‘It’s up there with Porsches I’ve owned’

4 reasons Caterham racer and ex-Ferrari owner Daniel French loves his Tesla

1 It makes the Model S feel like a boat

‘If your only experience of Teslas to date is driving the Model S, you owe it to yourself to try the 3. Dynamically the S is a boat by comparison. I have owned a couple of cars that were better to drive than my 3, both Porsches – a 987-generation Boxster S and a 997 911 Carrera S – but the fact that the Tesla, an electric saloon that looks a bit like a Ford Mondeo, is right up there speaks volumes.’

2 You won’t tire of the performance

‘Last night I found the space to open mine up for the first time in a while: it is a properly quick car. It’s the torque, the lack of gears, the all-wheel-drive traction. Some people have recorded 0-60mph sprints in under three seconds. [Tesla claims 3.2sec for the Performance; 5.3sec for the standard single-motor car]. The last over-the-air software update, Version 10.0, made the car a little quicker again – you don’t get that with a 3-series.’

3 Life is easy

‘You need a driveway, let’s be clear: I’d recommend a Model 3 wholeheartedly so long as you can charge your car at home. I still have the 16-amp wallbox I installed when I had a

BMW i3, so mostly I put the car on charge when I get home and it’s ready to go the next day [range varies from 254 to 348 miles for the Long Range]. The software makes charging as easy as it can. Mostly you run the battery between 40 and 80 per cent but you can go in and select a 100 per cent charge for longer trips. Put a destination in the nav and it’ll tell you where you need to stop and for how long. I’ve taken mine to Spa; two brief charging stops, no hassle.’

4 The flaws are skin-deep

‘Nothing’s broken and nothing’s gone wrong. There were a couple of paint blemishes when it was new, where grit had been polished out but the paintwork hadn’t been repaired, and some of the panel gaps don’t bear close inspection, but they don’t bother me. I didn’t go for the Autopilot option [the Model 3’s £5800 self-driving suite] but the car can sometimes try to take evasive action for no good reason. But none of this changes the fact it’s a brilliant car and a bargain.’

The last over-the-air software update made my Tesla a little quicker again

TESLA MODEL 3 £467 PER MONTH ⊲ WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS Tesla’s best and most a ordable car can be yours for less per month than a Mercedes A-Class ⊲ THE DEAL (Model 3 Standard Range Plus) Monthly cost £467 (47 payments)

Deposit £6000

Annual mileage allowance 10,000 APR 4.9%

Cash price £39,490 (after £3500 grant) ⊲ OR IF YOU’RE PAYING CASH The range starts at £38,500 and rises to £52k for the Performance. Supply and demand mean used models are no bargain