Tesla Model 3 Long Range | High Mile Club
While new Teslas struggle for customers, the well-used ones edge closer to £10k...
Tesla is never far from the headlines at the moment. Nothing new there, really, except now it’s for all the wrong reasons. Whether it’s Elon Musk’s political ambitions or a product line-up in need of revitalising. Sales are said to be tanking, and beyond the updated Model Y there hasn’t been a significant new product launch in yonks. It’s unprecedented for the brand.
Not so long ago it seemed like the good times wouldn't stop rolling. On top of cars that were well ahead of the competition across the board - faster, more efficient, cheaper, even if those rivals came years later - there was the Supercharger network to support them. The Model S and Model 3 in particular demonstrated to thousands that an EV was viable everyday transport for them. And at the other end of the scale, thanks to derivatives like the Plaid and Model 3 Performance, it continually reset the benchmark for what an electric car could do. Tesla's overall legacy in the history of electromobility is beyond question. But a car company is like a shark: if it's not continually moving forward, it dies.
Still, as sharks go, it's a biggie. And when it boomed, Tesla sold a lot of cars, with some early adopters racking up some seriously chunky mileages in comparatively small periods. In 2025, thanks to an overheated EV market generally, that has resulted in some very affordable options. Granted, there have been Nissan Leafs and Renault Zoes available for a few thousands pounds for years now, but they aren’t really the kind of electric cars you'd want to use beyond a city. But the prospect of a Model 3 from £10,000 is a completely different kettle of fish.
This one isn’t ten grand, but it’s not far off either at £11,475. It has the added benefit of being a Dual Motor car, too; there are plenty of rear-wheel drive cars around, which in Long Range form will give the most miles, but this does look like a best-of-both-worlds scenario. It doesn’t give up much to the rear-drive cars in terms of range, yet with 475hp it's not far off the dedicated Performance model. Here’s where the dedicated Tesla experts can chip in with their best recommendations, of course. Given what’s being asked, it seems to offer a lot.
The 2019 car in question has only ever been driven by one owner, who covered 139,000 miles in that time. So you might want a battery health report, just to check it hasn’t been totally depleted by loads of fast charging, but plenty looks good: the only MOT advisories have been exclusively for tyres, there’s said to be some service history, and the famously sparse interior seems to have lasted pretty well. Even the bolsters look fine.
Needless to say, no one is lusting after a fridge-white Model 3. Even when it’s finally replaced - even allowing for its significance in the Tesla annals - this isn’t future classic material. But if you're the sort of person who laughs in the face of a) high mileages and b) battery life, this would seem to offer generous helpings of performance, range and minimal running costs, on top of a really low purchase price. And a cheap to maintain everyday car frees up more budget for the fun one…
SPECIFICATION | TESLA MODEL 3
Engine: 75kWh battery, rear synchronous motor, front induction motor
Transmission: Single-speed, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 475
Torque (lb ft): N/A
MPG: up to 350 miles WLTP
CO2: 0g/km driving
Year registered: 2019
Recorded mileage: 139,000
Price new: £46,990
Yours for: £11,475
Drove my pals 74 plate dual motor the other day, utterly devoid of any soul.
Yes, it’s a white goods product, but objectively it’s pretty competitive and don’t forget that’s more than enough to keep a good proportion of the population happy.
Drove my pals 74 plate dual motor the other day, utterly devoid of any soul.
Drove my pals 74 plate dual motor the other day, utterly devoid of any soul.
A non negligible percentage of drivers still want a good looking car.
Cheap to run maybe. But if you need repairing such shops are less common and parts ordering is going to last a while.
Then in contrast a few years ago I had a rwd standard for a weekend to ferry stuff around the country. I found it better built, the performance usable and appreciated the many little touches that make them easy to use and live with.
We now have a model Y as a family car. It's brilliant.
I appreciate the looks and quality are marmite, but they are the best EV's and with the supercharging network high miies are easy.
£10k-£15k is fantastic value for a 5y old, simple, reliable, economical, practical car with savage performance.
And before anybody pipes up: no, I’m not an “EVangelist”.
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