The new Tesla Model 3 has picked up four awards, including Car of the Year, in a string of major industry accolades for the electric model.

Tesla’s smallest and cheapest car was the UK’s third best-selling car model in August - the first time an electric vehicle (EV) has made the top 10 best-sellers list.

The battery-powered saloon is proving to be a critical success for Elon Musk’s company - scooping prizes for Best Electric Car and Best Company Car, along with the Safety Award and overall Car of the Year prize at the Parkers New Car Awards 2020.

Experts at Parkers, the UK’s biggest new car buying and advice website, were impressed with the Model 3, calling it “capable, likeable and extremely good to drive.”

Keith Adams, editor of Parkers, said: “Although we’re a long way from the end of days for petrol and diesel, it’s good to know that the forward-thinking among us have a choice of some very talented alternatively-powered cars.

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He added: “The Tesla Model 3 isn’t just a good electric car. It is a good car full stop.

“Not only do attractive leases make it cheaper to run than you would think, it is environmentally-friendly and also very fast and fun to drive.

“It is the first time an electric car has been named Parkers’ Car of the Year, but with all the big manufacturers spending billions on developing exciting EVs, it is unlikely to be the last.”

The cheapest Tesla Model 3 costs under £400 per month on finance and range anxiety - the fear that electric car batteries will run out of power quickly - could soon be a thing of the past, as it can drive up to 335 miles on one charge.

According to Parkers’ new miles-per-pound metric, the entry-level Model 3 will travel 32 miles for every £1 of electricity - three times as far as a petrol or diesel equivalent.

Other big winners at the awards included the Ford Focus, which scooped the Best Small Family Car prize, while the Best Large Family Car was awarded to the Skoda Superb Estate.

The Best First Car was the Renault Clio, while the “utterly charming” Suzuki Jimny beat SUVs costing more than twice its price to the title of Best Off-Roader.

The Volkswagen Touareg picked up the title of Best Tow Car.