[lanerboy]

Hi All
Please bear with me as I am new to the Tesla era, we currently have a Golf GTE purchased new in June 2018 but we are now wanting to go full electric. We have decided on the Model 3 as our choice but we are unsure which model to go for.

We were set on the performance model 3 but now we are swinging towards the Long Range AWD model, can anyone please correct me on the differences below between the 2 models and what the performance model has that the LR version does not

performance model has over the LR model

more powerful rear motor
quicker 0-60 and top end speed
rear spoiler
larger alloys
red calipers
larger brakes
lower suspension
slightly lower mileage range

Have I missed anything off this list

Also can anyone please tell me how long it would take to charge the LR version from nearly flat to fully charged using a home charger that is 32 amps and is it worth me having a 32 amp charger or is this an overkill and will the car only charge at a lower amps charge rate say 22 or 11 amps , the charger will be fitted at my work so amps are not an issue here as I have 3 phase electric in my unit.

What are you getting in REAL miles regards range as the GTE does not do what they said it would so how does the Tesla Model 3 compare in real life to Teslas given figures.

Thanks in advance for all your help

 

[E7EV]

Also can anyone please tell me how long it would take to charge the LR version from nearly flat to fully charged using a home charger that is 32 amps and is it worth me having a 32 amp charger or is this an overkill and will the car only charge at a lower amps charge rate say 22 or 11 amps , the charger will be fitted at my work so amps are not an issue here.

Charging times for the LR according to ev database.

 

[lanerboy]

Thanks E7EV so its as I thought no point me getting a 22kwh charger as the model 3 can only take 11kwh of charge from a home charger

 

[Rentagas]

You need a 3 phase supply to get 11 or 22kw-few UK domestic properties have this and the installation and ongoing costs may make this not worth doing.
A 32A/7kW chargepoint would be a standard installation.
The £10k difference in price between the long range and performance model 3 is the main difference-enhanced because the performance does not qualify for the £3k government subsidy.

 

[proddick]

Thanks E7EV so its as I thought no point me getting a 22kwh charger as the model 3 can only take 11kwh of charge from a home charger

Unless you have 3 phase electric at home you can't get a 22kW charging point. Typically the cost to install 3 phase is high and there are few cases where it can be justified. At 7kW a Tesla Model 3 LR or Performance can be charged from empty to 80% overnight (about 9 hours) and few drivers arrive home empty.

The main benefit of the Performance is the additional acceleration and sticky sport tyres, the motors are the same as LR. The downsides are the wheels are easier to damage and less range - due to wheels and tyres. Bear in mind you can buy a performance upgrade for a LR after purchase and you can buy bigger wheels, perhaps once the 19" tyres wear out. Below is USA store, but I believe available to order in UK.

Model 3 20" Sport Wheel and Tire Package

Upgrade your Model 3 with 20” Sport wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires for enhanced performance and style. This package includes rear suspension adjustments to optimize ride quality, and is only available for installation after delivery. Note that high-performance wheels and tires may...

shop.tesla.com

Regarding range, a lot depends on how you drive, where you drive and weather. The table at link below gives some good ideas based on car and speed.

Teslike.com

This time of year an LR can easily do a 250 mile journey on one 100% charge if driven sensibly. Note that arriving with no miles left isn't normally a great plan - you want some contingency.

Tesla Model 3 Highway Range Test At A Constant 70 MPH

We drive a 2019 Tesla Model 3 dual motor, long-range at a constant 70 mph to conduce a highway range test and see just how far the Model 3 will go.

insideevs.com

 

[RobM]

performance m3 also gets track mode.
You cant fit a tow bar to performance model.
I rarely charge to full. Mostly topping up. 3 pin 10 amp has been OK for me so far but depends on your daily commute.
The long range awd is plenty quick. If you get bored of that you could buy the performance boost for 3.8 0-60.

 

[Odinias]

7kw home charging should be more than sufficient for most people. I very rarely arrive home with less than 50% charge and I always top it up to 80%, which only takes a few hours (so not even an overnight charge). Unless you have a particular reason for the need to charge up really quickly at home then I wouldn't bother with the hassle.

