[pdk42]

My 335i is up for renewal (5 years old and funded via company car allowance, rules of which are that car needs to be <5 years old). I've struggled to get enthused with current cars from the usual suspects (BMW, Audi etc) so went looking for something a bit different.

Had a drive of the Tesla Model 3 and was sufficiently impressed to put a deposit down. It's refundable so I've not 100% committed yet. Am I mad?

It drives nicely enough and is a beast for acceleration (0-60 in 4.3 secs for the dual motor long-range version). For only a little more you can get the Performance version which pushes that to 3.2s, but I need a tow-bar and the Performance doesn't include it.

Handling is not too bad - steering is very good as is grip (4-wheel drive) but it's a heavy car and it shows at times.

Interior is "different". Hardly any switchgear - just that big touchscreen. I reckon with 330ish miles range plus a growing network of superchargers I can live with it.

Thoughts?

[seenthelight!]

Nice car, possibly my next one. If you don't mind me asking, how much?

[pdk42]

Originally Posted by seenthelight!

Nice car, possibly my next one. If you don't mind me asking, how much?

Well, AWD LR version with towbar and incl government £3.5k contribution puts it at a shade over £47k. Not exactly cheap, but running costs are a lot lower and the finance deal they have is pretty good at about 4.9%. There's also no initial road tax hit (but still £310/yr since it's over £40k so hits the "luxury car" bracket).

If you're happy with the RWD standard range version (250 miles) then you can lop £10k off that. That also brings it in (just) under the £40k list so no road tax at all.

Best of all though is that if it's run as a pure company car then it's 0% BIK.

[Cootie]

No, don’t think you’re mad at all. Will be very interested to hear how you get on, as I’d been thinking one of these might make sense for us as part of a 2 car garage.

[aquazi]

I’ve also test driven one.... with a view to replace my car next yr.

My dad has a model s... and loves it living in london there are other incentives for him like free parking permits and congestion charges etc.

Prob is for a £50k car the interior feels very cheap.

[pdk42]

Originally Posted by aquazi

Prob is for a £50k car the interior feels very cheap.

Yes, I agree. There are concerns over build quality too.

[TouringPleb]

Looks incredibly bland to me and I don't like the massive touch screen to control everything

[cc3]

I'm in a similar situation I can't see anything in the BMW range that really excites me. New 3 just a bit bland in styling and I don't like the new BMW grills

I've put a deposit on a Polestar 2. Have seen the car and sat in it, looks really nice and quality of fit and finish appears excellent. Hope to test drive at year end

[lethbridge]

Don't blame you at all - just be sure you aren't jumping too soon... If you are city based they make a lot of sense, but putting aside the limited choice, quality, reliability and all the usual petrolhead criteria, EV wouldn't work for me yet - too much range uncertainty - could I do the journeys I do, park in the places I do, stay at the hotels I do without having to detour and wait around for a 30 min top-up... That running low on fuel feeling has far bigger implications - can I get to a charge point, will it be free, will it make me late... Just be sure of the real range you will get which is even more dependant on how you drive it and the journeys you do... A lot of this is a change in mindset I know but right now for me it would be too inconvenient...

[Witney]

Originally Posted by pdk42

Best of all though is that if it's run as a pure company car then it's 0% BIK.

I am sure you know this, but its 16% BIK until April 2020 so depends when you will get it. It then it drops to 0% before rising to 1% and then 2% in the following years.

I think I will be getting one as my next car...

[pdk42]

Originally Posted by lethbridge

Don't blame you at all - just be sure you aren't jumping too soon... If you are city based they make a lot of sense, but putting aside the limited choice, quality, reliability and all the usual petrolhead criteria, EV wouldn't work for me yet - too much range uncertainty - could I do the journeys I do, park in the places I do, stay at the hotels I do without having to detour and wait around for a 30 min top-up... That running low on fuel feeling has far bigger implications - can I get to a charge point, will it be free, will it make me late... Just be sure of the real range you will get which is even more dependant on how you drive it and the journeys you do... A lot of this is a change in mindset I know but right now for me it would be too inconvenient...

They are all concerns that I have too! However, I no longer do a lot of darting around the country. My journeys are mostly predictable and I rarely do more than 100 miles per day. For longer journeys, I'm taking it as an act of faith (!!) that I can plan the journey with a charger stop en-route.

My biggest worry is what to do when you're on holiday in deepest Wales or whatever and the nearest charger is 50 miles away (or you revert to a 13A plug with a charge rate of about 9 miles per hour).

I also can foresee that charger availability will likely go through a stress point as EVs become more popular. Not only about finding a working one, but whether we'll get to the point of having waiting queues at motorway services etc at peak times.

I guess all these worries are inevitable at this stage of EV pickup - the question is whether it's worth taking the plunge and dealing with it right now.

