Denmark’s vehicle inspectors found three times as many faults with MY2020 Model 3s as on rival EVs
March 8, 2025 at 14:18
- Around 23% of MY2020 Tesla Model 3s failed a compulsory safety test last year.
- Vehicle inspectors logged 1,392 defects – triple the number found on other EVs.
- Problems with lights, braking, steering and suspension were commonly found.
Electric cars contain fewer moving parts than combustion cars so, theoretically, should be less likely to go wrong, but Tesla’s Model 3 seems to be turning that logic on its head. That’s because close to one in every four examples of the electric sedan failed safety tests in Denmark last year.
MY2020 Model 3s became old enough to require an inspection by the Danish Road Traffic Authority in 2024, and of the 4,668 examples tested, 1,051 failed. That’s a 23 percent failure rate and compares badly with a 9 percent rate witnessed in rival EVs, the Federation of Danish Motorists (FDM) reports.
More: Tesla Model 3 Ranks Dead Last In German Reliability Tests For Newer Cars
Inspectors logged 1,392 defects on the Teslas, three times as many as they discovered on other EVs. Frequently noted problems concern the lights, braking, steering and suspension. Testers at Germany’s TÜV carrying out similar safety checks uncovered the same kind of issues with Model 3s sold in their market. In both 2023 and 2024, the Model 3 ranked last in the TÜV reliability study.
Will Newer Model 3 Highlands Be Any Better?
The new Danish data only covers MY2020 Model 3s, but FDM’s Lone Otto predicts owners of newer models are in line for some of the same pain.
“We have no reason to believe that younger generations of the Tesla Model 3 will differ significantly from the 2020 generation when it comes to defects and the failure rate,” the technical advisory team’s manager said. “It will be more exciting to see how the Tesla Model Y fares.”
The Model Y has been a big seller in Denmark topping the nation’s list of most popular EVs, which means they’ll make up a big proportion of the cars on the test ramps during 2025. In total, 62,000 electric cars will be subjected to the test, and 45,000 of them will get the treatment for the first time, illustrating just how rapidly the EV market grew between 2020 and 2021.
Last month in the US, Tesla was forced to recall 380,000 cars after some Model 3 and Model Y owners reported losing steering assistance. The automaker sent out an an over-the-air (OTA) update to address the problem.
