched a bunch of real-world tests that showed that in practice the Long range only gets about 11% more range than the RWD and is currently 15k more + being a performance about 1k more to insure per year. The fact that it only adds about 30 mins to a Melb to Syd trip to have the RWD made me go that way. However, I think rather than actually being about the range people will choose the Long Range for the Dual motor and AWD performance more than anything else. If the difference was 8K I would choose the long range but for 15k it was a no brainer for me. The only charge to 80% most of time also bugged me a little!
I have a 2022 RWD Model 3 with the LFP and we recently bought a 2023 Model X Plaid. We NEVER need the available range of either and the truth is, out on the road on a long road trip per se, there is the fantastic Tesla SuperCharger network. That being said, our Model X charges much quicker and with more range, it would be a better road tripper. We've road-tripped the 3 but not yet with the X. We'll report back with any differences. Thank you.
I think more range will certainly make long road trips "easier" or at least more convenient. But on day to day use round town, I don't think it makes that much of a difference? A bit jealous of your Model X, such a shame we can't get those over here.
Yeah it does take quite a while to get that last bit between 80%-100%. Though I do find quite often I am chatting to someone I've met at a charger on long road trips and end up going a bit over 80% anyways as I was talking and didn't want to leave as soon as possible. But that's possibly just me. 🤣
We bought our RWD Model Y which has a WLTP range of 455 km. The LR has a range of 535, but with only 80% charge on a day to day basis, you are looking at a very small difference. I also think that the dual motors must cost a bit on the effiency, but I can’t back that up. The different technology of the batteries should give an advantage to the LR on time spent at the SuC on road trips, but in a crowded SuC with all stalls occupied, you might not feel the difference. I think Tesla Bjorn made a comparison between the two models, where the LR charged faster up to 50% and from there, they were even.
What’s your real world range on your LR? I don’t know anyone who do daily road trips, and here in Denmark the average drive is 50 km a day. Personally it’s much less. I have family who bought the LR and they do not feel the advantage on a daily basis.
@@jriis2010 I was just joshing. I have a 2024 MY RWD (or standard) and it does 435 real world range in my fortnightly stats between charges! It's amazing for what I need.
I ordered a Tesla Model Y. Long Range, Dual Motor. Why "Long Range"? Because it is sometimes fun to play with the additional HP's and acceleration and it STILL brings you home! 🙂
Definitely Long Range. Obviously extended range compared to RWD is an advantage when travelling outside of urban areas but its performance as well as being AWD puts LR ahead of RWD imo.
AWD I agree, but for the performance side of things, I haven't found that the RWD is lacking. Of course it isn't as zippy as the LR or Performance models, but how often do you "need" that performance? I get that it's not about need, but it's only one of the many factors I think to take into account.
@@notacarguy_au you're right most people would not need the extra 1.9 seconds but it helps when merging onto freeways or gaps when turning into traffic. Personally it just makes the car a bit more interesting to drive.
Keep to the point people. Lee is asking your thoughts on LR vs RWD for someone with limited charging opportunities. Performance, AWD yada yada is not relevant to this discussion.
That’s actually my fault. I meant to mention those points in the video but forgot. I don’t know if they would make a difference to Simon’s neighbour. But I think they would be worth considering.
We are just about to order the Model Y RWD because of the LFT battery. We will probably only charge it full once a week. The long range sounds good but what turned us off was the fact you can't charge it to 100% unless you are going on a holiday, yielding a similar amount of km anyhow. (it will be our second vehicle anyhow)
That's an interesting perspective. I feel that hybrids are the worst of both worlds as you get all the complexities of a combustion engine and then a rather small battery which then has to work hard to drag around that combustion engine. Of course that is just my view, so it may still be a solution that works for others. I think it also comes down to the driver's needs. If they are only going to be driving around town most of the time. They probably don't need to "fill up" that often.