[pdk42]

Originally Posted by Witney

I am sure you know this, but its 16% BIK until April 2020 so depends when you will get it. It then it drops to 0% before rising to 1% and then 2% in the following years.

I think I will be getting one as my next car...

My company is sufficiently backward to not have EVs on the approved list, so I'll be funding the car (as I have done for a long while) via a car allowance and doing my own financing.

[A15X]

Do you claim mileage allowance on your current car?

[pdk42]

Originally Posted by A15X

Do you claim mileage allowance on your current car?

Only on company business. It's not much these days.

[kitster]

There is Tesla showroom close to my office. I've gone in a few times for a look, but I just can't get my head around the styling. I think I'll hold onto my car until there is more choice.

[Russbmw]

Originally Posted by kitster

There is Tesla showroom close to my office. I've gone in a few times for a look, but I just can't get my head around the styling. I think I'll hold onto my car until there is more choice.

Yeah, that's my problem. I love the tech aspect for sure. Some of the model s can look OK on the outside ; 21" wheels, lower suspension, carbon bits. But the interiors are categorically nasty. They just look so cheap and bland, which is not what you'd expect on a £80k or so car, even used at that kind of price!

Granted the model 3 are cheaper, but the same interior styling is in play. That steering wheel for example, honestly I've never seen anything so drab. It's how I'd imagine a new Yugo wheel would look if they still made cars.

That said, each to their own on staying really, and let's be honest, BMW's current offerings have the same problem but reversed: interiors nice, exteriors are a shit show.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by pdk42

My 335i is up for renewal (5 years old and funded via company car allowance, rules of which are that car needs to be <5 years old). I've struggled to get enthused with current cars from the usual suspects (BMW, Audi etc) so went looking for something a bit different.

Had a drive of the Tesla Model 3 and was sufficiently impressed to put a deposit down. It's refundable so I've not 100% committed yet. Am I mad?

It drives nicely enough and is a beast for acceleration (0-60 in 4.3 secs for the dual motor long-range version). For only a little more you can get the Performance version which pushes that to 3.2s, but I need a tow-bar and the Performance doesn't include it.

Handling is not too bad - steering is very good as is grip (4-wheel drive) but it's a heavy car and it shows at times.

Interior is "different". Hardly any switchgear - just that big touchscreen. I reckon with 330ish miles range plus a growing network of superchargers I can live with it.

Thoughts?

I have the impression that Jaguar has made leaps on the EVs. Have you given that any consideration?

Tesla seems like the result of computer technology guys designing a car. Some design things that they do make zero sense to a car guy.

I'm curious to see what actual car guys, engineers and designers will do by incorporating EV technology into their products. I assume that an EV car from an actual car company will be more fun to drive.

[jdrally]

https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/international-issues/electric-vehicles-in-germany-emit-more-carbon-dioxide-than-diesel-vehicles/

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by pdk42

Yes, I agree. There are concerns over build quality too.

All I can tell you is our current Tesla, with powered doors all round, stupidly massive windscreen, more CPUs inside than all my previous cars combined has had far less issues than my old 335i, and nothing as bad as breaking down by the side of road leaking coolant!

I would not own another BMW without a factory warranty, our X am planning to keep for at least 8 years, and less than 2 years in already done 26k.

Incidentally get the 'P' version if your going AWD on the 3, its a tiny price difference for a big jump in performance. Shame Tesla don't do the LR RWD any more, that would have been my ideal spec.

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by pdk42

I also can foresee that charger availability will likely go through a stress point as EVs become more popular. Not only about finding a working one, but whether we'll get to the point of having waiting queues at motorway services etc at peak times.

I guess all these worries are inevitable at this stage of EV pickup - the question is whether it's worth taking the plunge and dealing with it right now.

You need to man up!!!

When I jumped to EVs in 2015 it was in a 70 miles max range Nissan Leaf, the range on the Mway in the Leaf was more like 50 miles, and thats before factoring in things like rain/cold!! I still managed to take from Leicester to Cardiff and back, with my pregnant wife on board, looking back that wasn't a great idea .

Any Model 3 in comparison is a different league.....

Oh don't diss the 3 pin charger + 20 meter extension lead, I use it all the time on holiday. Have a beer and kick back whilst you fuel the car for free and everyone else is stuck paying higher £££ fuel costs for been in the middle of no where!!

[djcowlin]

I was tempted to order one but was put off by the uncertainty about lead times, which makes changing from an existing PCP difficult. Do you know when yours will actually arrive?

[RobUK]

I don't mind the look of the Model 3 and it sounds like an intriguing proposition. Shame it doesn't fit my requirements (300+ mile journeys a couple of times a month).

What are Tesla repair times like in the UK? Heard reports of minor repairs taking 3-4 months in the US.