Tesla Model 3 used car review – is it a good family EV?

For years and years, the best selling cars in the uk have been things like: the volkswagen golf, the nissan qashqai, but nowadays youre much more likely to see a tesla model 3 at the top of the sales charts. Its teslas most affordable car and its now the best selling ev of all time in todays video. I want to find out if it is actually a good car or if weve, just all been drinking elon musks, kool aid thats a weird phrase, but anyway lets get going in the uk. You can get the model 3 in three versions: the standard single motor version which got smaller battery less power, and there are two dual motor versions: the long range and the performance. Now the new the cheapest one of those is 46 grand and this the performance is 60 grand but buy from motor point. Nearly new. This ones got about 10 000 miles on it, its a performance and its 50 grand so youre saving 10 grand off the list. Price and youre beating the weight for a new one as well. Now there was a small facelift for model 3 and 2021. So all the chrome bits on the outside were turned black and the interior was tweaked ever so slightly and the battery sizes changed microscopically. So this is basically the same as a new one anyway, in terms of driving range. The claim figures are 305 miles for the single motor 340 miles for this performance version and 374 for the long range, but you can take about 80 miles off of those.

If you want our actual real world figure, it is worth noting that the single motor charge is slightly slower than the dual motors, but thats kind of details. Details. What you really need to know is that you buy one of these. You get access to teslas, wicked supercharger network, theyre, prolific theyre everywhere theyre fast, and if you go to a normal public charger these days, youll realize how many evs are being sold and the charger network is getting busier and busier tesla ones. There are so many of them its not much of a problem in terms of looks. The model 3 is either cutesy or bug eyed alien, depending on your point of view, but its unmistakably electric its got a low bonnet because it doesnt need to put a petrol engine under there. Its got a blanked off grill here, like every other ev to say, hey, i dont need to call a dirty combustion engine. The roof line is quite high compared to the rest of the car, because you get more passenger space. That way, and if i had one niggle with this car, its the color choice, its a bit tame white – was the only free choice when this was made and you could pay but extra to get it in gray, red black or blue wheres, the fluorescent orange. I really want to bring out my eyes or something from the side. The model 3 is all sleek and aerodynamic like a greased octopus on a drag strip, because every bit of smoothness helps get more range.

Look the door handles theyre smoothed off. You have to poke them to open them. They dont pop out automatically like the ones on the more expensive model s now in terms of wheels. You get 20s on the performance version you get 19s on the others and from new you can actually put smaller 18s on it to get another 15 miles of range, which is quite handy. If you really want to maximize your electric driving range around the back. The model 3 is pretty non descript, you do get a tesla badge and you get a little dual motor badge to say: youve spent a bit more money and youve got a fast one um on the performance, one you do get this carbon fiber spoiler, but its Not the nicest carbon fiber spoiler ive ever seen so dont worry about buying it purely for that the boot itself is quite big. However, the opening is the saloon, so you cant drop things down into it. The model y is a hatchback, so thats got a more accessible boot, but theres still a huge space and youve got a space under there for your cables and everything its a huge well of opportunity actually, but its also got a frunk as well. I dont know how many times ive said it as well: its got a hell of a lot of storage and im going to show you by putting some bags in it in what we like to call the motor point.

Big boot challenge i put stuff in the boot in a slightly awkward fashion. Music im actually quite impressed ive managed to fit two big suitcases in this, as well as two carry ons, so youre, pretty good for family holidays. Unless youve got a pram, in which case yeah youre gon na need something bigger than this and ive not used any of the underfloor storage in here or showing you the front im gon na show you the front now yeah the big suitcase isnt quite going to Fit in the model 3s front, however, my little carry on fits in like its not a problem at all, im really impressed with how much space there is in the front of this thats just space you dont get on a combustion engine car well done tesla before I hop inside, i should point out. This little card is the key for the model 3, and you just hold it here to lock or unlock the car, or you can download the tesla app to your phone and just walk up to the car and it automatically unlocks it. It is the future until you lose your phone or that little bit of plastic now ive got in the back of the model. Three im six foot: three, my knees have got a little bit of room. My head touches the glass ceiling, which is standard at least, and i hit my head on that getting in and out feels a little bit cramped for adults back here, but kids will be fine.

