Tesla Gives China's Model 3 a Bigger Screen and V2L Power Export, While the US Model 3 Misses Out

Tesla has rolled out a fresh batch of updates for the Model 3 in China, and they add meaningful hardware and software capability that buyers in the United States still can’t get. The centerpiece is a new 16-inch touchscreen replacing the previous 15.4-inch unit across every current Model 3 trim sold in the country, with Tesla claiming better resolution and a faster refresh rate without publishing specific figures. Buyers can also opt for a light gray “premium interior” paired with a black fabric headliner, a combination Tesla already introduced on the US-market Model Y Premium earlier this year alongside a 16-inch display for the 2026 model year.

The more consequential addition is vehicle-to-load capability. Every Model 3 and Model Y now on sale in China can export up to 2,200 watts of AC power, enough for Tesla’s own example of a camping setup running a rice cooker, hot pot, and electric kettle simultaneously. Owners must purchase Tesla’s AC power-export adapter to use the feature, with the exception of the three-row Model Y L, which supports it without the adapter. In the US, V2L arrived in August but was restricted to the Model Y Premium, Model Y Performance, and Cybertruck at 2.4 kW through an $80 adapter for the Gen 3 Mobile Connector — the entire Model 3 lineup was excluded.

Tesla paired the Chinese upgrades with a fresh round of incentives. Model 3 orders placed by October 31 qualify for a 5,000 yuan discount on the final payment, stacked with five-year zero-percent financing, an 8,000 yuan insurance subsidy on the RWD, Long Range RWD, and Long Range AWD variants, an 8,000 yuan paint credit, and a choice among three charging perks. Tesla advertises the Model 3 from 222,500 yuan, but that figure only materializes once the final-payment discount and insurance subsidy are applied — the base RWD still lists at 235,500 yuan. Even with those reductions, the Model 3 sits above BYD’s new Formula S, which starts at 189,900 yuan for the RWD sedan.

The US Model 3, meanwhile, starts at $36,990 and Tesla’s own specification page continues to list a 15.4-inch center touchscreen. The gap highlights how Tesla prioritizes China, where competition is intense and rivals are rolling out features faster, while American buyers wait for hardware and power-export functionality that has already become standard elsewhere in the lineup.