Across the past decade, industry disruptor Tesla has been the global automotive success story.
And much of that success has been spearheaded by the affordable Tesla Model 3, more than a million of which have found homes since 2017. But ‘affordable’ is a relative term, and a new one will still set you back just shy of £40k – or nearer £45k for the reassurance of a bigger battery Long Range model.
As our 15 January used buying guide reported, those first cars are now being replaced, so the market is flooded with Model 3s – which is great news for buyers, with prices starting from just £12k.
There’s plenty to choose from, whether you want the standard 252bhp rear-wheel drive model or the loopy 444bhp dual-motor Performance. I decided that 346bhp (and 0-60mph in a shade over 4.0sec) was probably more than enough and a claimed 360-mile range suited me, so I opted for the Long Range AWD.
My car has covered 37,771 miles and, being of 2021 vintage, got a heat pump as standard and was made in China (the timber on the dashboard and doors is the giveaway).
Finished in my favourite colour scheme of Midnight Silver with black pleather interior and attractive silver multispoke 19in wheels, it would retail for around £25k-£28k through Tesla’s Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) scheme, and I picked it up from the Gatwick branch in West Sussex.
“All CPO Teslas undergo a 200-point inspection that goes through all the vitals of the vehicle,” explained sales manager Kul Rajbansh, who ran me through all of the car’s features, pointing out that the tyres on CPO cars must have at least 10,000 miles left on them at the point of sale and there are checks to the cosmetics, interior, battery and brakes.
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Bought a model y 2nd hand as had a powerwall and Tesla charger. Car works well, 320wh/ mile in winter but about 240wh/mile now it's summer. Tesla chargers are great and much cheaper than other chargers, ~40pKWh vs 85-90p at other chargers I've occasionally used. I also have a Porsche Cayman GTS, when I get out of that I look back and think 'what a wonderful thing that is'. When I get out of the Tesla I look back to check if it's mirrors have folded in so I know it's locked itself. Great way to move from one place to another but little or no stimulation.
Well that 19p/mile cost sounds good, doesn't it?
Am all-in cost of £5k for 8000 miles, not-so-much.
Cars, eh. You either put your money into depreciation or maintenance. Both of your really unlucky. They get you one way or the other.
The article says this:
The technology is initially overwhelming but swiftly becomes something you rely on: get into another car and you find yourself wondering why you have to unlock the doors, turn on the ignition, adjust your seat or connect your devices – or even steer, accelerate and brake, should you use Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot system
Well, wonder no more why you have to unlock doors and turn on the ignition:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/29/hyundai-facing-legal-action-over-car-that-can-be-stolen-effortlessly-in-seconds
...or even steer, accelerate and brake:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/05/the-vehicle-suddenly-accelerated-with-our-baby-in-it-the-terrifying-truth-about-why-teslas-cars-keep-crashing
To be honest, I don't really understand why car producers want self-driving vehicles: if I crash my car, I'm on the hook for any damage to other property or life; if the car is driving autonomously, the car company will be liable: if 100 Teslas crash each year, and damages of $10million are awared each time, Tesla's got to pay out $1billion. Why wuold you open your company up to such risk? It might be an unlikely scenario, but it is still possible. With the human driver in control when the car crashes, it's not.
Anyway, technical marvel or not, if it can be stolen in seconds and burns you alive if it crashes while on 'autopilot', I say steer clear...