Tesla has launched the online configurator for its Model 3 electric vehicle (EV) as order books opened for the £38,900 saloon car in the UK.

The long-awaited arrival of the Model 3 follows launches across Europe which have already resulted in the California-based alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) brand moving into Europe’s top 25 biggest selling OEMs during March.

Now UK consumers will get a taste of the 258-mile (basic) capable zero-emissions vehicle which Tesla had considered restructuring its retail offer – with the later retraction of plans to close much of its global physical retail network – in order to maintain under a self-imposed home-market price cap of $35,000.

First deliveries for UK reservation holders will begin in June, and will be on prioritised based on “reservation date, delivery location and configuration option”, according to a statement issued by Tesla today.

Tesla Model 3s are available with all-wheel-drive (AWD) or rear-wheel-drive (RWD). 

In AWD, prices for the long range variant starts at £47,900, with the Model 3 Performance priced at £56,900.

The entry level RWD Standard Range Plus starts at £38,900.

The Model 3 Performance claims to be the quickest car in its class, its electric motors capable of propelling the saloon to 60mph in 3.2 seconds.

Tesla claims that its long range battery will deliver 329 miles of WLTP-tested EV range on a single charge.

Tesla offers Model 3 customers a choice of five colour options with solid black included as standard. Metallic colours, Midnight Silver and Deep Blue, are available for £950. Multi Coat Red and Pearl White will cost £1,900. 

Model 3 comes with a choice of 18” Aero wheels as standard and 19” Sport wheels as a £1,450 option. 20” Performance Wheels come as standard with Model 3 Performance. 

All Model 3 customers have pay-per-use access to our global Supercharger network, which is reserved specifically for Tesla owners.

There are more than 440 Supercharger locations with over 3,600 Superchargers in Europe.

In Europe, Model 3 comes with a built-in CCS Charge Port for compatibility with third party fast charging networks, giving our customers the most charging flexibility compared to any EV on the market.