Tesla Model S saloon: well-equipped and practical

Price: £56,315 - £84,515

Pros: Huge performance, 300-mile range possible, up to seven seats available

Cons: Expensive to buy, extras push price up even further, not as much fun as a Porsche Panamera

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4.5/5, Carbuyer "If you haven’t heard of Tesla before, you soon will. The American company has come from nowhere to emerge as one of the world's foremost electric car manufacturers in a very short space of time. Its rapid growth can be attributed to the brilliance of the Tesla Model S – an all-electric hatchback that's capable of travelling for more than 300 miles on a single charge, yet in its fastest form can also out-accelerate an Aston Martin Rapide S. It's around the same size as a BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class, but because its batteries and motors are far smaller than a conventional petrol or diesel engine, there's a vast amount of interior space. So much, in fact, that you can choose to fit an additional pair of seats in the boot, turning the Model S into a seven-seater. And don’t think that those rear-facing seats are a safety risk – the Tesla Model S received the maximum five-star rating in the independent Euro NCAP crash-test programme, as well as five stars in every category in the equivalent test for the American market.Tesla says the Model S rivals the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 for passenger comfort, standard equipment and performance. It's offered in four different versions – 60, 85, 85D and P85D – each giving you progressively longer range and faster acceleration for a higher purchase price.All models are sports-car quick, with 0-62mph times in the region of five seconds region. But the P85D provides a supercar-rivalling 0-62mph time of just 3.2 seconds.

4/5, Auto Express "The Model S is good to drive, comfortable and well specced. It represents the convergence of digital and automotive tech, with its brilliant infotainment screen, while staying practical. It's pretty well built and offers super-saloon performance plus a range as good as any conventional rival. But entry-level models only have a 160-mile range and aren’t as quick."

4/5, What Car? "The Tesla Model S is a ground-breaking new electric car that's both desirable and capable. If the Model S is a sign of things to come from Tesla, then the future looks very bright."