@@notacarguy_au toyota has had hybrids for over 20 years with little issues A yaris hybrid is about $30k , a corolla hybrid about $35k , they are down near 4.5l/100k so right round what it would cost you to public fill an ev to run wothout the inconvenience of public charging , once a Year service is a couple hundred bucks If you drive little anyway then you dont even need to fill up that often in a hybrid to bother and take a trip no issues Asking the ev mechanic and a brand new battery in a prius is $3500 fitted with decent warranty , find a 10 year old toyota hybird and lowball it for battery issues and when the time comes its a fairly cheap fix I dare say resale on a 3-5 year old toyota hybrid would kill a dolphin/ora/atto/mg As good as ev’s are if you are forced to public charge its not all that fun or convenient for many Despite the naysayers hybrids will have a good hold on the market , theres a reason why its been 2 year waits for rav4’s
I'd buy a house where you can charge at home. Soooo much better. By the way, do both battery types need to charge to 100% once a week? What a pain waiting for the last 20% if charging publicly.
By your logic, why not just buy an electric helicopter and just get someone to fly you around everywhere. 🤣 Most folks can't "just" buy the house they want. 🤷🏻 As I said in the video, the LR battery recommends that you only charge to 80% on a regular basis and only go to 100% when you know you'll need the range for a long drive. On long drives you wouldn't wait for that last 20% anyways as all batteries charging rates slows once they get to around 80%. We've found that on most long drives, the car is ready before we are to get going.
We bought a Model Y RWD in NOV 23 and have charged at home 1-2 a week from 11kW 3 Phase Tesla wall charger and still car says 430km range when at 100%, just as it did the first time we charged. I would like to see a long range with LFP Single or Dual motor and even if it needed slightly larger battery. The LFP is just set and forget charging. Easy.
If their current living situation is the only reason for wanting the larger battery, I really wouldn't bother for the reasons you outlined. If they want the other features of the LR, then go for it. I also vote YES for more road trip videos. The longer the better.
Got my RWD Model Y in April 24. Perfect for me in suburbs 20kms from city. No regrets and glad I didn’t get the LR as, for me, it’s just not necessary. Charge it once a week with Tesla wall charger at home 👍
RWD is less expensive, more efficient and degrades slower. If you are doing a road trip, ask yourself, how often will you be able to skip a charging stop in a LR. Unless the chargers are less than 50 km apart, you will do the same stop, pay more to charge it and potentially wait longer if the charger is capped - e.g Tesla 120kw charger with two cars charging will be limited to 60 ish per car. Connect RWD and LR and you will get roughly the same charging speed, and a bigger battery to fill.
Yep, I think I agree on all of those. Of course there is the performance and AWD features, but I guess everyone needs to look at what is important for them. The LR also charges at a faster rate, but I am not sure that makes that much of a difference.
I’d be looking at what charging options they have near home, work and other frequented places. We live in an apartment, no building charging (yet) the nearest charger to us is a 5 minute walk away and a level 2 Chargefox. There are no Tesla fast chargers within 20+ mins of us so for the overwhelming majority of our charges are on the cheap level 2s so having the faster charging, longer range model would be pointless for us. Also, if you look at the recent charging grants from the Governments (State & Fed), they’re mostly targeting level 2 curb side sharing for non car park EV drivers. Now in the event you move into an apartment down the track, (a very common housing step these days in the city) then the LFP is a much easier sell to the building Luddites as they are considered a ‘safer’ battery. Finally, even if your main use case is hwy driving, your range is still limited by the placement of the charging network which, based on the RAA and NRMA rollout plans (2 of the largest Chargefox networks) then give or take your stops are going to be 150km apart. So your high level distances will be 150, 300, 450, 600 (very roughly - lots of factors a play in real life) I can’t see any advantage for the LR over the SR given the difference in range is maybe 50-80 kms let alone the additional cost. On the performance side of the argument, the SR has more than enough power around town to burn some licence points. I couldn’t see any reason to pay more chasing 2.5 seconds on my 0-100 times when most of my trips are along 50 or 40 marked roads.
