With the emergence of electric vehicles, the Tesla Model 3 is topping the charts and has already received 400,000 pre-orders. Not due for delivery until late 2017, other electric car manufacturers like Chevrolet and Nissan are bringing out their guns to compete and try to catch up with the creations of top autonomous car maker Tesla.
Tesla announced that the Model 3 is going to be the cheapest among its lineup but still promises consumers that the car will still deliver the same driving and user experience as its more expensive ones. Ever since the unveiling of the Model 3, consumers and reviewers have been comparing it with the upcoming models of the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Bolt.
The Chevy Bolt, unveiled earlier this year as the first electric car built by General Motors and is set to arrive in 2017 costs $38,000 dollars. A price tag that is $3,000 dollars more than the Model 3.
The challenge is that Chevy announced the Bolt early and already unveiled all its features; Tesla could use all this information to still make improvements to the Model 3 or could possibly make a version that will make the technology of Chevy feel like yesterday.
The Nissan Leaf, similar in size and shape to the Bolt, has a base price of $32,000 dollars and is still relatively more expensive than the Model 3. Although the Leaf offers more seating capacity, it can only run a range of up to 124 miles on a single battery charge, compared to the 215 miles of the Model 3. The Chevy Bolt is also expected to have a 200-mile range.
In terms of looks, both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Bolt takes on the appearance of hatchbacks while the Model 3 still has the classic four-door sedan look. If appearance matters to you, then this might be a buying or deciding factor. The Leaf and the Bolt offer more luggage space than the Tesla.
The Model 3 is the only one among the three that features a rear wheel and all wheel drive options. The AWD option can be a factor that makes Tesla the leader, if you are willing to wait until late 2017 or 2018 for its release.
Performance-wise, all three models have self-driving features and safety standards. The cars all promises to keep both occupant and other road users safety as the top priority.
A 150 kW battery that promises 200 horsepower to the wheels powers the Bolt and the Leaf comes in a 60 kW 107 horsepower battery. Tesla has not released information yet on how many horses they will be packing but mentioned the car is capable of reaching zero to 60 miles in less than six seconds.
These are just a few factors to consider while waiting for the release of the Tesla Model 3. Getting the Chevy Bolt EV or the Nissan Leaf over the Tesla is completely up to you.
