Possible Model 3

[SimonT]

We are thinking of dipping our toe in the electric car water....actually that doesnt sound right but you know what I mean.

It will be a second car probably only doing 20 miles per day.

We have free charging at the office.

Will be leased through business which has tax advantages in the UK.

The question is do we go for the standard range or long range model?

The LR has well, longer range, is a bit quicker and more importantly 4 wheel drive for rainy days. Is there anything else different in spec between the two? For example one review I saw had the base model having a more basic sat nav.

Cost difference is about £100 per month.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jebinc]

The general advice in these parts is to buy as much range as your budget will allow - and you'll never feel bad that you did. You might (feel remorse) if you buy less range up front.

Edit: Something to keep in mind... Most recommend charging to 80% (unless heading out on a long trip) and "filling up" before 20%. That leaves 65% of real daily range. So, for a 310 mile rated LR AWD, that's about 201 miles. Now, add cold weather, and that number's lower. Same math applies to lower rated range models...

 

[CharleyBC]

"It will be a second car probably only doing 20 miles per day."

I predict that won't last. It will quickly become your primary car. We now rarely use our Toyota since the Tesla arrived last year.

But if you REALLY will only drive 20 miles per day, you'll be fine with the smaller battery. But I gotta tell ya, the long-range battery is sure nice for vacations and other adventures. Plus more buffer for keeping you warm in the winter and things like that.

Enjoy!

 

[puckpurnell]

Go For It. I drive the M3 AWD LR. Got the extra range and AWD just in case. Turns out, the M3 is now our "Go To" car for travel. Winter here in Connecticut can be troublesome but we're covered with the AWD. You won't regret the extra range and dual motors if you can afford them. Again, Go For It.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

If you’re leasing and you drive 20 miles a day the only logical choice IMO is the standard range.

The UK is tiny. You’ll be fine

I seriously think with a lease, save the money unless you plan on driving long distances.

I bought the performance model because Tesla wouldn’t sell me a long range RWD. (In my head the LR AWD is just a slow performance model so it made zero sense to buy...yes I’m retarded.)

 

[jebinc]

If you’re leasing and you drive 20 miles a day the only logical choice IMO is the standard range.

Not so sure... The OP said, "Will be leased through business which has tax advantages in the UK." If it's the OP's business, the benefit (and pleasure) would be greater to lease the LW AWD.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

Not so sure... The OP said, "Will be leased through business which has tax advantages in the UK." If it's the OP's business, the benefit (and pleasure) would be greater to lease the LW AWD.

In that case get the performance.

 

[jebinc]

In that case get the performance.

Touche!

 

[ewoodrick]

We are thinking of dipping our toe in the electric car water....actually that doesnt sound right but you know what I mean.

It will be a second car probably only doing 20 miles per day.

We have free charging at the office.

Will be leased through business which has tax advantages in the UK.

The question is do we go for the standard range or long range model?

The LR has well, longer range, is a bit quicker and more importantly 4 wheel drive for rainy days. Is there anything else different in spec between the two? For example one review I saw had the base model having a more basic sat nav.

Cost difference is about £100 per month.

Thanks in advance.

Wow, if you listened to all these folks, then Tesla would never sell a SR+ car. But they do, they sell a lot of them. It's an absolute perfect solution for you. Your commute is suitable for any EV, even the older 88 mile Leaf.

Fast isn't a problem. ALL the Teslas are fast. The slowest Tesla will beat the crap out of most any other car.

Honestly, the SR model would be your best choice. (then you have more money to pay for your second EV when you realize what they mean)

 

[ngogas]

If you can afford it get LR.

 

[kbecks13]

The question is do we go for the standard range or long range model?

The LR has well, longer range, is a bit quicker and more importantly 4 wheel drive for rainy days. Is there anything else different in spec between the two? For example one review I saw had the base model having a more basic sat nav.

So the difference in the interior is below, i think it's pretty valuable and unfortunately you can't upgrade to a Premium connectivity package (i.e the software unlockable stuff) if you get the cheapest car (as far as i know).

That said, $100 a month is quite a lot for a slightly more fancy interior IMO. The range portion of this has been discussed well in comments above, though i would suggest you look at the Supercharger map near you to see how easy it would be to charge up if you decide to take her on a road trip. Here's a great site for seeing current and future Superchargers: supercharge.info

Also since you're in the UK, you can use CCS chargers as well (non-Tesla owned fast chargers). You'll get about 4 miles of range per hour for each kW that the station outputs (so a 50 kW station = ~200 miles or 320 km per hour charge rate). I hear Zap Map is a good tool: Map of charging points for electric car drivers in UK: Zap-Map

The RWD vs AWD isn't a major difference for just rain, you'd see more significant improvements by using a proper tire (i.e a RWD with good tires will be better than AWD with poor tire choice). Oh wait, i actually meant "tyre" i think?

