Tesla Mod

FIRST DRIVE Tesla is making its Model 3 more accessible to all, and this could be the best all-rounder of the bunch

- Dean Gibson

WHILE robots and rockets are seen as the bright new future for Tesla and its associated industries, it's the Model 3 and Model Y that consistently bring home the bacon for the US company. The Model Y is a regular in the top-10 UK sales charts, while constant adjustments to trims and specifications have helped to keep them competitive in the increasingly busy EV sector.

With a wave of Chinese models now coming to market to steal sales from established players and those sales figures mean that Tesla is now very much part of the establishment - the US firm has seen fit to introduce new value-minded versions of both the Model Y and Model 3. We tried the former last month, when it proved to be a better option than the Smart #5 and Kia EV5.

Now it's the turn of the newly launched Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive to see if it can offer a compelling case for itself.

From the outside, there's not much to give the game away that this is the entry-level Model 3, beyond a black T on the nose. In overseas markets, the Rear-Wheel Drive comes with 17-inch wheels, but in the UK it sticks with the 18-inch alloys with aerodynamic trims that feature on higher-spec Premium versions. That's because bigger wheels are more appealing, which boosts the RWD car's resale values and enables lower finance rates.

On the inside, the makeover hasn't left the Model 3 feeling quite as spartan as the Model Y. Thanks to the distinct lack of buttons in the first place, it doesn't feel like a car that's been stripped of kit, and in reality there are still plenty of goodies to play with. You still get the same large touchscreen, while the panoramic roof remains.