I’ve driven a lot of EVs on my channel from Kia to Porsche to Genesis to Ford - more than
ever EVs are offering genuine competition for Tesla.
The shortage of semiconductors which has plagued the car industry and still applies has pushed
used prices through the roof and Teslas were being resold for more than they were new.
But things have changed - Tesla have cut the prices on their new cars all over the world.
The price cuts are in the range of 10% to 13% in the UK, but run as high as 20% on some
US models.
New UK buyers will save £5,500 on an entry-level Model 3 and £7,000 on the cheapest Model
Y.
More than 16,000 customers bought those best-selling models last year in the UK, and some have
been angry that they had paid more.
In one example of this posted on a Facebook group for Tesla owners:
"I just picked up the car yesterday.
What should I do?
Go to Tesla and give back the car?
I can't believe after a few hours from picking up the car I lost £5k".
Tesla had a similar response from customers in China, where it announced price cuts last
week.
At the weekend disgruntled owners demonstrated outside Tesla distribution centres in Shanghai
and other cities, calling for compensation.
Tesla has reduced prices twice in China in the last six months and they are now 13% to
24% below September levels.
To try to avoid similar objections in the US and Europe, Tesla said customers who had
ordered, but not yet received, their vehicle would be charged the new lower price.
So not only is a new Tesla a lot less than it was before; but used Teslas are now going
to be a bargain.
If you have always wanted a Tesla now is the time to buy… significant cuts on new prices
and bargains are on used cars…
BUT I DON’T THINK YOU SHOULD BUY A TESLA AT ALL.
And I am going to explain what that is in this video.
First of all this has nothing to do with Elon Musk.
I don’t care about what he is doing on Twitter or any of his opinions.
Arguably his outspoken opinions have had an effect on the prices of Tesla cars.
People who thought he was a genius may now no longer think this and those who considered
a Tesla might have been put off by his antics but those issues don’t matter to me when
coming to my reasoning in this video.
For me it is about competition and innovation.
When Tesla first launched it was at the forefront of everything EV.
The most range, best performance and revolutionary - the Model S shook the car world and led
Tesla to become the most valuable car company in the world.
The Model 3 went from being a car that was talked about to being seen on every street
all around the world.
I see more Tesla Model 3’s in London than any other car.
They are everywhere.
The Model X was a futuristic and fantastic large SUV and most recently the Model Y offered
the experience of a Model 3 but as a small SUV.
And let’s not forget the HyperCar destroying Model S Plaid which until recently (where
the Lucid Air Sapphire beat it) was the fastest accelerating production car ever.
But Tesla has stood still.
The competition has come at it full tilt.
Traditional car makes such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Ford have produced EVs which have ranges
better than the Tesla models.
Kia, Hyundai and Genesis have made EVs that make Tesla look old fashioned in terms of
design and technology.
And then there are the car makers inspired by Tesla and now beating them at their own
game - in Lucid and Rivian in the US.
And that’s not to mention all the Chinese car makers who haven’t yet made it to Europe
or the US but who are all producing cars that are cheaper and have better range than Tesla.
Tesla has stood still and failed to deliver - Where is the Cybertruck?
What about the Roadster?
If you are in the US and want a pick-up you can get an amazing Rivian (check out my video
on the R1T pickup) or a Ford F150 Lightening right now… and GM is bringing their A-Game
as well with their new Chevrolet EV pick-up and SUVs or maybe a Hummer EV.
The high tech interior of the Tesla models no longer lead the pack.
There are bigger and better infotainment systems and displays on almost every other EV - and
some even off Android Auto and Apple CarPlay too.
Lucid offers a car with OVER 500 miles of range in the US.
That beats even the most efficient diesels or hybrids on the market.
And then let’s talk Autopilot.
Tesla is no longer the leader in cars that car drive themselves; in fact Tesla models
are ONLY LEVEL 2 Autonomous.
Newer cars are Level 3 or above and can Truly drive themselves such as certain Mercedes
models can in Germany on certain roads.
Now I do want to give some credit here to Tesla as they do have their full-self driving
software in the US; and there are some pretty impressive videos of the cars driving themselves
by themselves but Tesla is using inferior hardware on their cars and trying to make
up for it with software and yes it works but it isn’t the best.
When other car companies with more sensors and newer technology start offering these
level 3 and above self-driving features then they will show Tesla up.
If you’re interested in self-driving check out my video in Phoenix Arizona driving Google’s
Waymo self-driving taxis.
And while we are on the subject of spending I have a great offer with American Express
below - if you sign up using my link you can get thousands of bonus points which you can
use to get you on a plane or into a hotel or even go towards buying almost anything
you want.
So check out my link below!
There is one advantage that Tesla does still have - but maybe not for long.
That is the Supercharger network.
Tesla has an unrivalled network of chargers that are working, reliable, fast and you can
see availability from in the car.
No one else can offer that.
YET.
In fact the number one reason why I wouldn’t buy ANY EV at all is that charging is a huge
problem in the UK and in many other countries too.
Tesla has reliable network but they have started opening it up to other car makers and there
are so many Teslas on the road that we are even seeing large queues at Tesla superchargers.
This is only going to get worse - and eventually charging a Tesla at a public charger won’t
be any different than any other EV.
With non-Tesla chargers there simply aren’t enough of them.
Or they are broken.
Or we have EV drivers who don’t understand the rule of 80% on a public charger.
- Which is only charge your car to 80% if there are others waiting because the last
20% takes longer to charge than the first 80% due to how batteries work.
IN fact I would ONLY buy an EV if you can charge at home.
As energy prices rise the cost of public charging is also increasing and this means that charging
an EV at a public charger is quickly approaching the cost of filling a conventional combustion
engine petrol or diesel car.
So what does all this mean for Tesla?
Tesla still make great cars.
They still offer something for everyone.
And if you can get a used car you can now get a bargain.
But they aren’t the best EVs anymore that you can get on the market.
They don’t lead in any way.
They aren’t the fastest, most efficient or most advanced EVs you can get.
If your after a bargain then consider it - I don’t blame you but if you are looking at
a new EV then don’t pick a Tesla.
They haven’t innovated or updated their car designs in years.
The model S is 10 years old and other than a few minor body changes and a yoke on the
plaid it is the same car.
Do yourself a favour and check out what else is on offer.
But please don’t buy a Mercedes EQS as they are the most ugly looking cars ever made!
I hope you enjoyed this video.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Thank you.