The speed is a relatively important factor to me and the AWD car is pretty quick! Not sure if that matters to you, but man the AWD and Performance cars really drive like a go-kart and it's a blast. The RWD is certainly not bad and will be better than almost everything else in its class, but not the same as the AWD.

It's really a matter of your budget, if you can afford it i would say go for it and you will really enjoy the car (and i bet it becomes a Primary as others have said).

 

[wdolson]

My partner's Subaru was our errand running car until I got the Tesla. Now she's gone from filling the car once a week to once a month and my car is the go to for most running around. I calculated that my Model S costs 1/4 per mile than my partner's Subaru Impreza. It's also a nicer car with more cargo space.

 

[SimonT]

Thanks for all the comments.

The UK really is tiny compared to the US of A!!! My drive to the office is 8.1 miles each way so will genuinly be less than 20 miles per day. I do make the odd trip to our other sites which are a max 30 miles each way - say twice a week max. So in all less than 200 miles per week Monday to Friday.

We have a driveway/garage, charging point at work and a super charger 2 miles from our house.

We also have a new shape Landrover Discovery which we use on weekends and vacations.

I have made the mistake of buyer a lower spec version of a car before and regretted it so probably leaning towards the Long Range.

Regards.

 

[sixela]

In that case get the performance.

In the UK, the official model options used to be either SR+ or P3D- (Stealth Performance) with nothing in between. The price difference between the P3D- and the LR AWD is actually peanuts (if they would do the same as in LHD EU you could get a LR RWD from inventory by waiting for a propitious moment for a much better price, but I don't think they make RHD LR RWD).

FWIW: I agree with the others. You think it's going to be your second car, but it's going to become your primary car as long as everything fits it the car. It's much more fun to drive than anything I've ever driven.

 

[wdolson]

Thanks for all the comments.

The UK really is tiny compared to the US of A!!! My drive to the office is 8.1 miles each way so will genuinly be less than 20 miles per day. I do make the odd trip to our other sites which are a max 30 miles each way - say twice a week max. So in all less than 200 miles per week Monday to Friday.

We have a driveway/garage, charging point at work and a super charger 2 miles from our house.

We also have a new shape Landrover Discovery which we use on weekends and vacations.

I have made the mistake of buyer a lower spec version of a car before and regretted it so probably leaning towards the Long Range.

Regards.

If you can afford it, the longer range gives you peace of mind and flexibility. In the winter your commute will burn some extra energy with the battery cold when you start out and you can crank the heat without fear of running out of juice. The heater has to be electric (not enough waste heat like an ICE) and can really sap range 10-20% if you get the car nice and toasty. An SR+ would probably still work, but it gives you the flexibility to run errands after work with no concerns.

 

[cronosx]

I have made the mistake of buyer a lower spec version of a car before and regretted it so probably leaning towards the Long Range.

Just remember that no one will ever say "this Tesla il slow", if you test drive it, you will se
Go fo the SR, it's cheaper, and it's ok.. you'll end up changing the other car, so you'll need the money

 

[XLR82XS]

Long range. Done & done.

 

[srs5694]

FWIW, there are various accounts of SR/SR+ cars being taken on road trips, and they don't seem to be painful. Compared to non-Teslas, the SR+ has roughly comparable range to a Chevy Bolt (sold as the Opel Ampera-e in Europe for a year or two, but no longer available there, IIRC), Hyundai Kona EV, or Kia Niro EV, but the Model 3 has a faster DC fast charging rate, which gives it the edge compared to these competing cars. The LR has a longer starting range and will Supercharge at a slightly faster rate, so it's even better, but it may be overkill, depending on your road trip driving style and preferences. Here's a YouTube video about a 900-mile (round trip) road trip in an SR+:

One other issue is that batteries are currently one of the bottlenecks for EV adoption. Tesla can make three SR/SR+ vehicles or two LR vehicles from roughly the same number of cells. Similarly, there's an environmental cost to building batteries. You may not care about these issues personally, except insofar as they're reflected in the price of the car, but if you do care about them, it's best to not go overboard on range. I'm not trying to push hard on this issue, but thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[lolder]

I have a LR RWD in the US but I think the SR+ would be OK in the UK. I think you can buy the premium connectivity if it is a must. The dual motor and P LR do not have the 310 m range in the real world. Like previous posts said it will become your main car and then you will buy another. Only those with excess testosterone need Ds and Ps. The 18" aero wheels are smoother riding, longer range and more durable also.

 

[jebinc]

I have a LR RWD in the US but I think the SR+ would be OK in the UK. I think you can buy the premium connectivity if it is a must. The dual motor and P LR do not have the 310 m range in the real world. Like previous posts said it will become your main car and then you will buy another. Only those with excess testosterone need Ds and Ps. The 18" aero wheels are smoother riding, longer range and more durable also.

The LR AWD comes with the 18" aero wheels, at least in the US - not sure about UK. And my Testosterone levels are just fine (within normal range), thank you very much.