Tesla Model 3 or Polestar 2

First world problems: Choosing a new company car

After three and a half years of loyal service, my current BMW 330e is due to be replaced in 6 months’ time and it’s that wonderful time again when I get to select my new company car. 

I’m lucky enough to work for an organisation with a very open car policy which not only let me have a pretty free hand in selecting the make and model but also allows me to top up my allowance through salary sacrifice.

I selected the 330e last time because of the significant Benefit in Kind (BiK) tax advantages of opting for a Plug-In Hybrid however, with the ever-evolving electrification of cars and the associated government incentives, PHEVs are no longer the cheap option they once were.

In an effort to cut CO₂ emissions and incentivise fleets to adopt fully electric vehicles, the UK Government has introduced new tax rates from April 2020 that virtually eliminate BiK on electric company cars.  This together with the fact that these vehicles are not subject to BiK for private usage fuel make them too financially attractive not to turn down.

Although the list price of these cars is way above my allowance, the BiK savings mean that it is cheaper for me to make the salary sacrifice to step up, than to press on with a conventional car.

So financially it makes sense but what about the practicality of running a fully electric company car?

I currently drive approximately 16,000 miles per year.  My daily commute to work is about 20 miles each way and I have existing charging facilities both at work and at home.  So far so good.

Although my role is primarily office based, I do have to make a handful of project visits each month and these could be anywhere throughout the UK and often include overnight stopovers.  How well suited to this style of work can an electric car be?

First, I have set a few basic parameters; any car I consider must have a WLTP range of over 250 miles, the ability to recharge at a reasonably quick rate and I must convince myself that there is a sufficient network of charging stations on my typical routes that I can use.

Having poured over Zap-Map for what seems like hours on end, I have concluded that so long as I sensibly pre-plan journeys, it is possible for me to successfully navigate around the UK without running out of juice and during the fours years that I have the car, this should only get easier as more fast chargers are installed.  The major downside of this research is that my phone now has a plethora of various charging apps installed to ensure that wherever I stop, I will always be registered to plug in.

A year too early?

The next 24 months will see the introduction of a host of new EVs from manufacturers such as VW, Audi, BMW, Seat, Skoda etc.  This is of no use to me as I need a replacement car by then end of 2020.

With the stipulation of at least a 250 mile range my sensible options appear to be:

• Audi Q4 e-tron (Not available until 2021)
• Ford Mach-E
• Hyundai Kona / Kia e-Niro
• Mercedes EQA (Not available until 2021)
• Nissan Leaf e+
• Polestar 2
• SEAT el-Born (Not available until 2021)
• Skoda Vision IV (Not available until 2021)
• Tesla Model 3
• Volkswagen ID.3 (Long range only has 4 seats and not available until 2021)

Having reviewed all these cars, I have drawn up my final shortlist:

• Tesla Model 3 Long Range
• Polestar 2
• Ford Mustang Mach-e RWD Extended Range

The Tesla Model 3 is available to order now and surprisingly has relatively short delivery times, currently about 6 weeks.  On the other hand, both the Polestar and Mach-e aren’t scheduled to hit UK roads until later in 2020 but both can be pre-ordered by placing a refundable deposit of £1000.

So how do Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 and Mustang Mach-e compare?

EV database is an excellent repository for all kinds of EV related data and a great place to go to compare facts and figures.  Interestingly they also have estimated figures for those vehicles yet to be released.  Quite how they go about estimating this information is unknown but at least it gives motorists some idea of what is coming up soon.

	Tesla Model 3	Polestar 2	Mustang Mach-e
Battery Capacity	75 kWh	78 kWh	99 kWh
Range (Claimed)	348 miles	292 miles	370 miles
Range (Real)	285 miles	265 miles	275 miles
Highway – Cold Weather	205 miles	190 miles	tba
Combined – Mild Weather	330 miles	305 miles	tba
Max Fast Charge	250 kW DC	150 kW DC	150 kW DC
7.4kW Charge Time	11h 45m	11h 45m	14h 30m
22kW Charge Time	7h 45m	7h 45m	9h 45m
150kW Charge Time	–	27m	44m
350kW Charge Time	25m	n/a	n/a
Tesla Supercharger 250kW	22m	n/a	n/a
Torque	443 lb-ft	487 lb-ft	306 lb-ft
0-62 mph	4.6 seconds	4.7 seconds	7.0 seconds
Availability	Now	Late 2020	Late 2020

Beyond range and charging anxiety, I will be spending 16,000 miles per year behind the wheel of the car and therefore it is also natural to pay attention to the equipment specification of each vehicle.

	Tesla Model 3	Polestar 2	Mustang Mach-e
Body Style	Saloon	Hatchback	Hatchback
Drive	AWD	AWD	RWD
Wheels	18″	19″	18″
Cargo Volume	542 litres	405 litres	402 litres
Control Displays	Single 15.4″	11″ plus cockpit	15.5″ plus cockpit
Panoramic roof	Yes	Yes	Yes
Power seats	Yes X-way	Yes X-way	Yes X-way
Heated Seats	Front & Rear	Front, Rear and Steering Wheel	Front Only
Adaptive cruise control	Yes	Yes	Yes
Blind spot monitoring	Yes	Yes	No
Steering assist	Yes	Yes	No
Road sign information	Optional	Yes	No
Auto parking	Optional	No	Yes
360° camera	No	Yes	Yes
Infotainment	Tesla / Internet browser	Android Infotainment	Apple CarPlay / Android Auto
Audio	Tesla Premium	Hartman Kardon	B&O
Spotify	Yes	Yes	Via Phone
Digital phone key	Yes	Yes	Yes
Other features	Emergency brake, collision warning, sentry security	Cross traffic alert and auto brake, smart pixel headlights	Hands free tailgate, no door handles

What does that mean for me?

Having carefully considered all the above and having poured over a multitude of online images, I have come to the following conclusions.

• The Mach-e comes less well equipment for a similar price
• It’s a close-run thing between the Tesla and Polestar and therefore it is worth putting down a deposit on the Polestar to at least secure my position in the queue.
• The main drawback on the Tesla is that it is a saloon rather than a 5 door, however it is available now and grants me access to Tesla’s network of Superchargers which is a point not to ignore.

I’m waiting to hear from Polestar when I may expect to take delivery should I confirm my order and I need to let Tesla know by the beginning of August if I want delivery by my target date.  So I have a few more months to weigh it up before I have to make a final call.

As I say, first world problems…