Car of the Year Awards 2025: Executive Car of the Year
A top-notch executive car must do it all – frugally and in style. Buyers want effortless long-haul capability, a comfortable and classy interior, and low benefit-in-kind tax rates...
Tesla Model 3 RWD
There's more than one plastic interlocking brick construction toy available today, but while each product has its plus points, Lego is the one that every kid (or enlightened grown-up) yearns for.
Similarly, when it comes to electric vehicles (EVs), Tesla is the name on everyone’s lips. And like Lego, Tesla deserves its enviable popularity – as the Tesla Model 3 effortlessly demonstrates.
As an executive car, it ticks all the right boxes for anyone who seems to spend a lifetime on the road. It’s classy inside (the latest version brought a real step up in materials and build quality) and spacious for all on board. The Model 3 has notably more room for tall folk in the back than the BMW i4, for instance, as well as trumping that car for luggage space, with room for nine carry-on suitcases, including one in the useful space under the bonnet.
The Model 3 is good to drive, too; it’s sharp and agile enough to be enjoyable on a winding road. True, the petrol BMW 3 Series is even more engaging, but the Model 3 trumps the Polestar 2 in this area. While the Model 3 rides more firmly than the Volkswagen ID 7, there’s no crashiness over potholes, and the upshot is tight body control that keeps motion sickness at bay. Of its direct rivals, only the ID 7 is quieter at motorway speeds, while the Model 3’s brakes have none of the grabbiness that afflicts some EVs, so coming to a smooth stop is easy.
The Model 3 isn’t perfect; the unintuitive haptic buttons on the steering wheel for operating the indicators and windscreen wipers are an ergonomic faux pas.
However, it more than makes up for any fumbles when you consider running costs. As with all EVs, the Model 3 brings very low company car tax bills – lower than you’d get with any plug-in hybrid. On top of this is the fact that a Model 3 proved the most efficient car in our most recent summer and winter range tests.
The entry-level RWD (rear-wheel-drive) version – the one we recommend – averaged an impressive 4.4 miles per kWh in warm conditions, yielding a respectable real-world range of 255 miles from its modest-sized 57.5kWh (usable capacity) battery. True, rivals such as the Polestar 2 and ID 7 can go farther between charges, thanks to their larger batteries, but they’re much pricier to buy than the Model 3.
What’s more, running a Model 3 gives you full access to the brand’s extensive network of fast, reliable Tesla Supercharger, and you’ll get preferential rates compared with drivers of other EVs.
This, combined with the Model 3’s highly effective driver assistance technology, takes most of the stress out of long journeys. Like a completed Lego set, then, the Model 3 is an awful lot more than just the sum of its parts.
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