2026 Tesla Model 3 Long Range

Single Electric Motor

Single-Motor Electric RWD

A single rear-mounted motor gives the Long Range RWD brisk, seamless acceleration and the playful rear-drive balance enthusiasts prize, with the silent, lag-free torque that defined Tesla's reputation. It trades the dual-motor car's all-weather bite for efficiency and reach.

The Model 3 launched in 2017 as Tesla's first mass-market car, and its rear drive unit pioneered a motor design Tesla later spread across its lineup; it is built alongside the rest of the Model 3 powertrain in Tesla's own factories.

• The rear motor is a permanent-magnet synchronous-reluctance design, blending magnets with a reluctance rotor for strong low-speed torque and high-speed efficiency.
• Tesla switched the Model 3 from an induction motor (used in the Model S) to this permanent-magnet unit specifically to improve range.
• The same fundamental motor architecture was scaled up to power the rear axles of later Tesla performance models.