While Elon Musk claims that the Tesla Model 3 will come with a starting price of around $35,000 after tax credits, most examples will cost much more than that, according to an analyst.

According to data scientist Ben Sullins, data from a survey of almost 8,000 Model 3 reservation holders at Model3Tracker reveals that the majority of budding owners will pay between $45,000 and $55,000, making Tesla’s entry-level as costly as Lucid’s base-spec premium sedan.

The key reason why reservation holders are so open to spending much more than the base price is that it’s their only option if they don’t want a bog-standard Model 3 with few features, as the $35,000 car will have.

It is reported that some of the most popular upgrades will be a larger battery pack which could offer up to 300 miles (482 km) of range, significantly more than the 215 mile (246 km) range expected to be achieved by entry-level Model 3s.

Additionally, many buyers will tick the boxes for Autopilot features, technology which will improve the safety of the car but won’t come cheap. In fact, it could cost almost $10,000 to have a Model 3 equipped with Enhanced Autopilot that includes full self-driving capabilities.

Video courtesy of Electrek.co

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