Nine reasons to believe the Tesla Model 3 hype

5. Safety is everything - and Tesla knows it

When you're buying a car, there are certain things that are non-negotiable, and safety is one of them. A car packed with potentially explosive lithium-ion batteries isn't always perceived as the safest vehicle on the road, but the Model 3 offers some serious protection. Last night, Elon Musk said the car features “five-star safety” throughout, and if we take his word for it, a lot of electric car naysayers to take note. When you combine those structural safety systems with the semi-autonomous, preventative measures, the Tesla Model 3 might be one of the safest cars on the road. Who saw that coming?

6. Good range and free Supercharging

The Tesla Model 3 has a range of 215 miles, which is enough for most people – even if they don't know it. And when you think about it, 215 miles is actually a long way. Sure, you'd need to drive extremely conservatively, but the fact those sorts of places are within reach shows just how long the Model 3 can go for. And when you do need to charge, the Model 3 will have access to Tesla's ever-growing range of Superchargers, which provide 170 miles of power in less than 30 minutes – for free. Even without the Superchargers, the Tesla Model 3 will be compatible with the rapidly expanding network of electric car chargers, so with some forward planning you'll be able to make pretty much any journey work.

7. 115,000 people can't be wrong, usually

The above tweet isn't from an iPhone launch – it's from the Tesla Model 3 launch yesterday. Everyone wants a piece of Tesla's latest car, and last night the company had to start pre-orders early to try to manage demand. During the presentation, Elon Musk said more than 115,000 had put down the deposit needed to secure a baby Tesla, and numbers were at 150,000 at 11am this morning. That many people can't all be wrong. Surely.

8. Support

Yes, it's a boring one, but after you buy a car, it needs to be serviced and maintained. Tesla already has 215 locations worldwide. The result? Tesla says no matter where you are, you won't be far from a full-blown Tesla dealership, and a place to get your Model 3 sorted. 

9. All of the above, and the price. Again.

When you look at each of these things individually, the Tesla Model 3 should pique your interest, but as a whole Tesla has made a formidable argument. And then there's the price, again. Just repeat it out loud, but slower. Thirty thousand dollars. You can now buy a car that's raved about by both the technology and car press for the same price as a Ford Focus. Ridiculous.