Tesla has never been shy about rewriting the rulebook, but its latest move in the UK feels more like a sharp edit than a reinvention. Enter the new Model 3 Standard, a cheaper, pared-back version of the electric saloon that drops the starting price by £2000 to £37,990—and trims a surprising amount of kit along the way.
Think of it as the Model 3 on a diet. The fundamentals remain intact, but Tesla has gone through the cabin and feature list with a red pen. Faux leather upholstery is out, replaced by cloth seats. The once-familiar centre console gives way to an open storage area, lending the interior a more minimalist, almost utilitarian vibe. Minimalism, after all, has always been part of Tesla’s brand—this version just leans harder into it.
The cost-cutting continues with the audio system, which loses its subwoofer along with traditional AM and FM radio. Electric adjustment for the driver’s seat and steering wheel is gone too, replaced by manual controls. Rear-seat passengers no longer get their own touchscreen, and there’s no physical key included—access is handled exclusively through the Tesla mobile app.
What Tesla hasn’t stripped away is Autosteer, its lane-keeping assistance system that can automatically change lanes once the indicator is engaged. For many buyers, that will matter far more than premium trim or extra speakers.
Tesla is staying coy about battery capacity, but the official 332-mile range strongly suggests the Standard uses the same hardware as the Rear-Wheel Drive model. Performance, however, is deliberately dialed back. The sprint to 60 mph stretches to 6.2 seconds, compared with the RWD’s 5.8, while top speed drops from 125 mph to 110 mph.
That slowdown isn’t accidental. Tesla has limited the Standard’s performance specifically to place it in a lower UK insurance group (32), significantly reducing running costs. It’s a pragmatic move—and a rare moment where Tesla openly prioritizes ownership economics over headline-grabbing acceleration figures.
There are other subtle tweaks aimed at long-term value. Standard models come fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels, chosen not for visual drama but for stronger residual values, helping to reduce lease and finance costs. It’s a reminder that this car isn’t chasing enthusiasts—it’s targeting spreadsheets.
Deliveries of the Model 3 Standard in the UK begin next month, timed neatly with the arrival of the £41,990 Model Y Standard. Together, they signal a clear shift in Tesla’s strategy: less luxury, less performance, but a lower barrier to entry.
For buyers who want the Tesla experience without paying for features they’ll barely notice, the Model 3 Standard may be the brand’s most rational car yet. And coming from Tesla, that might be the most surprising thing of all.
Kia’s electric onslaught continues, and this time it’s aimed squarely at the heart of Europe’s fastest-growing segment. Meet the Kia EV2, a B-segment electric crossover that’s lining up to take swings at the reborn Renault 4 and Volkswagen’s upcoming ID Cross—while promising the longest range of the bunch and a price that undercuts most of them.
Unveiled at the Brussels motor show, the EV2 is the smallest and cheapest member of Kia’s dedicated EV family, slotting in below the EV3 and EV4. It rides on a simplified version of the brand’s E-GMP platform and will be built in Žilina, Slovakia, alongside the EV4. That European production could make it eligible for incentives like the UK’s electric car grant, which matters when your target price is a hair under €30,000 (about £25,000). Kia’s product and pricing boss Alex Papapetropolous says some trims will dip even lower—and that’s no accident. More than a quarter of the European market lives below that €30K line, and Kia clearly wants a piece of it.
Visually, the EV2 doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a baby SUV. It borrows the squared-off stance and pixelated details of its larger siblings, wrapped around a compact footprint designed to maximize usable space. At 4060 mm long, it’s slightly shorter than the Renault 4, but with an 1800-mm width and a 2565-mm wheelbase, it’s clearly been stretched where it counts. The revised “tiger face” front end gives it family resemblance without overdoing the sci-fi.
Powertrain options are straightforward but competitive. Standard Range models launch first, using a 42.2-kWh LFP battery good for a claimed 196 miles of range and a 145-hp front-mounted motor. The Long Range version arrives later with a larger 61.0-kWh NMC pack, stretching range to an impressive 278 miles—comfortably ahead of the Renault 4’s 254-mile max—paired with a slightly less powerful 134-hp motor. No all-wheel drive here: the EV2’s cost-conscious E-GMP variant uses a torsion-beam rear suspension instead of the multilink setup needed to package a rear motor.
Charging hardware reflects the EV2’s urban mission. It runs on a 400-volt system rather than the 800-volt architecture of the EV6 and EV9, but Kia claims both batteries can charge from 10 to 80 percent in about 30 minutes. More interesting is AC charging: the EV2 will be Kia’s first model available with both 11-kW and 22-kW onboard chargers, a big win for city dwellers who rely on public or workplace charging.
Inside, the EV2 feels familiar but intentionally simplified. The dash is dominated by three screens—a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 5.3-inch climate display, and a 12.3-inch central touchscreen—running a new “lite” version of Kia’s infotainment software. The idea is to keep costs down without sacrificing essentials like over-the-air updates. Practicality gets equal billing: buyers can choose between four- and five-seat layouts. The four-seater uses individual reclining rear chairs that slide forward to open up as much as 403 liters of cargo space, while the five-seater still manages a respectable 362 liters. Both versions add a small 15-liter frunk up front.
