7 Fantastic Exterior Upgrades for Model 3

Photo by Taun Stewart on Unsplash

There are a ton of Teslas on the coasts of the US. And because they all look the same, Tesla owners love customizing their cars.

Here are some aesthetic and functional accessories to make your Model 3 your own.

Efficiency

EV owners are obsessed with efficiency. A spoiler reduces drag by “smoothing” the air behind the car. Less drag means higher efficiency.

This is one of the reasons why the Model 3 Performance has a carbon fiber spoiler on top of the trunk! For other trims, a spoiler can be easily added.

When I added my spoiler to my car, I saw a 3.96% in efficiency. In other words, installing my spoiler added 10 miles of range to my car.

My experimental result is inline with Unplugged Performance’s independent aerodynamic study’s results.

Spoiler on/off testing results by the author. 90+% of the driving was between 40 to 60 mph, in relatively consistent California weather. Climate control was never turned on.

The carbon fiber spoiler¹ looks really nice and is extremely simple to install. The tool-less installation takes less than 10 minutes.

Carbon fiber spoiler¹ installed on the car. Photo by TOPlight.

Chrome Delete

I personally like the look of a “chrome delete” on modern cars. This satin black chrome delete kit¹ looks great. It covers all of the chrome trim around the windows, the side mirrors, side repeater cameras, door handles, and Tesla T logos.

I love this kit because it comes with everything that you need to do the install. They have amazing step by step video instructions, and just in case you make a mistake, they give you TWO FULL SETS of trim pieces. (Read as: if you have a friend with a Model 3, you can split the cost of the chrome delete kit).

Chrome delete¹ on a Model 3. Photos by Nikola Pro.

Mud Flaps

Tesla’s paint is relatively soft when compared to other automakers. So it seems to scratch easier.

Because the sides of the car wrap “underneath” the car, a lot of dirt and mud gets kicked up onto the doors by the tires. These mud flaps¹ help a lot with this. They also won’t scrape on the ground like the mud flaps directly from Tesla. I like that they’re discreet and don’t impact the visuals of the car.

Mud flaps¹ installed on the car. Photo by Tepeng.

Making Model 3 Quieter

EV drivers hate noise. Wind noise is air howling at you. And tire/road noise is an equally annoying hum. Check out my other article, where I deep dive into how noise is generated and how to mitigate that sound.

3 Ways to Make Model 3 Even Quieter

Summary/TL;DR

• Carbon fiber spoiler¹ that increases efficiency & range and also looks really great.
• Satin black chrome delete kit¹ to remove the chrome around the windows.
• Mud flaps¹ to keep your car cleaner and to help protect the fragile paint.

Reducing Noise

• Wind Noise Reduction Kit¹
• Door Seal Kit¹
• Trunk Cotton Mat¹
• Front Trunk Cotton Mat¹

Photo by Martin Katler on Unsplash

Further Reading?

If you enjoyed this article, consider checking out these articles going over other categories of accessories!

• Interior Accessories:

7 Essential Interior Upgrades for Model 3

• 3 Ways to Make Model 3 Even Quieter:

3 Ways to Make Model 3 Even Quieter

Or see what my commute is like as a Silicon Valley Engineer with a Tesla Model 3:

Day in the Life of a Silicon Valley Engineer

If you’d like to get your very own Tesla, you can get 1,000 miles of FREE Supercharger miles if you use my referral link! https://ts.la/matthew18238

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Footnotes

[1]: Disclosure: I may make a commission if you use this link.