I drove a Mazda Miata NA for many years before putting down a deposit for a Model 3 at the launch party in Hawthorne on March 31, 2016. A few months prior I decided to lease an EV as a stopgap until Standard Range deliveries started.
December 2015, I test drove most every plugin that was available in my area at the time. The Model S could have been an option, but it's really way too big for me and given that I typically drive less than 50 miles a week, the $1000/month lease price was just nuts and unjustifiable. So I looked outside Tesla.
The Leaf and the eGolf felt like soulless appliances (this was before the new Leaf). The Fiat 500e, which I expected to be fun was a disappointment. I could barely fit in it, I didn't like the FWD torque steer, and it was less practical than my Miata. The Mercedes B-class EV was half baked and overpriced. With neither fast charging nor a range extender, I was no good for the times I need to travel beyond its range. The new Volt, which had recently come out, was impressively an improvement in every way over its predecessor, but wasn't my first choice.
Ultimately, I managed to get a good deal for a 30 month lease on a BMW i3 Rex, and I quite liked it. The only non Tesla plugin with RWD. Both fast-charging and a (rarely used but invaluable when needed) range-extender, made it rather versatile.
The Model 3 SR of course took longer to arrive than expected, so I ended up going with the short-lived Mid-Range, which was still inconveniently some months after the i3 lease ended (I should have factored in Tesla time dilation and gone for 36 months).
The Model 3 is definitely the better car, though there are a few things I miss about the i3. I appreciated the hatchback and how nicely the rear seats folded when transporting stuff. Also the smaller footprint made life easier when parking in the city and didn't take up so much space in the garage.