This article is an update to my continuing series on the the “Total Cost of Ownership” (or TCO) of the Tesla Model 3 compared to other cars. See this article if you want more details on how I figured out the TCO for the Model 3.
Some things cannot be explained by numbers. The Tesla Model 3 driving experience is phenomenally better than the driving experience of nearly every other car on the market. That is not hyperbole. Race car drivers have said it, top auto journalists have said it, and hundreds of thousands of other people have said it. You just have to experience the Model 3 to understand it.
The $35,000 Tesla Model 3 is here. Finally! The car may have been delayed, but it’s as groundbreaking as it would have been a year or two ago, and it’s well ahead of any comparable vehicles from other automakers. I’ll get to detailed comparisons in another article, but the Model 3 is basically quicker, safer, has higher tech, and is cooler than anything even $10,000–20,000 near it in price.
The cloud of smoke parted and the unassuming lines of a 1981 Honda Accord crept out, as if embarrassed. Flashbacks of childhood pop in. Memories of the reliable family Honda that took us to school and back, to church and the grocery store, to afternoon soccer practices and the occasional road trip. It was the family car.
For today’s article, I’m going to go over all the major areas of each car (Driving Dynamics, Interior, Exterior, Safety, Technology, and Costs), but before I do, I’m going to tell you why I bought a Honda Accord in 1998 and why it was my favorite car (until I bought the Tesla Model 3 last year).
The Tesla Model 3 is turning out to be an electric car that’s seducing car buyers across multiple market segments. According to a CleanTechnica report, “45% of current electric car drivers plan to buy a Tesla next.” Okay, that’s understandable. Non-Tesla EV drivers might be interested in a Tesla. That said, it’s extraordinary how many gas-powered car owners, from vastly different auto segments, are transitioning to Teslas.
To start, let me just put this out there: I’m not claiming Honda’s car sales are collapsing solely because of the Model 3, even though Tesla Model 3 sales totaled ~140,000 in the US in 2018 and two of the top models buyers were coming from were the Honda Accord and Honda Civic. There has to be more to it than that. Right?
The Tesla Model 3, adored by millions of Tesla fans from day one (March 31, 2016), was a lighting bolt in the US car market in 2018. The Model 3 has shown why any remaining Tesla critics should really stop doubting the 21st century car company out of Silicon Valley.
Overall, the Tesla Model 3 was the #4 top selling car in the USA in December and in the 4th quarter.
The Tesla Model 3 was the only car from an American car company that was in the top 5 in both rankings, which also means it was the top selling car in the US from a US car company.
Below are the 55 CleanTechnica articles published in 2018 that got the most eyeballs on them. Why 55?
