As promised, Tesla has officially opened the UK's Model 3 configurator, granting access to a more affordable Tesla. Those who reserved a Model 3 previously should get their car from June 2019.

The Tesla Model 3 sits under the Tesla Model S and Model X, offering a cheaper pure electric car. It's more compact, stripping away some of the features of those other models, but still offering great performance and plenty of Tesla character.

Three variants will be available - Standard Range Plus, Long Range and Performance - with the standard model being single motor rear-wheel drive and the Long Range and Performance models being dual motor all-wheel drive.

The Standard Range Plus, the most affordable model from Tesla, will come with a 258mi (WLTP estimate) range according to Tesla, a 0-60 time of 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 140mph. It comes with Autopilot, but if you want to upgrade to Tesla's latest self-driving features, you'll need to cough-up another £4900 - and there's no telling exactly when they'll arrive and what legislation might get in the way. 

The Tesla Model 3 arrives at an important time in the UK and the model will likely be popular. It's not the only affordable EV in the UK, but there's a buzz around Tesla and some impressive performance figures that the likes of the Nissan Leaf or Kia Soul EV won't match - people are likely to be attracted to the Model 3 because of its off-the-line speed. 

We'll bring you more experience behind the wheel of the Model 3 and more on the real ranges achieved behind the wheel of this electric car once we get our hands on one.