As for which car to get; it really depends on what you plan on using it for. If you're planning to take it down to a race track and putting it to it's limits then by all means get the Performance version. But for standard every day driving, I don't see the point in forking out that extra £10k for it. The LR AWD is more than sufficient. Performance version has a much faster acceleration but let's be honest, it's not really necessary especially when the LR version is more than quick enough. And as RobM said, you can always buy the software upgrade to boost it's acceleration for cheaper if that's your main criteria.

Also, from what I've heard, the sportier performance wheels are prone to damage due to the thin tires. There's an abundance of YouTube videos of people complaining that their alloys broke as they went over pot holes, which was a huge deciding factor for me.

Obviously that's just my opinion and I'm sure there will be plenty of Performance owners here who will disagree with me. But this is all based on my personal needs and wants and personally I don't see the point in buying the Performance version when the LR AWD is already quite impressive.

In terms of miles, that's going to be a tough one to answer. No doubt everyone will have different answers as there are so many external factors to take into account (e.g. weather, season, driving style, proportion of motorway and town driving etc.). At present, the weather is nice and warm, so I'm averaging about 250wh per mile, which equates to 300 miles range. There are times when I'm just driving around town and I've averaged less than 200wh per mile! I've not had the car over Winter yet but I'm expecting range to drop by about 20% when Winter hits, so about 240 miles.

 

[UKTechie]

Just incase you are getting mixed up the 32A charger is 7kW so I would get this especially if you can get the grant.

 

[EVJourney]

the charger will be fitted at my work so amps are not an issue here.

Are you paying for the work/charger to be installed? Are there any other users who will use it? Also what about if you change cars at a later date?

If you are having it installed in a work place and may appreciate having faster charging, and the premises already has 3-phase that I see no harm in getting an AC charger that can do 11-22kW.

 

[lanerboy]

thanks everyone for your comments

the charger will be installed at my business premises which has 3 phase (can i get a grant towards this) I will be the only one using it

I did not know the performance model does not qualify for the 3k grant so this has put a downer on this model

I will be doing town driving a lots but we go too our holiday home in Weymouth a lot which is a 235 mile trip one way down the M5 so plenty of super charge points on route but I like to do it sometimes in one hit so would like to get 235 miles out the full charge but sounds like I could be pushing that

I will be purchasing the car as an outright cash purchase through my company, is this the right way to purchase an electric car.

I am really steering towards the long range AWD model now as after driving a diesel Tiguan for 5 years this will feel plenty quick enough

I am booked in on tuesday for a test drive in Birmingham but I think you only get 20 minutes please correct me if I am wrong. How does this work as it seems very different to buying a normal car from Audi etc where you get as long as you like.

It seems very little time to make your mind up about spending 50k with only 20 minutes to view the car, is this how any owners on here did the deal ???

Thanks

LB

 

[cah197]

I will be purchasing the car as an outright cash purchase through my company, is this the right way to purchase an electric car.

I am really steering towards the long range AWD model now as after driving a diesel Tiguan for 5 years this will feel plenty quick enough

LR is probably the sensible choice. More than fast enough for UK roads.

If you purchase it through your company you get low BiK tax. Currently zero but will go up slightly over the years. More of one to check with your accountant as we don’t know your personal circumstances.

Remember you have a 7 day no-quibble return if the car if you don’t like it. But I struggle to know what you will get from a test drive, other than ‘I want one!’.

 

[UKTechie]

Once you have driven an electric car it becomes addictive and more so the Tesla, I am suffering withdrawal!

 

[Stevedoz]

But I struggle to know what you will get from a test drive, other than ‘I want one!’.

I am very interested in this comment as I am trying to tie up a test drive in the next 2 weeks but I didn't realise there was a 20 minute restriction.
I tested a kia e-niro last week and was given as long as I wanted, so it gave me the opportunity to drive from the dealer out to find a mixture of roads and road surfaces, and drive at different speeds etc. Also comfort, ride height, practicality etc. I guess I was out for about 50 minutes and I would want to do the same in the Tesla.
I think I would find the idea of arranging all the finances, home charger, travel to the car collection point, arranging insurance etc. quite a hassle, to then be possibly returning it within 7 days.
However, I guess it means I just haven't switched my mind over to a new process for buying and running a car....