I think you've thought it out very well. Lucky that you have the level 2 charger a 5 minute walk away. That should be very handy so that you can maybe leave the car there for a couple of hours once or twice a week to top up when you need to.
I bought the MYLR. For me personally I travel frequently to my folks who are 200Kms away. The LR easily does 400Kms on a single charge so that's a big plus for me - I've never once used a supercharger in fact (home charging). Extra performance is nice, and while I can't compare it to the RWD having no experience, the AWD certainly holds the road amazingly well. The wear on the tyres so far has been perfectly even which might be another small advantage, and don't forget fog lights (is that true?). Seriously very happy with my decision.
I think for your needs the Long Range would make more sense. Though I a guessing you are able to charge at home? If so that make's it a fair bit easier. I can see how it could be less convenient if you couldn't charge at home.
Certainly not a deal breaker, but less than ideal. Could still charge at shopping centers or slow council chargers once or so a week. Would be cool if gyms installed slow chargers, so you could top up the car whilst you're at the gym.
I went with the LR. I travel a lot to visit friends and family since I’ve moved away so I’ve made use of that extra range. When I got it I knew I still had a few weeks of living in my apartment before my lease was up but I didn’t learn until right before I ordered that I should only charge it to 80% for daily driving. Still worked out since I WFH so only have to charge once like every 2 weeks. And my new place will have a garage so I should be set after that with even the 120v charging.
Sounds like a good solution for your requirements.
Thanks for the review, Lee. I bought my LR at the start of the year (M3 2024). My first EV, a lotta thought went into. But it was very much taken on as a learning experience and the Technology is changing rapidly. Living in regional NSW I like the idea of charging at home and getting where I need to go in one hop. I like the idea of getting home and having some extra battery for the next day too. Extra benefits include a boost to acceleration but also 4 driving wheels on the road (or wherever you would like to place them). I don't think it has been reviewed, but I wonder if the SexyButtons single motor option would give the LR even better range.
Glad to hear it's working well for you. I am hesitant to install anything like the buttons as I am always a bit worried about anything that could potentially effect warranty. I am probably being over cautious but here I am. 🤣
You are right, the LFP is the better option, I charge my Model Y to 100 percent each time I charge it. Also I have been looking forward to your Melbourne to the Gold Coast and back so bring it on. Thanks Rob
I think you may be one of the few who is looking forward to the road trip videos. 🤣
Hi Lee I think the value proposition of the current rear wheel drive coupled with the battery charging requirements of each car would push me to the cheaper rear wheel drive model Y.
I just wish the LFP model was a little faster but you can have everything!
Ain’t that the truth? We can’t always get what we want. 🤣
Nicely explained, thanks Lee!
Thanks
I have thought about this question many times. You are completely right that the standard range batteries should be charged to 100% at least once a week. However, leaving your car at high states of charge isn’t good for the battery regardless if it’s a NCM or LFP. If you want to optimize an LFP battery, you should charge it to 100% and leave as soon as the battery hits 100%. Sadly for the Australian market, you don’t get the BYD LFP batteries like we do in Europe. The CATL batteries are fine, but they don’t charge nearly as good as the BYD. I would therefore only consider the long range if you do long trips regularly, but I think the standard range is fine for most people.
All good points, I guess it does comes down to some other points that the person may consider. Seeing as it's a friend of a friend in my case, hard to know. I guess everyone has to look at their individual needs and go from there. ☺️
It depends on where your Model Y is manufactured. The Model Y RWD in the US is also a NMC battery. Therefore the RWD in the US has lower range any way you look at it.
Not a car guy's logic definitely applies to the US Model 3 LR (NMC battery) vs US Model 3 RWD (LFP battery) though
That's interesting, I didn't know that about US models.
I ordered the RWD model Y . Could not justify the extra money for the dual motor .
I was the same. And after having it for almost 2 years, I have found the RWD to be fine.
