£38,000 Tesla Model 3 ‘Standard’ to arrive in UK in February
Tesla has confirmed that it will bring its stripped-out, entry-level Model 3 ‘Standard’ trim to the UK by the end of next month, with a starting price of £37,995 or £249 per month on a PCP deal.
The regular Tesla Model 3 is now known as the ‘Premium’ in the brand’s lineup, and in entry-level Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive guise, costs £7,000 more than the Standard trim.
To put the Tesla Model 3 Standard’s price in context, the entry-level Polestar 2 is priced from £45,160, the BYD Seal starts at £45,705, and the cheapest BMW i4 comes with a hefty price tag of £51,370. Nonetheless, the Tesla still returns an equivalent 332-mile range.
To reduce buying costs, this latest Model 3 does away with a few of the Premium’s creature comforts. The full faux-leather upholstery has been replaced with a cloth and vegan leather mix, while the ventilated front seats and heated rear seats have been removed, along with the sound system’s subwoofer and FM/AM radio tuner.
In the back, there is no rear touchscreen, and the cabin doesn’t come with the latest-gen Model 3‘s wrap-around interior light bar. Active dampers aren’t fitted to the Model 3 Standard. The steering wheel can only be adjusted manually, instead of electronically.
The Standard also eschews the Model 3’s traditional physical keycards, meaning the car can only be opened and closed using the Tesla mobile app.
Despite what are effectively minor cutbacks, the Model 3 Standard retains most of the now-Premium car’s standard kit. Both cars share the same 15.4-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash, a panoramic sunroof, an electronically-operated tailgate, two wireless charging pads, and 18-inch ‘Photon’ aero wheels.
The Standard will be the cheapest Model 3 to insure, as it sits in insurance group 32, the lowest of any Model 3 to date. It is also the slowest, with a 6.2-second 0-60 time as opposed to 5.8 seconds for higher-spec variants, while top speed is reduced from 125mph to 110mph.
Access to Tesla’s Supercharging network is also standard, meaning UK buyers have access to 1,400 charge points nationwide, with charging prices as low as £0.30p per kilowatt hour during off-peak hours. A £41,990 Tesla Model Y Standard will also go on sale at the same time as its Model 3 counterpart when it hits the market.
