For company cars, the Benefit-in-Kind advantage is desirable and presents great savings over conventional diesel or even hybrid options. Clearly, there is also an environmental benefit and so our business is keen to increase the number of colleagues using electric vehicles.

Personally, I have always been interested in the advancement of electric vehicle technology. It is also part of my role at Halfords to ensure that we can cater for the maintenance and repair of all vehicles on the road at our 770 shops and garages. It is important that we are at the forefront of the latest car trends and developments to continue to upskill our teams in line with what is happening in the market.

To put electric to the test, we proposed a trial where I, as one of the highest mileage drivers, would opt for a Tesla. I travel the country, so if it works for me then in theory it should work for anyone else in the business. The benefits of Superchargers present a fitting option for high milers, therefore making Tesla the chosen route.

Tesla Model 3 Performance is my first electric vehicle. The choice was a combination of many things like comfort, performance, driver aids as well as the benefit of low Benefit-in-Kind rates (zero currently). I needed the range to be as high as possible given my average mileage which can be up to 40,000 miles a year. A lot of research went in to selecting the right vehicle and with what was on offer from Tesla, Model 3 appeared to be the right choice. Having previously owned some ‘drivers cars’, I was keen to ensure that whichever car I chose fulfilled not only the commuting experience but also a drivers experience. Spending many hours in my car every day, I needed it to be not only comfortable but also fun and engaging. The performance had the right amount of range combined with capturing the characteristics of some of the previous cars I had.

The drive itself is far beyond what I had expected. The performance is staggering but more importantly the car is engaging, and when you want to sit back on the motorway the autopilot definitely takes away the monotony of a long motorway journey, particularly in traffic. Having had prestige vehicles prior to the Tesla, my expectations were that this might not match a big German saloon for comfort. Having been on a few 500-mile trips, I actually find the Tesla more relaxing. On top of the quiet ride, the driver aids take out some of the stress of driving on motorways, not to mention the feeling of safety once you gain absolute trust from autopilot. Yes, you have to still drive the car, but the assistance makes a huge difference to those journeys. I have had driver assistance on previous cars, but the Tesla is of a different level.

My favourite feature of my Model 3 is the ability to warm the car prior to leaving. It is such an advantage to be able to get into a warm car on a cold morning. Likewise, it is equally as beneficial in the summer. Getting into a car which is icy cold on a hot summers day is brilliant. Last Summer on some 30 degree days where I was getting into a cabin at 15 degrees! I am always thankful to have it, particularly when the technology is such a huge benefit to both comfort and safety. Next to that, the infotainment which is very different to anything I have experienced before. The ability to have my calendar synced to my sat nav is very helpful given I travel to a lot of ‘new to me’ locations.

I am also regular visitor to multiple Supercharger locations across the country. I find it very convenient and have not struggled to carry out any journeys due to lack of charging points. From someone who travels from Kent to Manchester and everywhere in between, it covers my requirements. Overall, I would highly recommend a Tesla as either a company car or for personal use due to the long range, convenient supercharger network and low running costs.