Tesla Model 3

Is the Tesla Model 3 a good car?

Do you remember the first time you played an MP3 file? The first time you used a smartphone? Seemed like some sort of black magic, didn’t it? Well, the Tesla Model 3 is the smartphone of cars, here to help you ditch that combustion engine out on the drive in favour of pure-electric power with its sleek looks, massive performance and anxiety-busting range. And, if you needed any more convincing, the Model 3 won the carwow Game Changer Award for 2019. Not having to cool a conventional engine like the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4 means the Tesla Model 3 electric car can do away with anything so vulgar as a grille on its bumper. Instead, it comes with little more than a slim intake, a pair of fog lights and a number plate. Things are less dramatic when you look at it from the side or the back, but the Performance model gets lowered suspension, a subtle carbon fibre rear spoiler and huge 20-inch alloy wheels to make them look lower, meaner and much more sporty. If anything, the Tesla Model 3 looks even more striking on the inside. You can forget the minimalist cabins in an Audi A4 or Jaguar XE, the Tesla Model 3’s interior is almost completely devoid of buttons, knobs or dials of any kind. Instead, you control pretty much everything through a whopping 15-inch touchscreen. It’s a good thing, then, that the screen is easy to read, sensibly laid out and responds to your inputs just as quickly as a range-topping iPad. The satellite navigation is easy to program and the colourful Google Maps imagery makes directions a doddle to follow.

The rest of the Tesla Model 3’s cabin looks a bit plain by comparison, but at least it feels pretty solid – not something you can say of its bigger brother, the Model S. It’s not quite as roomy as the likes of the new BMW 3 Series – especially in the back – but you can get the Tesla Model 3 with a vast panoramic glass roof which stretches all the way from the driver’s headrests to the bootlid that floods the cabin with light. It doesn’t do anything to boost the Tesla Model 3’s boot space, though. There’s room for few suitcases and some soft bags, but plenty of petrol- and diesel-powered alternatives are roomier still. Unlike in any other premium saloon, however, you get an extra storage area under the bonnet – where you’d normally find an engine – with some shopping hooks to hold your groceries nice and securely. If you’ll be using your Tesla Model 3 for nipping to the shops you won’t be too worried about range, but it’s nice to know that the Long Range model can manage around 560 kilometers between charges if you’re being extra careful. Charging from empty takes around 12 hours using a dedicated wall-charger at home or you can boost the Model 3’s batteries from 10% to 80% full in as little as 35 minutes using Tesla’s 120kw public charging points.,

Performance models lose out on a few miles of range, but they’re much faster. Accelerating from 0-100 kmh takes as little as 3.5 seconds compared with the 4.5 seconds of the Long Range version. This means it’s faster than pretty much any other premium saloon on sale – and many much pricier sports cars for that matter. It’s even easier to drive on motorways, where the optional Autopilot system lets the car pretty much drive itself – providing you keep your hands on the steering wheel. It’ll accelerate, brake and steer for you to maintain a safe distance to other cars and will even change lane when you indicate. In fact, the sheer number of passenger-impressing gizmos you get in the Model 3 makes the more expensive Model S seem like a bit of a waste of money. It might be the baby of the Tesla range, but the Model 3’s stylish looks, futuristic-yet-practical cabin and sports-car-baiting performance make it one of the best electric cars on sale and a genuine alternative to the posh saloon mainstream.

What's it like to drive?

The Tesla Model 3 offers massive performance coupled with silent running and grin-inducing cornering ability. It’s quicker than the performance variants of most alternative saloons, but electric motoring will have to fit in with your life.

How practical is it?

The Tesla Model 3 will seat four adults and carry a decent amount of luggage across its front and rear boots, with a total of 425 litres of boot space, but if space is a priority there are roomier posh saloons – although they have combustion engines. The Tesla Model 3 re-writes the rule book on saloon-car interiors. It’s uber-minimalist, with nearly every function controlled through its large central screen. It’s all good quality and Tesla’s best effort yet with the materials inside, although Audi and BMW still do it better.

Infotainment

All Tesla Model 3s come with a gigantic 15-inch widescreen touchscreen mounted on their dashboard, through which pretty much everything is controlled. In fact, the only things not controlled by this super-responsive high-definition screen are the electric seats, the position of the steering wheel and the angle of the door mirrors. This huge screen has razor-sharp graphics and it’s designed and laid out much like your smartphone would be, so is extremely easy to get to grips with. That said, some of the buttons on the screen are quite small, so can be harder to hit when trying to concentrate on driving at the same time. The satellite navigation is easy to program, though, and the colourful Google Maps imagery makes directions a doddle to follow. It’s good enough that you soon forget Tesla doesn’t offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.