Exactly one week after it introduced the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive, Tesla Malaysia invited us to take a closer look at the new range champion. Part of the updated 2026 model year that also includes the US-only Standard, the car is now the country’s longest-range EV, beating out rivals like the Mercedes-Benz EQS500 and BMW iX xDrive60.
This achievement is thanks to the LR RWD receiving the larger battery – reportedly a 78.1 kWh LG nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) pack – from the existing LR AWD. Charged with powering just a single motor, it provides a significant boost in range to 750 km on the WLTP cycle, compared to 660 km for the LR AWD variant and 520 km for the regular RWD.
Equipping the more energy-dense battery has also enabled the fitment of a more powerful motor, with reports suggesting it makes 306 PS (225 kW) instead of the usual 264 PS (194 kW); Tesla does not provide official battery capacity or power output figures. So equipped, the LR RWD shaves nearly a second off the RWD’s zero-to-100 km/h time, taking 5.2 seconds. Top speed remains identical at 201 km/h.
Another beneficiary is in DC fast charging speeds, with the LR RWD able to support up to 250 kW, versus 170 kW for the RWD. Tesla says that docking the car at a Supercharger will provide up to 311 km of range with just 15 minutes of charging.
Beyond the new variant, the 2026 Model 3 also introduces a few minor changes. These include black badges (“T” logo at the front, Tesla script at the back) that finally match the door handles and window surrounds. There’s also a front camera lifted from the Model Y Juniper facelift – replete with a built-in washer – that provides better visibility when parking, albeit there being still no true 360-degree overview.
The most significant update is on the inside, however. Here, you now get the Juniper Model Y’s indicator stalk, finally dispensing with the much-maligned steering wheel buttons. We should point out that this stalk only operates the indicators, as the high-beam flasher function is still on the ‘wheel.
Otherwise, the Model 3 is the same as before, with standard kit including LED headlights with adaptive high beam, 18-inch Photon alloy wheels with covers (the units you see here ride on the optional 19-inch Nova rollers) and keyless entry and start – including an NFC keycard and a digital key via the Tesla app.
You also get triple-zone auto air-con, auto-folding door mirrors, a glass roof, power-adjustable front seats with memory, heating and ventilation, heated rear seats, faux leather upholstery, a 15.4-inch touchscreen, dual wireless chargers, an eight-inch rear touchscreen, nine speakers and a powered boot lid.
In terms of safety, the Model 3 comes with basic Autopilot, inclusive of autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist and blind spot monitoring. On the options list is Enhanced Autopilot that enables autonomous lane changes and Dumb Summon remote park assist, as well as the (currently non-functional) Full Self Driving package that costs a whopping RM32,000.
Tesla also took the opportunity to cut prices across the range by as much as RM13,000, now starting from RM169,000. The upshot of this is that the new RM185,000 LR RWD is just RM4,000 pricier than the old base RWD, while offering significantly more range and increased performance.
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