Last Tuesday Consumer Reports denied the Tesla Model 3 a 'recommended' rating, off the back of lacklustre performance from the EV's braking system.
As previously reported, the Model 3 could only stop from a speed of 96km/h in 46.3 metres — a worse result than anything else in its class by quite a margin, and worse than a raft of much larger vehicles including the new Ford F-150.
Well, overnight Tesla has confirmed that it would be issuing a firmware update to rectify the issue. Consumer Reports have tested the subsequent update, and found that it can now stop from the same 96km/h speed in 40.5 metres — 5.8 metres of improvement over previous tests.
The change-up now sees the Tesla Model 3 score a recommended rating, and shines a spotlight on the benefits of Tesla's firmware update system.
“I’ve been at CR for 19 years and tested more than 1,000 cars and I’ve never seen a car that could improve its track performance with an over-the-air update,” said Consumer Reports director of testing Jake Fisher.
Tesla owners will be familiar with the company's firmware update process, while the rest of us will be able to recount the company extending the range of their vehicles remotely during Hurricane Irma last year — a move designed to help owners get out of affected areas as power became scarce.