I just went through all the same research and thoughts and watched a bunch of real-world tests that showed that in practice the Long range only gets about 11% more range than the RWD and is currently 15k more + being a performance about 1k more to insure per year. The fact that it only adds about 30 mins to a Melb to Syd trip to have the RWD made me go that way. However, I think rather than actually being about the range people will choose the Long Range for the Dual motor and AWD performance more than anything else. If the difference was 8K I would choose the long range but for 15k it was a no brainer for me. The only charge to 80% most of time also bugged me a little!
That sounds like it's the right decision for you. We are perfectly happy with our RWD.
I have a 2022 RWD Model 3 with the LFP and we recently bought a 2023 Model X Plaid. We NEVER need the available range of either and the truth is, out on the road on a long road trip per se, there is the fantastic Tesla SuperCharger network. That being said, our Model X charges much quicker and with more range, it would be a better road tripper. We've road-tripped the 3 but not yet with the X. We'll report back with any differences. Thank you.
I think more range will certainly make long road trips "easier" or at least more convenient. But on day to day use round town, I don't think it makes that much of a difference?
A bit jealous of your Model X, such a shame we can't get those over here.
Release the road trip videos, they’re entertaining.
Thank you. Will see how the editing goes.
Well Tesla says once per week charge to 100% other times probably keep at 80% so you can do with both type of batteries
I'm not sure that method is very practical for most people. 🤷🏻
Even if the chemistry were the same charging to 100% takes forever.
Yeah it does take quite a while to get that last bit between 80%-100%. Though I do find quite often I am chatting to someone I've met at a charger on long road trips and end up going a bit over 80% anyways as I was talking and didn't want to leave as soon as possible. But that's possibly just me. 🤣
We bought our RWD Model Y which has a WLTP range of 455 km. The LR has a range of 535, but with only 80% charge on a day to day basis, you are looking at a very small difference. I also think that the dual motors must cost a bit on the effiency, but I can’t back that up. The different technology of the batteries should give an advantage to the LR on time spent at the SuC on road trips, but in a crowded SuC with all stalls occupied, you might not feel the difference. I think Tesla Bjorn made a comparison between the two models, where the LR charged faster up to 50% and from there, they were even.
Thanks for that, I forgot to mention the faster charging. Interesting that in Bjorns tests it didn't make that much difference.
Neither will actually do that distance. We're talking about 350 km for the RWD at highway speeds
Has the standard range always had an LFP battery?
Not sure, but I think since it was available in AU it has been here.
Get the LR if you want/need AWD. It doesn't make much sense to get it just for the extra battery capacity.
I think you’re right.
I'd certainly prefer the Model Y LR over an STD!
I'm not sure. I guess the LR has it's advantages, but I haven't felt like I am really "missing out" from not having it.
What’s your real world range on your LR? I don’t know anyone who do daily road trips, and here in Denmark the average drive is 50 km a day. Personally it’s much less. I have family who bought the LR and they do not feel the advantage on a daily basis.
@@jriis2010 I was just joshing. I have a 2024 MY RWD (or standard) and it does 435 real world range in my fortnightly stats between charges! It's amazing for what I need.
I ordered a Tesla Model Y. Long Range, Dual Motor. Why "Long Range"? Because it is sometimes fun to play with the additional HP's and acceleration and it STILL brings you home! 🙂
Good point, those could also be deciding factors. I was going to mention them in the video, but forgot. ☺️
LFP 100%
Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙏🏻
I have a standard range LFP battery, I don't regret buying this, because of ease of use.
I am similar.
Definitely Long Range. Obviously extended range compared to RWD is an advantage when travelling outside of urban areas but its performance as well as being AWD puts LR ahead of RWD imo.
AWD I agree, but for the performance side of things, I haven't found that the RWD is lacking. Of course it isn't as zippy as the LR or Performance models, but how often do you "need" that performance? I get that it's not about need, but it's only one of the many factors I think to take into account.
