Used Tesla Model 3 long-term test: report 4
The used Tesla Model 3 won lots of What Car? accolades when it was new, but what's it like as a secondhand vehicle? We're living with one to find out...
The car 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range All-wheel drive | Run by Claire Evans, consumer editor
Why it's here To see if you can enjoy all the pleasures of Model 3 ownership without having to stump up the cost of a new model
Needs to Eat up motorway miles with ease, have enough range for longer excursions and be a comfortable and economical mobile office when needed
Mileage on arrival 19,298 Mileage now 24,946 List price when new (2021) £50,890 Value on arrival £31,000 Test range 296 miles Official range 360 miles
21 August 2024 – Smart charging
With a long weekend in Lincolnshire looming I had to do some quick research and planning to ensure that my used Tesla Model 3 would have enough charge for the 350-mile round trip there and back from Kent.
Until now I’ve either used my Andersen home EV charger or local Tesla Superchargers to replenish the car’s batteries, but our converted barn Airbnb property didn’t have charging facilities, and the closest Tesla public charging site was 35 miles in the wrong direction in King's Lynn, so I needed another charging option.
The Model 3 didn’t need to be charged until the last day of our break to get us home. Although the car had enough charge left to get to the Tesla Supercharger site at Cambridge, which was on the way home, it would be down to just 9% of its battery capacity – not a comfortable enough margin for any problems or diversions.
That being the case, I drove to a small bank of 120kW Instavolt public chargers near Spalding for an extra boost before heading South. As the Instavolt charger cost 85p pkWh, I only did a 10-minute charge, and then did a longer charge at the Cambridge park and ride site, where electricity cost a far more palatable 60p pkWh.
As the Tesla Supercharger was cheaper and twice as fast, I got a far larger charge for £17, compared with the £12 fee at the Instavolt site. My forward planning saved me time and around £7 in charging fees, and the Tesla location had loos and a coffee shop so we could replenish our own batteries at the same time. Plus, it was far quieter than the A-road service station in Spalding.
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