For many years, I had no particular interest in electric cars, what with all the talk of their limited range, slow charging capability etc. Then one day, whilst in London and waiting for my wife to finish shopping in M&S at Marble Arch, I spied the Tesla showroom (then in Oxford Street) and wandered in to have a look at the Model S on display. I’d seen pictures of the car and thought it looked really stylish, although I wasn’t really sure I liked the huge portrait screen taking up most of the dashboard, but that visit changed everything…..
I knew there was no way I could afford the Model S, but the experience piqued my interest in researching more into electric cars in general, and Tesla in particular. Soon after the “affordable” Model 3 was announced, despite my initial reservations about its looks (still couldn’t quite get my head around a car with no front grille!) I put down my £1000 refundable deposit, and the long wait started.
The Model 3 went on sale in 2019 but I didn’t pull the trigger on my order straightaway. To be honest, I was put off by the tales of vehicles not being screwed together properly and the infamous panel gaps of course, so resolved to wait a while until all the initial production bugs were sorted out. I’d had three Mazda cars in the household over a period of years, all of which had given me trouble-free motoring - why give up all of that for a car that might be constantly be in the workshops for servicing and repairs?
So fast forward to 2022. My eight year old Mazda is still as reliable as ever, but I’m not getting any younger and if I don’t scratch that Tesla itch soon I’ll be too old to enjoy driving one. I’ve test driven the Model 3 (twice - once on an extended trip to see if it would get on to my drive without incident) and other EVs too: the Polestar 2, the Kia EV6, even the Vauxhall Mokka-E, but I keep on coming back to the Model 3. It’s airy, light, minimalist, spacious and the Shanghai-built vehicles seem that much better screwed together than the early Fremont models. Also, Tesla still seem to be ahead of the competition when it comes to drivetrain and battery technology. Yes, the price has gone up, the grants are no longer available, I’m paying than I would have done if I’d bitten the bullet back in 2019, but in February this year I finally ordered one. Hopefully it’ll arrive in time for Christmas!