TESLA MODEL 3

Prices: $75,900 (Standard Range Plus) to $102,900 (Performance).

Powertrains: Lithium-ion battery pack, RWD or AWD.

Performance: Range 460km-620km (source: NEDC), 0-100kmh 5.6-3.4 seconds.

You could argue that the Model 3 as it stands isn't quite the car many Tesla fans were expecting. Every version doesn't get to 100kmh in the blink of an eye and it isn't cheaper than a Toyota Corolla.

But the Model 3 does absolutely ace the compact-executive segment, where its $76k entry price and four-door sedan format place it.

SUPPLIED We don't just think the Model 3 is a great EV. It's a great executive car full-stop.

Yes, it's bang up against the BMW 3-series and Mercedes-Benz C-class, both models that have been substantially upgraded this year. Both are deeply impressive cars, so a winning spot for the Model 3 here is an even more remarkable achievement.

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Compact-execs are driver-oriented but very traditional cars. The Model 3 brings a touch of the future with Tesla's undeniably excellent battery technology (range is impressive no matter which specification you choose) and a clean-sheet approach to interior design: no conventional instruments and very little switchgear, with most functions covered in a very sharp-looking 15-inch touch screen.

SUPPLIED Model 3 Performance version brings genuine enthusiast credentials to the Tesla brand.

If you've ever dreamed of driving a via an iPad, this gets pretty close.

But the other thing about the Tesla Model 3 is that it's a genuinely good car to drive - much more so than the larger Model S and Model X, which are a bit... American in their dynamic flavour. The Model 3 is more European. It looks way beyond the freeways of California, to roads with corners.

And like its German rivals, the Model 3 does offer a high-performance option to buyers who want speed and substance. It's called, appropriately enough, the Performance.

SUPPLIED Compact executive cars tend to be quite traditional inside. Not this one.

It's very quick (0-100kmh in an incredible 3.4 seconds), but making an EV that accelerates quickly isn't that hard. What matters is that Tesla has equipped the Model 3 Performance with an entertaining chassis, responsive AWD system and grunty brakes.

At all levels, the Tesla Model 3 is a very real EV-alternative to established German compact-executive offerings and for that reason it should be celebrated.

Whether you really love it or really loathe it (it seems to provoke extreme reactions), Tesla is also a brand that makes a bold statement. That's important in the executive class too.