Matthew DeBord/BI
The Tesla Model 3
- Last year, I drove the Tesla Model 3 in several different versions. I also sampled an updated version of the Nissan Leaf.
- The Leaf has been in the electric-vehicle market for longer, but the Model 3 was among the best cars I drove in all of 2018.
- I recently tested a new, longer-range version of the Leaf, the Leaf SL Plus.
- You can buy the Model 3 and the Leaf for around $40,000, so I decided to compare the cars.
- The Tesla Model 3 is better, but the Leaf Plus has a lot going for it.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Nissan beat Tesla to market with a practical, all-electric vehicle when in 2010 it launched the Leaf.
Tesla caught up, but with the expensive Model S sedan.
Crystal Cox/Business Insider
The Nissan Leaf Plus.
The arrival of the Model 3 in 2017 signaled a new era. Now, consumers could choose between the proven Leaf and the stunning new Model 3; the Model 3 had better performance and longer range, but the Leaf was a known quantity.
This year, I tested a longer-range version of the Leaf - the Leaf SL Plus - and was impressed. So I thought I'd compare it with the Model 3.
Here's how the cars stack up:
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