Forget Tesla! These EVs offer similar range and performance
Discover six electric alternatives to the Tesla Model 3 and Model S available to buy or lease now.
In a sea of electric compact SUVs, it's refreshing to find sedan-sized options. While Tesla still dominates globally and in the U.S. with its more affordable Model 3 (and less so with its luxury Model S sedan), alternatives to Elon Musk's offerings are available to snag before the end of the year.
You can buy or lease these electric sedans for model year 2025 or 2024, but sedan options are precarious. The Chevy Bolt EV was a strong budget contender against the Model 3, but GM discontinued the small EV last year and won't be bringing it back with the revamped and bigger 2026 Chevy Bolt EUV. These six, however, still exist for sedan loyalists.
Related: Toyota delays Lexus EVs until 2027
Best Tesla Model 3 alternatives for 2024
It's slim pickings for a comparable EV to Tesla's top-seller, especially when it comes to pricing under $50,000 for the base version. But Hyundai is coming for Tesla and some others match in performance for a few more dollars.
Tesla Model 3 Specs for Reference:
- Price: $42,490 starting
- Range: Up to 363
- Horsepower & Torque: 286 and 309 pound-feet
- Battery Size: Up to 79.7.4 kWh
- Battery Efficiency: Up to 131 MPGe
1. 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6
Hyundai
Hyundai is nipping at Tesla's heels even in the smaller sedan segment. With competitive pricing and a wide range of trims and battery options, the Ioniq 6 feels accessible to different types of drivers in a way that the more limited options of the Model 3 can't compete. With a funkier, more retro design and more traditional interior in contrast to Tesla's sparse dashboard, the Ioniq 6 feels like a different beast.
- Price: Starts at $38,900
- Range: Up to 342 miles
- Horsepower & Torque: Up to 320 and 446 pound-feet
- Battery Size: Up to 77.4 kWh
- Battery Efficiency: Up to 135 MPGe combined
2. 2025 BMW i4
BMW
BMW sneaks in an affordable EV in the form of the i4. With some small updates throughout the Gran Coupe—mostly aesthetic—it's essentially the same 2024 model that offers performance driving at reasonable pricing. It's a quiet threat to both the Model 3 and S as Tesla fluctuates in pricing and available versions.
- Price: Starts at $53,975
- Range: Up to 318 miles
- Horsepower & Torque: 469 and 546 lb-ft
- Battery Size: 83.4 kWh
- Battery Efficiency: 99 combined
3. 2025 Polestar 2
With a new face for the Polestar 2 (notice the new filled-in grille) comes a big price increase. The 2024 model year was more aligned with the base Model 3 with a $51,000 sticker price, but now more features are included as standard, pushing past the bare Model 3. But the new pricing also pushes the beefy Polestar sedan closer to a Model S competitor. It still lacks the long range of the Model 3, but offers a more performance-oriented driving experience since it comes standard with the dual-motor Performance Pack.
- Price: Starts at $66,200
- Range: 254 miles
- Horsepower & Torque: 469 and 546 lb-ft
- Battery Size: 82 kWh
- Battery Efficiency: 114 MPGe combined
Related: Trump's team to scrap NHTSA's autonomous car crash requirement
Best Tesla Model S alternatives for 2024
You can get more creative outside the Tesla-verse once your budget opens up. Luxury players like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and newcomer Lucid come up as non-Tesla options with similar specs, especially against the Model S Plaid. But, Tesla has again found a way to keep costs under $100,000 for a competitive advantage.
Tesla Model S Specs for Reference:
- Price: Starts at $74,990
- Range: Up to 402 miles
- Horsepower & Torque: 670 and 723 lb-ft
- Battery Size: 100 kWh
- Battery Efficiency: Up to 122 MPGe combined
4. Lucid Air Pure
Once the base Lucid Air dropped in price, it became more of an everyday contender for an electric sedan. Lucid's higher trims are more aligned with the Model S Plaid in terms of pricing ($89,990) and performance, but the Pure flaunts impressive specs for under $75,000.
- Price: $69,900
- Range: 420 miles
- Horsepower & Torque: 430 and 406 lb-ft
- Battery Size: 84 kWh
- Battery Efficiency: 146 MPGe combined
5. 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan
For 2025, the EQS Sedan got some big changes (not a name change yet, but brace for a new moniker by 2030) with a bigger battery, more range, and a facelift with a new grille design. The EQS has always been about rear comfort given its very limo-like stance, so it makes sense that the update includes adjustable backrests and more seat heating. In these ways and more, like its standard 55-inch MBUX Hyperscreen, it overshadows Tesla's attempt at luxury.
- Price: Starts at $104,400
- Range: 350 miles
- Horsepower & Torque: 335 and 590 lb-ft
- Battery Size: 118 kWh
- Battery Efficiency: 97 MPGe combined
6. 2025 BMW i7
The three trims of the i7, the eDrive50, xDrive60, and M70, each bring a smattering of impressive specs including up to 650 horsepower and 749 pound-feet of torque along with a top-trim priced at $168,600. They all make potent luxury machines, and the appropriately-sized battery keeps up with the Model S.
- Price: Starts at $105,700
- Range: 321 miles
- Horsepower & Torque: 650 and 749 lb-ft
- Battery Size: 101.7 kWh
- Battery Efficiency: 95 MPGe combined
Final thoughts
Whatever reason you have to avoid the ubiquitous Tesla brand (politics, Autopilot safety concerns, or aesthetic differences), you can still find a similar EV to adopt.
When it comes to electric options for sedans, it can feel like the options are dwindling, but a few strong holdouts remain. However, the electric sedan market is favoring more and more luxury options, and the Model 3 may call to you more after looking at most of the competition's starting prices.