Now youve got quite a high floor because the batteries are under there. That does mean two things. My feet are a bit squished under the drivers seat and my knees are bent at a slightly unnatural angle: theyre not dangling theyre kind of propped up and i think on a long journey that might get a little bit tedious and you might have noticed the rear Windows dont go all the way down, so your little ones cant collect mcdonalds from the drive thru, which is a shame up front. The model 3 is an exercise in minimalism. I think it looks pretty awesome. The only buttons in here are these two little jog wheels on the steering wheel, which, thankfully, is round its not one of the weird tesla yokes youve got a strip of wood across the dashboard, and quality actually feels good. In here i know, teslas copped some flat for dodgy build quality, but this feels great to me now you dont get an instrument pinnacle here. Your speed appears up here in the top right hand, corner of this 15 inch display, which is used for literally everything, which is fine for most things, for your media applications for spotify. But you do have to use it to adjust the air con and that takes your eyes off the road which i dont really like, and you have to also adjust the steering wheel, reach and rake through the menus, which is a bit odd.

Now this doesnt have apple, carplay or android auto, but youve got built in spotify and loads of other apps. You can watch netflix on it, while youre charging its great its really sharp its really responsive, and i dont mind the fact i dont have instruments here. Ive. Also got tons of storage in here. Ive got two big deep cubbies here place to charge two phones there door bins its great i mean: what more could you want? Its even got a nice little frameless, hello, rear view mirror which looks premium as well right enough about the interior of this car lets go and discover the model 3s real party trick, how fast it is and how it drives lets go right. Lets go for a drive in the tesla model, 3 ive adjusted the mirrors using the touchscreen and the steering wheel buttons, which is a little bit weird, but ive got myself pretty comfortable here and the seats do feel nice and comfy as well. Now, im briefly going to talk about the performance of this and then im going to show you the performance out on some twisty roads later but yeah. The single motor version of this does not to 60 in 5.8 seconds. The long range version does it in 4.2, that is exceptionally fast, the performance one does it in 3.1 seconds, thats, ridiculous, thats only .7 or something of a second slower than a bugatti chiron that i drove last year.

That was very fun, but it wasnt electric. It certainly wasnt the future, but anyway yeah. This feels comfortable and refined im, actually not bothered by the fact. My speed is here rather than here its not far to take your eyes off the road. It just feels like youre driving something very different. Ive got a big windscreen, i can see outfit very easily. I can adjust my regenerative braking and it just feels normal and easy to drive. There is a chill acceleration mode if you want to get a little bit more range and just calm things down anyway. Lets go: do some dual carriageways and find out what it feels like at 70 miles an hour right im accelerating from 40 to 70 on a dual carriageway and thats 70 miles an hour is really impressively quick and think about electric cars. Is they accelerate so hard? Even when youre already doing 30 or 40 miles an hour, theyve just got instant punch at any speed. Now, at 70 miles an hour get a little bit of wind whistle off these mirrors. But this is a reasonably refined, comfortable car and obviously youve got no petrol engine noise, its just its just quiet and comfy frankly, considered with the tunes on and dual motor versions, get a better speaker set up than the single motor versions that is worth knowing, but Otherwise, yeah happy days, but anyway i want to get some twisty roads to talk about the handling right im out on a country, road and i have to say the model 3 does feel like one of the sportier electric cars you can buy and you can tell That teslas put effort into making this fun to drive.

The steering is weighted like youre in a sports car and if youre a nerd, you might have noticed its on proper michelin, sporty tyres as well yeah and obviously it is absolutely flipping rapid out of corners. But it stays quite level when youre in the middle of the corner and youve got confidence to drive it. Certainly, at the posted speed limit, the brakes are quite good, they dont feel unnatural and you are thankful that the performance version gets bigger, brake discs compared to the regular one, because you need them frankly, so yeah. This is definitely an ev that can put a smile on your face, theres, even a track mode, if youre feeling particularly ambitious and want to put it on a track day, im not sure i would because its still quite a heavy car and over some bunks, you Still feel this is a heavy car and those jolts are going to my spine, but otherwise its just a joy to drive. I really like it feels like youre in something very unusual and very different and very very fast, but anyway enough about how this drives lets. Go back to motor point for an outro, so it turns out theres a reason. The tesla model 3 is so blooming popular. It gives you all of teslas. Ev know how and performance in a nice family size package without the expense of buying a model s or a model x, and i really like it – i mean sure, theyve gone a little bit too far in terms of removing some of the physical buttons in the Cabin and space in the back can be a little bit tight for adults, but otherwise its a fantastic package.

I see why its so popular, i think, one of the best perks of buying one of these is the access to teslas wicked supercharging network, which is just brilliant, removes half the faf of living with an electric car whats. Not to like. Thank you so much for watching this video.