New Jaguar I-Pace vs Tesla Model S

The electric car market is amping up with the arrival of the Jaguar I-Pace SUV. Has the Tesla Model S finally met its match?...

Jaguar I-Pace
Jaguar I-Pace

Buying and owning

Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security

Regardless of how you want to buy these cars, the Model S will cost you more money.

The majority of buyers will opt for a PCP finance agreement, and on that basis the I-Pace is the cheaper option, by a whopping £200 per month.

The differences in company car tax bills aren't huge, but the I-Pace will cost you significantly less if you plan to lease.

If you’re buying privately with cash, the Model S is around £3000 more expensive, with both cars eligible for the Government's full £3500 plug-in car grant.

The Model S will cost you more to service and more in electricity bills (roughly 4.9p per mile, compared with 4.7p for the I-Pace if you’re charging at home).

However, the I-Pace is predicted to lose value more slowly than the Model S, so it's likely to cost you around a sizeable £9000 less to own over three years.

Tesla Model S

Both come with a good amount of standard safety equipment, including automatic emergency braking. Dual-zone climate control and rear-view cameras are standard, but there are few genuine luxuries on the I-Pace in SE trim. At least with the Model S, every seat and the steering wheel is heated.

Disappointingly, other extras on the Model S are part of pricey packs, but we’d consider adding the Autopilot semi-autonomous driving aids (£4700).

As with the Model S, adaptive cruise control is standard on the I-Pace, but lane-keeping assistance comes only as part of the £950 Driver Assist Pack.

A huge benefit of Model S ownership is the access to Tesla’s network of 120kW Superchargers (although it’ll cost 20p per kWh to use it), where roughly 30 minutes of use gives a 0-80% recharge.

While the I-Pace is technically capable of receiving a 100kW charge, the vast majority of public chargers in the UK can deliver a maximum of 50kW – and that’s unlikely to change in the immediate future. So for now, the best the I-Pace can manage is about 90 minutes for 0-80% from a 50kW charger.

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