ONE in five electric cars is a Tesla – and I’ve got a good idea why.
Not only does a Tesla do the miles it says it will, no one can compete with Tesla’s brilliant Supercharger charging network.
Still light years ahead of everything else and cheaper too.
The car you see here is the freshly updated Model 3.
Not the all-singing, all-wheel drive Performance version just shy of £60k.
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The standard rear-drive version costing £39,990 with a 318-mile range.
All you need.
Super-minimalist cabin, super-quick acceleration and a 24/7 butler service that takes the stress out of every journey.
Here’s a good example. I had to go a long way south to Tenby. The onboard satnav directed me via a Supercharger station at Newport for a quick splash and dash.
It told me exactly how many chargers were available. Lots of them. Exactly how long I would need to stop for. Not long at all. The car even pre-conditioned the battery as we got close.
You simply pull up, plug in, stretch your legs, unplug and go.
Exactly as it should be.
No contactless cards or countless online payment accounts required – simple automatic billing via the Tesla app.
The next day at Tenby and I thought I’d give the car a little boost at the Five Arches public car park. Big mistake.
The Pod Point charger tried to eat my cable. It took ten minutes listening to an automated helpline to release it. It wasn’t worth the hassle just to add a handful of miles.
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By the way, it costs 43p per kWh at a Tesla Supercharger. Other rapid chargers cost 79p per kWh and more. Elon Musk had all this figured out years ago.
Now the last time I tried a Tesla I said it needed better damping. They listened.
This Model 3 rides better. The cabin is better insulated. Rear passengers now have their own 8in entertainment screen.
But I think Tesla has gone too far by ditching indicator stalks and the gear selector.
The turn left and right arrows are positioned together on the left spoke of the steering wheel which gets a bit confusing when you’re mid-turn and trying to indicate.
The Americans clearly don’t do roundabouts.
Just put the left arrow on the left and the right arrow on the right, please.
Also, to go forwards, you swipe UP the side of the touchscreen.
DOWN for reverse. Keh?
Every auto I’ve driven has an R-N-D gearstick with reverse up top.
If you can live with these quirks, this Chinese-built Model 3 is a serious contender for your cash.
It’s got all the tech you’d expect from a Tesla – arcade games, Sentry mode, Dog mode and so on – wrapped up in a keenly-priced family car that’s spacious and does big miles.
The cherry on top is the easy, always available Supercharger network.
