Verdict The Model 3 is in a class of one at the moment, but that shouldn’t detract from Tesla’s achievement with its first ‘more affordable’ model. Yes, it’s still pricey, but it’s a car that drives brilliantly, looks great, seems to be built just as well as other cars at the price and is full of the most advanced tech. That all adds up to make it just about the coolest car you can buy right now. It’s fair to say we’ve got a bit of history with the Tesla Model 3. Five years ago, Elon Musk exclusively revealed to Auto Express the name of his company’s new, small model, so we were first to tell the world of the Model 3’s imminent arrival. Now, after longer than we’d all hoped, we’ve driven it in the UK for the first time ahead of the cars reaching eager customers in a couple of months. Best electric cars on sale The three-strong range starts at £38,500 for the Standard Range Plus with rear-wheel drive and a range of 254 miles tested under WLTP standards, going up to £52,000 for the Performance model with its 0-60mph time of 3.2 seconds and a range of 329 miles. 15 Sitting in the middle is the car we’re driving, the snappily-named Long Range. It costs £47,000 and stretches the claimed range to 348 miles and is still pretty swift with the 362bhp from its dual motors giving a 0-60mph time of 4.4 seconds.

If that’s striking, it’s nowhere near as eye-opening as what stares back at you from the dash – just two things: a slim, crystal clear 15-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash and a steering wheel with just two buttons on it and a couple of stalks behind. That’s it. No other buttons, switches, vents, displays – nothing. Could you live with an electric car? It takes minimalism to a new level; hot or cool air comes through what looks like a slim slot also running the full width of the dash above the white panel and behind the screen, while even sockets for smartphones (four in total) and storage space is hidden behind gloss black panels on the centre console. Pretty much everything is controlled by the touchscreen with a series of main menu items along the bottom. The two buttons on the steering wheel will help out with audio and standard Autopilot functions, and activate the voice control, too. 15 As we’ve come to expect from Tesla, that’s not where the innovation stops. Your smartphone is the key (at last!), although there’s a credit card-sized alternative, too. And no start button – the car knows when your phone or that card is inside and will just let you click the right stalk down to select drive and away you go.

That’s where the fun continues – you just can’t help yourself when there’s such instant force available every time you touch the throttle pedal. It can make reversing, in particular, a little jerky until you learn to modulate things (or you can select Chill mode for acceleration), but whether it’s from standstill or at motorway speeds the acceleration is an intoxicating and enjoyable experience that puts much more expensive performance machinery to shame. All that performance, of course, is accompanied by near silence. A slight whine from the Long Range model’s dual electric motors (one over the front and one of the rear axle to give four-wheel drive) is more noticeable than in a Model S – this model is cheaper after all – and our car had a bit of wind noise around the side mirrors. Other than a bit of road noise, it’s impressively silent. All the better to enjoy the punchy standard 14-speaker surround sound system in, then. If we had one worry about Model 3’s transition from US to UK it was with the ride. Worry ye not. Yes, it’s firm – more so for rear seat passengers than those in the front – but while you’re constantly in touch with the road surface, it’s easily forgettable. It’s best to describe it as sporty. 15 The 3’s weight of 1,847kg – over 300kg more than a BMW 320d, due mostly to the 75kWh battery – means it will feel different on the road, too. It won’t quite change direction as keenly as a 3 Series, but it stays flat (a benefit of the weight) and there’s plenty of grip.

The steering has Comfort, Standard and Sport settings, but we’d leave it in Standard where it feels pleasantly meaty even if it’s not the most reactive system we’ve experienced. In short, the most fun from the Model 3 comes from the acceleration – and it’s addictive. Passengers will enjoy it, too, and there’s decent knee room in the back, as well as excellent headroom in spite of the glass roof, but foot space is a bit tight. The boot opening is a bit tight, too, but space is okay and it's surprisingly deep. Combine it with the room in the ‘frunk’ (Californian-ese for front trunk – we should call it a froot) and you get a total of 425 litres for luggage. 15 Back to the front seat and that screen – how easy is it to use on the move? Surprisingly easy, actually. The key information is next to the driver with the speed at the top – not too far away from the natural eye-line when driving. You won’t be constantly fiddling with most of the settings on the move anyway – although adjusting mirrors with a combination of the screen and steering wheel buttons isn’t the greatest piece of usability – but it’s quick and easy to become very familiar with using the system and the voice control works well.