Why an i3 not a Tesla

I never seriously considered a Tesla. I went with the i3 because:

• 1. BMW
  2. size
  3. maneuverability
  4. carbon fiber/aluminum/thermoplastic construction
  5. interior design

I average about 10 miles a day so range is a non-issue. We still have a paid-for E90 328i for road trips. Perfect combination for a two-person household. The i3 lives up to the Mega City label; nothing can touch it in the urban environment. And the 3-Series, of course, is sublime at highway speeds and above.

I did not cross-shop the i3 against the Tesla. Different class of car. I think the i3 is a great compact commuter car and city car. The Tesla is a large luxury sedan (with the P85+ being a "performance" luxury sedan). The Tesla's competition is the mid and full sized BMW and Mercedes Sedans (E.g., the M5 and the S-class).

I did consider the Tesla versus these other cars and decided to go with an M5.

As the EV market goes more mainstream, most normal people won't first ask "which EV should I buy?" but will instead ask "what kind of car do I need/want," and consider EVs that otherwise fit their requirements...

Size: test drove it up to my driveway and realized how big this car was. The test drive convinced me to go electric so the only other choice for me was the i3.

Price: I thought the price of the Tesla was ok considering the performance and technology until I configured the P85+ with all of the options I wanted. Ouch. I felt like when I was among the first buying a flat screen plasma TV and paid a hefty 12 000$ for a 42 inch that wasn't even full HD... So I thought I would wait for the price of the battery to go down a bit. As there are less batteries in the BMW, I thought the value was a bit better

I don't regret my choice but if the i5 or the Tesla Model 3 mid sized sedan was on the market today, I would hand my i3 to my spouse and get one of those today.