With over 400,000 people who have put down a deposit for the highly anticipated electric car for the masses, the anxiety level is high. The priority has been given to Tesla employees, followed by the previous or current owners of Model S or X who has placed a deposit as well.  At first, Tesla has invited California residents to configure their dream car, then slowly extending it to other states. My turn has come:

I must confess that this invite no longer holds an element of a surprise for me, as I was following closely Tesla forums and was also able to have a sneak peek into the configuration a few weeks earlier. It is exciting, nevertheless, that my personal invitation is here. So, let’s have a look into the available options, shall we?

As you can see, there are two basic choices available: long range battery model (310 miles) available with estimated delivery within 3-6 weeks or a placeholder for the shorter range (220 miles) and/or dual motor drive available later this year. You will also notice that the long range option adds 9,000 dollars to the base price of 35,000 promised by Tesla. In addition, the Premium Upgrades package is thrown in as well, bringing the total price to 49,000 (48,000 when considering the deposit). This does not come as a surprise for me either, as I knew that the more expensive option will be released first. If you follow Tesla’s history this is has been always a trend.

Model 3 Premium vs Standard features comparison.

Since I was impatient (wink) and bought a Model S earlier on, I am more interested in the more affordable version of Model 3. It will be a secondary vehicle for our family, one that will be primarily driven by my better half. Since she does not have long distances to commute and we are not planning to use it for road trips (that’s what the bigger brother is for), the extended range of battery does not make much sense for us. All-wheel drive might be interesting, but we’ll have to wait and see how much it will add to the base price. Model 3 will be an economy-driven option for us. Regardless, I wanted to see what the final configuration could look like if I would order it today.

In order to keep the default price, one would also have to keep the default color (black) and 18″ aero wheels:

Selecting any other color (blue would be our preference) and sport 19″ wheels will add 1,000 for the paint and 1,500 for the wheels, respectively:

Should we opt in for the Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features, it will add even more to the price tag:

With EAP and FSD selected, the final configuration would be just shy of 60,000 dollars:

Is this shocking? Not really, considering that Tesla always appealed to people who prefer “fully loaded” cars first. Besides, it is targeted to compete with cars such as the BMW 3 series. They are also advertised to have a base price around 35,000, but if you customize the configuration the price will end up really close. Don’t believe me? Here’s a sample configuration of BMW 340i with non-standard (metallic) paint, 19″ wheels and Executive Package:

It even comes with some driving assist features, but it is nowhere close to the Autopilot features on Tesla, even in its current reincarnation.

So there you have it. Most people will probably opt for the more affordable version of Model 3. They might even forgo the Autopilot or Self-Driving capability, or add it on later, just to keep the price down. As of now, unless you are the current Tesla owner, all you can do is hurry up and wait, since the company struggles to meet the demand. If you are lucky enough to have already received an invitation and are willing to pay the premium to take possession of the car before the masses, that option is available. All working as intended. As for us, we will continue waiting patiently.