Tesla Model 3 update leaked ahead of Australian arrival

The Tesla Model 3 sold in Australia and New Zealand is set to score a raft of changes just weeks after a suite of upgrades were announced for the brand’s best-selling Model Y SUV.

The upgrades to the Model 3 were uncovered by a user on the ‘X’ social media platform (formerly Twitter) and indicate the changes will apply to vehicles sold in Australia and Europe.

According to Not a Tesla App, the social media leak revealed a new higher-resolution 16.0-inch touchscreen, already offered on the Model Y here, will find its way into the Model 3 to replace the current 15.4-inch display.

The move will increase total screen area from 106.59 square inches to 109.39 square inches.

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It will form part of a ‘more premium’ cabin treatment, which will ditch the previous light grey headliner for a black headliner.

Carscoops also reports headlight technology will be improved with the Model 3’s matrix LED headlights set to introduce a two-stage reflective dip function, allowing them to dim in two separate stages and offer improved visibility by illuminating more of the road and surroundings for longer.

The changes, says Carscoops, are software-based, meaning existing Model 3 owners may be able to add the upgrades through an over-the-air (OTA) update.

We’ve contacted Tesla Australia to confirm when the changes will apply locally.

In February 2026, Tesla began rolling out the Grok chatbot to Australian vehicles for the first time, with a beta version available to vehicles running HW3 with software version 2025.44.25 or later.

The controversial chatbot, developed by Mr Musk’s xAI, can be used for navigation commands but is not yet able to carry out voice commands for media or climate controls, among others.

The introduction of Apple CarPlay has been reportedly delayed due to the slow take-up of the smartphone maker’s latest operating system, iOS 26, after a bug was found to interfere with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system (FSD).

Tesla rolled out FSD (Supervised) in Australia in September 2025, with the function following Tesla’s move in the United States to switch from a one-off purchase cost to an ongoing subscription service.

With 1,585,279 deliveries between them, the Model 3 and Model Y accounted for 97 per cent of the brand’s global sales in 2025.

The Model Y was the world’s best-selling electric vehicle (EV) last year and also took the top spot in Australia, with the BYD Sealion 7 pushing the Model 3 into third overall, ahead of the Kia EV5 and Geely EX5.

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