2017–2026 Tesla Model 3 Upgrades, Ranked: 4 Mods in Order, With Highland and Glass-Roof Fit Traps

One name covers two sets of parts. Tesla refreshed the Model 3, and listings call the refreshed car Highland and date it from 2024.

How to tell. Start with the model year on the registration: every liner set the floor mat guide prices is listed for 2024 or later. Wikipedia says North American orders opened on January 10, 2024, and describes the refreshed car with an 8 in touchscreen for rear passengers, tail lights with no vertical break between the trunk and the side and, at launch, no turn signal or gear selector stalks. It also says the turn signal stalk returned on US cars for the 2026 model year.

Why the build month matters. Tesstudio sells one roof rack for builds to October 2023 and another from November 2023, and TESEVO lists builds to October 2023 and the Highland separately. The build month is on the door-jamb label, so go by that and the listing's fit notes. A title that ends at 2024 or 2025 without the word Highland could mean either body, so ask the seller which parts ship.

Performance and Standard. Tesla says its Tow Package is not compatible with the Model 3 Performance. The roof rack guide notes that TESEVO excludes a version it calls the Model 3 Standard. We could not confirm what differs on it, so ask the seller.

The Model 3's roof is glass, with no rails, no gutters and no opening panel. A rack attaches at fixed mounting points hidden under the roof trim, and the towers rest on the body at those points, not on the glass.

The figure. The 150 lb in the guides is Tesla's rating for its own Model 3 Roof Rack: the Tesla Shop page gives a 150 lb load rating and a 495 lb static load limit. Neither Tesla manual page we opened prints a roof load, so treat 150 lb as the working limit for bars, carrier and cargo together.

What Tesla's manual says. The Vehicle Loading page, in both the 2017–2023 manual and the current one, says the Model 3 "supports the use of Tesla-approved roof racks using a Tesla mounting accessory" and that owners must use "only roof rack systems that have been approved by Tesla". Tesla's own rack, about $400, meets that, and it was out of stock on October 4, 2026. Aftermarket bars are sold for the same fixed points at about $130–$220. We could not confirm whether Tesla approves any of them, and the 2017–2023 manual says damage caused by "installing non-approved parts" is not covered by the warranty, so ask Tesla first. Their listed ratings of 176 lb or 220 lb describe the bars, not the roof.

A cargo box is universal. What is specific to the Model 3 is the short distance between the bars and the trunk lid behind them.

The spread. The guides cite etrailer's product experts for about 28 in between the bars of Tesla's rack. We could not confirm the spread of aftermarket or Highland-specific bars, so measure yours center to center before choosing a box.

The overhang. On bars 28 in apart, most of the box hangs past them. Too far forward and the nose sits over the windshield. Too far back and the tail sits over the rear glass, where the trunk lid rises. Center the box and open the trunk slowly the first time.

What Tesla sells. The Tesla Shop lists a Model 3 Tow Package at about $1,300: a steel tow bar with a 2 in hitch receiver and a 4-pin connector, a trailer harness and tow mode software, with Service Center installation included. Tesla says it is "capable of towing up to 2,200 lbs" and "compatible with Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and All-Wheel Drive vehicles produced in 2024+. Not compatible with Model 3 Performance vehicles." The shop showed it out of stock on October 4, 2026.

What the manual gives a car with that package. The current manual's Towing and Accessories page lists 1,650 lb without trailer brakes, 2,200 lb with them and a maximum tongue weight of 200 lb. It says "Trailer Mode must always be active when towing a trailer" and, as we read it, asks for 42 psi in the tires. For carriers, the receiver is "designed to support vertical loads of up to 121 lbs (55 kg)", rack and bikes together.

What the manual says about every other Model 3. The same page carries this caution: "Do not attempt to install an accessory carrier on Model 3 that is not equipped with the towing package. Doing so can cause significant damage." It adds: "Damage caused by non-Tesla approved accessories is not covered by the warranty." The 2017–2023 manual's Vehicle Loading page says: "Do not use Model 3 for towing purposes. Model 3 does not currently support towing." The current manual's Vehicle Loading page carries the same warning, so the only towing figures Tesla publishes are for a car fitted with its own package.

Where that leaves an aftermarket hitch. Aftermarket hitches are sold for both bodies, and the hitch guide lists six. They are not Tesla's towing package, and nothing we read from Tesla approves them for a trailer or a carrier. Their ratings describe the steel, not the car: 2,000 lb and 300 lb of tongue weight on CURT's 13431, or 3,500 lb and 350 lb on Stealth's tow package. We could not confirm how Tesla service treats a Model 3 with one fitted, or whether Tesla's 121 lb figure can be applied to a receiver Tesla did not install. Ask a Tesla Service Center before buying, and get the answer in writing.

If you still buy one. Match the listing to the body, and expect the rear fascia to come off. CURT rates its 13431 as a professional-level install.

Range. Tesla publishes no range figure for a rack or a box on the Model 3. The Tesla Shop says the rack was engineered for "maximum aerodynamic efficiency, minimal interior noise and impact to range", with no number. The figures the guides cite are fueleconomy.gov's, and they describe fuel economy on gas vehicles: around 2–8% in city driving, 6–17% on the highway and 10–25% at 65–75 mph for a large, blunt rooftop cargo box, and 1–5% on the highway for rear-mount cargo boxes or trays. We found no equivalent published figure for the Model 3, so read those as direction, not a range forecast. For towing, Tesla's manual says only that driving range "can decrease significantly".

Combined listings. Many sellers put the Model 3 and the Model Y in one title. They are different vehicles. The floor mat guide says the crossover's mats do not fit, and TESEVO's and Tesstudio's rack pages sell the two as separate versions. The site's vehicle data gives the crossover a 165 lb roof figure and a 3,500 lb tow rating with its own Tesla package. Neither number applies to a Model 3.

The order to fit them. Floor liners go in first and need no tools. The bars bolt into the fixed points next, with no pad touching the glass. The box goes on centered, with bars, box and gear under 150 lb. A hitch comes last.