@@notacarguy_au you're right most people would not need the extra 1.9 seconds but it helps when merging onto freeways or gaps when turning into traffic. Personally it just makes the car a bit more interesting to drive.
Keep to the point people. Lee is asking your thoughts on LR vs RWD for someone with limited charging opportunities. Performance, AWD yada yada is not relevant to this discussion.
That’s actually my fault. I meant to mention those points in the video but forgot. I don’t know if they would make a difference to Simon’s neighbour. But I think they would be worth considering.
We are just about to order the Model Y RWD because of the LFT battery. We will probably only charge it full once a week. The long range sounds good but what turned us off was the fact you can't charge it to 100% unless you are going on a holiday, yielding a similar amount of km anyhow. (it will be our second vehicle anyhow)
Pretty much the same as I understand. Though you can charge it to 100% whenever you want but it’s not advisable.
Its a faster car with awd , that's the main benefit
I did mention to my mate that it does have more "vroom", but forgot to mention that in the video. 🤣
You reach a 100 in 6 seconds in RWD which is when you hit the speed limit. 2 second faster give or take on the LR
The bigger, the battery, the less battery cycles
Interesting.
If charging is not convenient and not possible at home then buy a hybrid instead
That's an interesting perspective. I feel that hybrids are the worst of both worlds as you get all the complexities of a combustion engine and then a rather small battery which then has to work hard to drag around that combustion engine.
Of course that is just my view, so it may still be a solution that works for others. I think it also comes down to the driver's needs. If they are only going to be driving around town most of the time. They probably don't need to "fill up" that often.
@@notacarguy_au toyota has had hybrids for over 20 years with little issues
A yaris hybrid is about $30k , a corolla hybrid about $35k , they are down near 4.5l/100k so right round what it would cost you to public fill an ev to run wothout the inconvenience of public charging , once a Year service is a couple hundred bucks
If you drive little anyway then you dont even need to fill up that often in a hybrid to bother and take a trip no issues
Asking the ev mechanic and a brand new battery in a prius is $3500 fitted with decent warranty , find a 10 year old toyota hybird and lowball it for battery issues and when the time comes its a fairly cheap fix
I dare say resale on a 3-5 year old toyota hybrid would kill a dolphin/ora/atto/mg
As good as ev’s are if you are forced to public charge its not all that fun or convenient for many
Despite the naysayers hybrids will have a good hold on the market , theres a reason why its been 2 year waits for rav4’s
I'd buy a house where you can charge at home. Soooo much better. By the way, do both battery types need to charge to 100% once a week? What a pain waiting for the last 20% if charging publicly.
By your logic, why not just buy an electric helicopter and just get someone to fly you around everywhere. 🤣 Most folks can't "just" buy the house they want. 🤷🏻
As I said in the video, the LR battery recommends that you only charge to 80% on a regular basis and only go to 100% when you know you'll need the range for a long drive.
On long drives you wouldn't wait for that last 20% anyways as all batteries charging rates slows once they get to around 80%.
We've found that on most long drives, the car is ready before we are to get going.
We bought a Model Y RWD in NOV 23 and have charged at home 1-2 a week from 11kW 3 Phase Tesla wall charger and still car says 430km range when at 100%, just as it did the first time we charged. I would like to see a long range with LFP Single or Dual motor and even if it needed slightly larger battery. The LFP is just set and forget charging. Easy.
From what I understand the LFP batteries can’t push out enough power at the same time to power the AWD cars.
If their current living situation is the only reason for wanting the larger battery, I really wouldn't bother for the reasons you outlined.
If they want the other features of the LR, then go for it.
I also vote YES for more road trip videos. The longer the better.
Good point, will see how we go with the road trip videos. ☺️
Got my RWD Model Y in April 24. Perfect for me in suburbs 20kms from city. No regrets and glad I didn’t get the LR as, for me, it’s just not necessary. Charge it once a week with Tesla wall charger at home 👍
That sounds a lot like what my mate’s neighbours use may be.