The Tesla Model 3 is finally taking to British roads as UK deliveries commenced at the firm’s Heathrow HQ – fittingly, on Clean Air Day.
Among the first to receive their all-electric Model 3 were those who placed £1,000 deposits as far back as 2016.
Tesla’s 18 UK stores will now ramp up deliveries in coming weeks.
Related: The Tesla story so far
Prices for the Model 3 EV start from £38,900, including the £3,500 government Plug-in Car Grant, increasing to £52,290 for the Porsche-beating Performance model with eyecatching Performance Upgrade.
Tesla hopes the global rollout of the Model 3 will help it now grow quickly. Of the 500,000 cars it has sold to date, almost 140,000 are already a Model 3 – which, in 2018, became the best-selling premium vehicle in North America.
It is the first time in decades that an American brand took the top spot in its home market, adds the firm. And in 2019, it’s already become Europe’s best-selling EV.
Tesla Model 3: UK specs
The entry-level UK Model 3 is the rear-wheel-drive Standard Range Plus, which has a 258-mile range. This costs £38,900 in solid black, the only standard colour.
Add £950 if you want Midnight Silver or Deep Blue, £1,450 for Pearl White multi-coat, or £1,900 for Red multi-coat.
Autopilot is free: the Model 3 will steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane, albeit ‘under active driver supervision’.
Related: Tesla Model 3 long-term review
The Model 3 Performance costs from £48,950, and lives up to its name by cutting more than two seconds from the 0-60mph dash. It gets there in just 3.2 seconds, aided by all-wheel-drive traction.
It’s not just quicker, though, but also goes further – a bigger battery gives it a 329-mile range.
Adding on the Performance Upgrade pack takes the top speed up to 162mph. This version also has carbon fibre spoiler, 20-inch alloys, red brake calipers and an additional Track Mode setting.
What Tesla Model 3 UK buyers will not get, however, is free access to the Supercharger network, of which there are 50 locations in Britain. Instead, it’s pay-per-access – although European Model 3s do also have a built-in CCS charge port so they can also use third-party fast charging networks.
| Standard Range Plus | Performance | Performance (with Performance Upgrade) | |
| 0-60mph | 5.3 seconds | 3.2 seconds | 3.2 seconds |
| Top Speed (mph) | 140 mph | 145 mph | 162 mph |
| WLTP Miles | 258 miles | 329 miles | 329 miles |
| Starting Price | £38,900 | £48,590 | £52,290 |
| Wheel Options | 18” Aero | 18” Aero | 20” Performance |
| Drive | Rear-wheel drive | Dual Motor all-wheel drive | Dual Motor all-wheel drive |
| Vehicle Warranty | 4 year / 50,000 miles | 4 year / 50,000 miles | 4 year / 50,000 miles |
| Battery and Drive Unit Warranty | 8 year / 100,000 miles | 8 year / 120,000 miles | 8 year / 120,000 miles |
| Interior Cargo Volume | 542 Litres including front trunk, rear boot and underfloor storage | ||
| Length | 4.69 metres | ||
| Wheelbase | 2.88 metres | ||
| Width | 1.93 metres (with mirrors folded) | ||