No doubt you’ll have opinions of the bloke himself, but it says a lot about Elon Musk’s foresight that the oldest model in his company's current line-up, the Tesla Model S still feels fiercely futuristic compared with almost any other new car.
In fact, even if you buy a six-year-old Tesla Model S, it’s more cutting-edge and innovative than many of the modern alternatives, whether they’re engine-powered or electric.
And while some versions of the Model S asked for north of £100,000 when new, you’ll find that used ones start from just £30,000 today. No matter the model you go for, you’ll get a big car that handles tidily, rides nicely and has a dose of luxury to go with its sizeable electric advantages.
Click here to buy your next used Model S from Autocar
Used market prices start with a 60 or 80 model from 2014 with one motor driving the rear wheels. For a big boost in performance (and, in most cases, range), look out for later cars with a D suffix, which indicates dual motors and four-wheel drive.
Of the lot, the 75D makes the most sense, with prices starting at around £40,000. It will be able to cover more than 200 miles from a full charge in real-world driving conditions and still crack 0-60mph in a staggering 4.3sec.
But if you’re hell-bent on speed, try the P100D with Ludicrous mode (or P100DL in Tesla slang). You will obliterate 0-60mph in 2.5sec and never meet anything faster than you on the road. This version is scarce, though, so don’t dither if you find one; prices start from around £65,000.
While Tesla’s headline-grabbing performance figures are a major draw, its charging infrastructure solution should appeal more. With its Supercharger network, you’ll have access to 500-plus charging stations at more than 60 destinations around the country and pick up a 10-80% charge in as little as half an hour. Plus, the used Model S you’ve found may be able to use them for free; ask to see the Tesla account linked to the car to find out.
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It's beyond belief why anyone
Except in reality it doesn't
Except in reality it doesn't have many of those things does it? The iPace has poorer range, poorer performance and, most importantly, no dedicated, reliable, charging network. I wouldn't generally regard Jaguar as a shining icon of build quality and reliability either - having said that the iPace may benefit from not being built by them but by Magna-Steyr in Austria.
I-Pace is all you need
Love Tesla, but the I-pace is the only electric car on the market that we should have eyeballs on.
You are kidding!
You are kidding!
Whatever
I've driven 2014 85 for 3 years and reliability hasn't been an issue, though software updates have reduced the range to around 220miles. I believe that was to extend the life of early batteries. They are a bit slower accelerating than the D versions but still fast, 0-60 5.4secs and 0-30 in bloody hell. Handling in the 2 wheel drive version is a bit interesting. If you treat it like an old Porsche, you can feel the electronics fighting physics. Apart from which, I've never regretted buying it.