Looks like I'm moving on...

[rincewind]

Well, I got a small surprise today. When I leased my M3P 18 months ago, I had an option to extend for a third year. On enquiring today, that option has been removed, so I need to hand it back on 8th December. Having looked at current lease costs, I can't find anything much less than about 11.5k per annum. That's too much, so I won't be leasing another one. So, buy one? Probably not. It's a great car, but could be better. Over the 18 months I've had it, I've found that the noise levels (in particular recently the wind noise at the top of the drivers window), are annoying me more and more, along with a few other more minor niggles. If I thought this was improved with the latest ones, I would consider it. However, it still seems to be a lottery what you get.

I find myself now looking at other options, but in truth there's still not much out there that I like (I want to stick with electric). So, a poll question. When you come to changing your car, would you get another Tesla?

 

[DJP31]

Was the lease extension renewal not part of your contract? The can't just remove the option unless it was a "voluntary" extension.

As for your question on getting another Tesla, for me it's a yes (I'm already on my second) as there's nothing else out there that ticks as many boxes as the Tesla does. It's a shame as whilst the cars IMO/IME are great, they could do so much better corporately / customer service wise.

 

[gangzoom]

The cars are far from perfect, Elon seems to be high most days of the week, Porsche has just an attractive brand history......Despite all of that when it comes to parting with our hard earned ££££ a Model S or 3 will be the next purchase, and the only car I would replace the X with when the time comes is another X.

 

[Mrklaw]

depends on the price band I’d be looking at. My SR+ is way sportier than alternatives unless I look more at £50k and when I do that I’m seeing the LR/P which gives even more performance. Reminds me of the 6 cyl BMWs I used to have before (but faster!). Build quality isn’t there but I can forgive for now.

I think the tipping point might be when I eventually succumb to temptation and test drive a bus…sorry, SUV and maybe get swayed by the easier getting in/out and practicalities like a hatch?

 

[adsheff]

You simply cannot beat the supercharger network. Nothing comes close to it, so that's reason enough to stick with Tesla.

Other stand out features that no one else does as well - Autopilot - despite the complaints it's still fantastically reliable on motorways and has literally changed my life.

Also - The air vents! I always used to be fiddling with the old fashioned vents in other cars. The air vent strip is really fantastic and I'd find it hard going back to a car that had the old wiggly ones.

 

[Battpower]

You simply cannot beat the supercharger network.

That's it. I just swapped my 40kwh Zoe for 64kwh Kona, purely because it was the only worthwhile budget upgrade I could find for the very satisfactory Zoe. But there is nothing to touch Tesla charging and is an important reason for keeping the MS.

 

[Gatsojon]

As it stands right now, there isn’t a variable alternative that would tempt me. I like the look of the new Hyundai but I’d want a quicker version. No plans to downgrade on performance just yet.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

You simply cannot beat the supercharger network. Nothing comes close to it, so that's reason enough to stick with Tesla.

Other stand out features that no one else does as well - Autopilot - despite the complaints it's still fantastically reliable on motorways and has literally changed my life.

Agree on the supercharger network, the others are coming but even wen there's lots of them the integration to easily see whats available etc still has an advantage

What I disagree with is autopilot. The others have great systems, they're not pretending ever to one day be self driving but that also means the interface is built as a driver assistance. You don't get the traffic cones but useful things like speed limit management and advising of changes, generally letting you know what they're doing is much better.

Over the last couple of years we've switched from our main, distance car being a Model S and a sporty ICE being the second around town car to a big luxury ICE as being our touring/distance car and a model 3 as being a local runaround. It's been very liberating to go away for the weekend and not even think about where we're going to charge next, does the hotel have a charger, if not then where, is there a rapid near by, schedule in 45 mins to fill up while away etc. Superchargers are great at helping you get somewhere, but unless they're nearby they're not so good at helping you explore an area, say you're staying in central wales, the Cotswolds, the lake district etc I've been doing that for 6 years and have travelled around Europe and Scotland in a Tesla, but now with rapids costing what they do, for the times we do go touring I'm happy to pay a surprisingly small extra amount for petrol having shifted our day to day stuff to electric. If we couldn't afford a Model 3 I'd have gone BMW i3 or VW ID3 - those with the Model 3 were contenders at the time. There are more great cars coming this year to make the choice even harder next time.

 

[Jason71]

Going away to Cornwall soon. based on destination charging at both locations I will be at I expect to do about 1000m miles and probably will use the SuC once on the way home, BUT even with that being the case its so nice to know its there if you need it.
Pre-booked hotel charger in Bristol broken /iced? 28 (I think) SuC in Bristol.
UMC/ Socket faulty at accommodation. Lifton 10 miles away.

My wife has serious range anxiety and I don't want to spend all my time planning charging stops anyway and crossing my fingers they will be available / working.

Someone needs to invent a patch or chewing gum that can be used to help you quit the Supercharger Network.

 

[Peter 224]

For now, unless you can do all your charging overnight at home, there is no other viable EV.

 

[Battpower]

there is no other viable EV.

Which when you think of how much has been spent on so much disjointed and sub-par charging infrastructure, you really end up wondering how the broader landscape will change.

