Tesla Model 3 Stuff’s 2019 executive car of the year

The Tesla Model 3 became the first EV in New Zealand’s top 10 best-selling cars in September and now Stuff has awarded it the title of 2019 executive car of the year.

The Model 3 “does absolutely ace the compact-executive segment, where its $76,000 entry price and four-door sedan format place it”, Stuff reports, adding the win is even more remarkable as it came against the upgraded BMW 3-series and the Mercedes-Benz C-class.

“The Model 3 brings a touch of the future with Tesla’s undeniably excellent battery technology (range is impressive no matter which specification you choose) and a clean-sheet approach to interior design: no conventional instruments and very little switchgear, with most functions covered in a very sharp-looking 15-inch touch screen,” the report says.

Stuff adds that the Tesla Model 3 is “a genuinely good car to drive…”, much the same as EVtalk reported.

Meanwhile, Tesla Model 3 sales in New Zealand slowed in October after September’s burst.

And the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus is getting an increase in supercharging peak power to 170kW in an over-the-air software update.