The most anticipated electric vehicle is now here
After a long wait and much anticipation, the Tesla Model 3 is finally here and available to lease now. Part of the S 3 X Y gang, the game changing Model 3 is the most affordable Tesla yet with prices starting from £34,000*. The affordability of this car opens up Tesla ownership to a wider audience. Despite the lower price band there is no compromise on quality, Tesla’s Model 3 still provides everything you want and expect from the luxury electric vehicle manufacturer.
An estimated 180,000 pre-orders were made in the first 24 hours after Model 3 was previewed, this was customers registering their interest in the electric car by placing a deposit before order books opened up. The vehicle has been in production for 3 years and first deliveries of this sought after vehicle have just arrived in the UK.
Model 3 Comparison
Standard Range Plus
- List price from £40,840
- 55 kWh Battery
- A ‘real world’ range of 210 miles
- 0 – 62mph in 5.6 sec
- Top speed 140 mph
- Fast charging capability up to 100 kW DC (330 mph)
- Rear wheel drive
Long Range
- List Price from £49,840
- 75 kWh Battery
- A ‘real world’ range of 295 miles
- 0 – 62mph in 4.6 sec
- Top speed – 145 mph
- Fast charging capability up to 250 kW DC (560 mph)
- All-wheel drive
Performance
- List price from £52,940
- 75 kWh Battery
- A ‘real world’ range of 280 miles
- 0 – 62mph in just 3.4 sec
- Top speed 162 mph
- Fast charging capability up to 250 kW DC (530 mph)
- All-wheel drive
Technology & Design
Tesla’s third electric vehicle has a minimalist design inside and out of the vehicle. The simplicity of the dashboard makes the car distraction-free and easy to control, with most of the EV’s controls accessible from the horizontal infotainment touch screen centred in the middle of the dashboard.
Clean interior with an impressive glass roof which provides the EV more headroom and UV protection. There is plenty of space for 4 adults comfortably although it has 5 seats, boot space in the vehicle is surprisingly bigger than you would expect (we were impressed).
One of the manufacturers main goals for the Model 3 was to design a car that was faster and cheaper to produce than other Tesla’s.
The Model 3 was engineered to be the safest car ever built and has been awarded a 5-Star Euro NCAP safety rating in all categories. In a roof-crush test resisted X4 its own mass, even with an all-glass roof, Tesla compare this to being ‘the same weight as two full-grown African elephants’!
The Model 3 has also recently won the 2019 Car of the Year Award for Auto Express.
Autopilot & Self Driving Capabilities
Tesla Autopilot comes included in all Model 3’s. An enhanced driving experience which assists and increases the safety of your journey, enabling your EV to steer, accelerate and brake without your input. Autopilot features will continue to improve over time, making your electric vehicle more capable with new software updates.
Full Self-Driving Capabilities come at an extra cost, this allows your Model 3 to take control of the majority of your journey including parking and motorway trips, automatic city driving is expected later this year. It will navigate the fastest route to your destination and do the driving for you (with your supervision for now)… and when you arrive at the destination it can even find you a parking space.
Charging
Model 3 uses charging type Type 2/ CCS connection. Charging time of this electric vehicle varies depending on the charger. This EV is capable of high-speed charging of up to 250kW (depending on model) when using one of Tesla’s Supercharging stations, gaining you an 80% charge in less than 25 mins. Unfortunately charging at speeds 250 kW, is not widely available in the UK yet however charging technology is developing all the time and will be more available in the future.