 

[E7EV]

I will be doing town driving a lots but we go too our holiday home in Weymouth a lot which is a 235 mile trip one way down the M5 so plenty of super charge points on route but I like to do it sometimes in one hit so would like to get 235 miles out the full charge but sounds like I could be pushing that

Depending on temperature, will get between 200 and 250 miles of range at motorway speeds. A 15 minute comfort break at a Tesla SuC will add 80 to 100 miles according to the time of year.

 

[i-s]

the charger will be installed at my business premises which has 3 phase (can i get a grant towards this) I will be the only one using it

Install a 22kW charger. The capital outlay difference between that and an 11kW is trivially small in the scheme of things.

Just because your first EV can't use 22kW, does that mean that the next one can't? Or the one after that? Or after that?

You can get a grant towards it (last I heard it was up to 80% of the cost, up to a max of £500 per socket).

 

[E7EV]

I didn't realise there was a 20 minute restriction.

You may find on the day that they are not too strict on this. Otherwise accidentally on purpose get lost...although that’s hard to do with the great navigation system 🤣

 

[Stevedoz]

You may find on the day that they are not too strict on this. Otherwise accidentally on purpose get lost...although that’s hard to do with the great navigation system 🤣

🤣😂🤣

 

[proddick]

the charger will be installed at my business premises which has 3 phase (can i get a grant towards this) I will be the only one using it

There is a £500 grant per socket for workplace charging but it doesn't apply to the Tesla unit because it is not approved. I suggest you get quotes for installing the Tesla one and a couple that qualify and see what difference is. The Tesla one has the convenience of being tethered and has the button to open flap - it will work on other cars if that is useful in future. Details on scheme at link below.

Workplace Charging Scheme guidance for applicants, installers and manufacturers

Guidance for applicants, installers and manufacturers on the Workplace Charging Scheme.

www.gov.uk

I will be purchasing the car as an outright cash purchase through my company, is this the right way to purchase an electric car.

Buying the car cash has the benefit of 100% WDA (Writing Down Allowance) against CT (Corporation Tax) in first year which can help, but note that if you decide to not have a company car after a few years (perhaps due to a hike in BIK) then you will pay CT on the disposal value. I sold my Ampera when BIK rose to 13% in 2018 and even at that value CT bill was noticeable! BCH (Business Contract Hire) has the advantage you can claim 50% of VAT back, cost comes off accounting profit and you don't have to worry about future values. As others have said, discuss with your accountant as each business is different.

I am booked in on tuesday for a test drive in Birmingham but I think you only get 20 minutes please correct me if I am wrong. How does this work as it seems very different to buying a normal car from Audi etc where you get as long as you like.

I suspect it will take less than 5 mins for you to want one, but as others have said you can return within 7 days or max 1000 miles. They had talked about closing all sales offices and not doing any test drives, so 20 mins is at least something

When you order don't forget to use a referral code to get 1000 free Supercharger miles

 

[cah197]

I am very interested in this comment as I am trying to tie up a test drive in the next 2 weeks but I didn't realise there was a 20 minute restriction.
I tested a kia e-niro last week and was given as long as I wanted, so it gave me the opportunity to drive from the dealer out to find a mixture of roads and road surfaces, and drive at different speeds etc. Also comfort, ride height, practicality etc. I guess I was out for about 50 minutes and I would want to do the same in the Tesla.
I think I would find the idea of arranging all the finances, home charger, travel to the car collection point, arranging insurance etc. quite a hassle, to then be possibly returning it within 7 days.
However, I guess it means I just haven't switched my mind over to a new process for buying and running a car....

I don’t think it’s a blanket policy - probably just where they are limited on staff.

You can always ask. In the past I know they’ve let people taje one home to check the car can get up the drive.

 

[lanerboy]

When you order don't forget to use a referral code to get 1000 free Supercharger miles

How do I get the referral code