 

[Jason71]

Which when you think of how much has been spent on so much disjointed and sub-par charging infrastructure, you really end up wondering how the broader landscape will change.

I think we have gone a bit off topic but:
it is changing. e.g. just booked into a new hotel which has 5 ac chargers and 2 rapids.
the sale of Electric Highway to Gridserve means the motorways will finally get the multi charger hubs they desperately need.
The Rapid charger issue I foresee though is that but no one wants to build loads of chargers that are not used so people will want to install rapids based on satisfying the average demand not the peak so not sure who is going to build enough rapids for bank holidays and Saturdays in July etc. The same issue happens at motorway petrol stations but waiting for 3 cars to fill up in front is 15 minutes tops. at EV chargers its 2 hours
Tesla sold 5K cars this month I don't think even the SuC will cope this Ukation summer on the main routes. If the DM wants a feel good story for their luddite readers they should rock up at a few choice SuC sites on 24th of July e.g. Exeter and photograph the inevitable queues

 

[adsheff]

I've said all along if we can get more slow chargers (tethered ones!) in places like hotels, campsites, public car parks, then the rapids won't be needed anywhere near as much. The UK isn't that big, and if you can get your car up to 100% overnight or while spending a day in a town or up a mountain, then most people could get back home without needing a rapid charge.

Now there are a lot of 7kw chargers in car parks about - however crucially most are untethered, which means you need to remember to take your cable with you, then there's extra faff to get it out when you stop (Tesla are, as always, the only company who have realised this and have cables on their destination chargers). Also crucial in my mind is to have a large number of these - 3 or 4 won't cut it - have 10/20 scattered around the car park, so you don't have to go looking for it. This I think would remove a lot of pressure on motorway services.

 

[Jason71]

I've said all along if we can get more slow chargers (tethered ones!) in places like hotels, campsites, public car parks, then the rapids won't be needed anywhere near as much. The UK isn't that big, and if you can get your car up to 100% overnight or while spending a day in a town or up a mountain, then most people could get back home without needing a rapid charge.

Now there are a lot of 7kw chargers in car parks about - however crucially most are untethered, which means you need to remember to take your cable with you, then there's extra faff to get it out when you stop (Tesla are, as always, the only company who have realised this and have cables on their destination chargers). Also crucial in my mind is to have a large number of these - 3 or 4 won't cut it - have 10/20 scattered around the car park, so you don't have to go looking for it. This I think would remove a lot of pressure on motorway services.

Top tip for remembering to take your cable with you. Try keeping it in the car

 

[adsheff]

Top tip for remembering to take your cable with you. Try keeping it in the car

Cable is needed at home as we have an untethered charger there, so would have to put it in and out the car all the time. But that's not really the point - even with the cable it's still so much easier to just grab the one on a Tesla charger than getting your own out, especially if its wet.

 

[Adopado]

Cable is needed at home as we have an untethered charger there, so would have to put it in and out the car all the time. But that's not really the point - even with the cable it's still so much easier to just grab the one on a Tesla charger than getting your own out, especially if its wet.

All true but the present reality is that many AC charge points need you to have your own cable. This is a reason why home charge points really are best with tethered cables (excluding exceptional circumstances). Though I am a rare user of my Type 2 cable I still wouldn't dream of it living anywhere other than in the car ... and if I needed one for an untethered home chargpoint I would be buying another exclusively for the car.

 

[adsheff]

All true but the present reality is that many AC charge points need you to have your own cable. This is a reason why home charge points really are best with tethered cables (excluding exceptional circumstances). Though I am a rare user of my Type 2 cable I still wouldn't dream of it living anywhere other than in the car ... and if I needed one for an untethered home chargpoint I would be buying another exclusively for the car.

That's all lovely, and I'm sure you get along just fine doing that, but I feel like your detracting from my point for no reason. It is just simply quicker and easier if the charger is tethered.

 

[Adopado]

That's all lovely, and I'm sure you get along just fine doing that, but I feel like your detracting from my point for no reason. It is just simply quicker and easier if the charger is tethered.

I totally agree with you that it would be quicker and easier if public AC charge points were all tethered. Absolutely no argument. My comment was just based on the fact that in practice they aren't! Better to plan for what's actually available rather than what we would like to have. You can't control what the charge point providers do but you can control what you do, in order to make your life easier.

 

[Olibol]

I’ve not had mine all that long, but if the lease costs allow I will certainly replace it with another. Ideally the new smaller one if it’s here in time.

The build quality on my 2021 MIC is faultless to my eyes, and the thought of going back into something with an interior festooned with buttons and vents doesn’t appeal at all.

I’ve just been planning a trip to the Lake District from Norwich, which it turns out will require a 20 minute stop at Scotch Corner to arrive with 50% battery. There’s not much that can rival that.

Autopilot is the only real disappointment for me. It’s lovely, apart from the phantom braking, which means that my family (rightly) won’t let me use it on our trip away. Therefore rendered useless. Hopefully it’ll be debugged in time.

 

[Jez_GB]

If I was changing anytime soon (I just did), then it would be another Tesla. My lease is up in 4 years time - I hope and expect the choice will not be so easy to make, and the comparable options so limited/limiting (in my use case).