TESLA MODEL 3

Does a 'certified pre-owned' Tesla feel box-fresh or decidedly used?

- ALASTAIR CLEMENTS

WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT To find out if an approved used car is the best route into Tesla ownership.

Across the past decade, industry disruptor Tesla has been the global automotive success story. And much of that success has been spearheaded by the affordable Model 3, more than a million of which have found homes since 2017.

But 'affordable' is a relative term, and a new one will still set you back just shy of £40k - or nearer £45k for the reassurance of a biggerbattery Long Range model.

As our 15 January used buying guide reported, those first cars are now being replaced, so the market is flooded with Model 3s - which is great news for buyers, with prices starting from just £12k. There's plenty to choose from, whether you want the standard 252bhp RearWheel Drive model or the loopy 444bhp dual-motor Performance.

I decided that 346bhp (and 0-60mph in a shade over 4.0sec) was probably more than enough and a claimed 360-mile range suited me, so I opted for the Long Range AWD.

My car has covered 37,771 miles and, being of 2021 vintage, got a heat pump as standard and was made in China (the timber on the dashboard and doors is the giveaway). Finished in my favourite colour scheme of Midnight Silver with black pleather interior and attractive silver multispoke 19in wheels, it would retail for around £25k-£28k through Tesla's Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) scheme, and I picked it up from the Gatwick branch in West Sussex.