Trim details are still being finalized, but Kia has confirmed a range-topping GT-Line with 19-inch wheels and sportier styling touches. Lesser trims will roll on 16- or 18-inch wheels, presumably in the name of efficiency—and cost control.
The EV2 doesn’t chase headline performance numbers or futuristic gimmicks. Instead, it plays the long game: solid range, sensible packaging, and pricing that undercuts rivals without feeling stripped bare. If Kia delivers on its promises, the EV2 could become the default recommendation for buyers who want an electric crossover that fits real-world budgets—and real-world lives.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a carmaker hands the keys—creatively speaking—to a Formula E hotshoe with a gamer’s eye for detail, the answer is sitting under the lights at the Brussels Motor Show. It’s called the DS “Taylor made N°4 Concept,” and it’s part styling exercise, part motorsport flex, and part very French reminder that DS Automobiles takes its electric racing seriously.
Unveiled by DS CEO Xavier Peugeot at the brand’s Brussels press conference, the concept celebrates Taylor Barnard, the young rising star of the DS PENSKE Formula E Team, and it does so with the kind of theatrical confidence you’d expect from a brand that has spent more than a decade chasing trophies in Formula E—and winning four of them along the way.
At its core, the Taylor made N°4 Concept is based on the DS N°4, a compact premium hatch that DS considers central to its lineup. But calling this show car a dressed-up N°4 is like calling a Formula E car a modified commuter EV. The proportions are meaner, the stance is wider, and the whole thing looks like it escaped from a high-end racing game before the developers had a chance to tone it down for realism.
Front and center is an oversized, unapologetic “N°4” graphic embedded in the grille, framed by a light signature that stays faithful to the production car while dialing up the drama. The pixel-style headlamps lean hard into the sci-fi aesthetic, signaling that this is a car more interested in tomorrow than yesterday.
Designed by a Driver, Filtered by a Studio
What makes this concept more than just another motorshow sculpture is the process behind it. DS’s designers didn’t simply slap Barnard’s name on the fender and call it a day. Instead, the DS Design Studio worked directly with the driver, translating his preferences—shaped by racing and video games—into something that still feels cohesive and, crucially, believable.
Barnard asked for contrasts: dark, monochrome surfaces broken up by subtle color hits. He wanted something technical, something performance-driven, and something personal. The result is a car that looks less like a traditional concept and more like a spec sheet brought to life.
Aerodynamics play a starring role. The body is smoothed and tightened, the ride height is dropped, and the tracks are pushed outward, giving the N°4 a squat, planted look that wouldn’t be out of place in a digital garage menu. DS even admits the proportions take inspiration from video games—and honestly, that explains why it looks so aggressively “right” from every angle.
Barnard himself sums it up best: this isn’t a dream car locked behind velvet ropes; it’s a sports car he could imagine driving every day. High praise, considering most concepts barely survive the show stand.
Titanium, Four Ways
DS’s Colours, Materials and Finishes (CMF) team went all-in, treating the concept the way a Formula E team treats a race weekend: every detail matters. The unifying theme is titanium, interpreted in four distinct finishes that give the car depth without resorting to visual chaos.
There’s Pure Titanium, raw and precise, emphasizing the sharpness of the lines. Liquid Titanium adds gloss and reflection, highlighting the car’s flow and curvature. Then things get interesting with Craft Titanium, a crinkled, metal-like textile inspired by racing applications. It replaces traditional carbon fiber in aero-critical areas like the splitter and lower body, and it’s finished by hand—a nod to craftsmanship in a world increasingly obsessed with automation.
Finally, Black Titanium caps things off on the roof and spoiler, grounding the design and giving the whole car a more sinister edge.
Accents are handled with restraint, which is refreshing. Light Gold, the signature color of DS PERFORMANCE, appears on mirrors, wheel centers, and badges. Subtle purple highlights—Barnard’s favorite color—pop up inside and out, while his racing number, 77, is integrated almost as an Easter egg, illuminated in places like the diffuser lighting.
It’s detail-heavy without being desperate, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.
Motorsport Cred, Road-Going Relevance
DS is keen to stress that this concept isn’t just an art project. Displayed alongside Barnard’s DS E-TENSE FE25 Formula E car, the Taylor made N°4 Concept acts as a bridge to the newly launched DS PERFORMANCE Line Limited Edition, available on the DS 3, N°4, and DS 7.
The production N°4 itself backs up the talk with one of the broadest electrified lineups in its segment. The fully electric N°4 E-TENSE delivers 213 horsepower and up to 450 km of WLTP range, plus features like in-car EV routing, battery preconditioning, and remote charging control. A plug-in hybrid follows with up to 240 hp and 81 km of electric-only range, while a conventional hybrid rounds out the lineup with up to 1,000 km between fuel stops.
In other words, beneath all the titanium and pixel lighting, there’s a real car doing real work for the brand.
From Brussels to Roblox
Because it’s 2026-adjacent and reality alone is no longer enough, DS is also taking the Taylor made N°4 Concept digital. In partnership with Voldex, the car will appear in Driving Empire on Roblox, letting players buy, customize, and drive the concept in a virtual world sometime next year.
It’s a smart move—and a telling one. DS isn’t just chasing lap times or design awards; it’s courting the next generation of enthusiasts where they already live.
The Taylor made N°4 Concept may never hit a public road, but it doesn’t feel like a dead end. Instead, it’s a sharp, confident statement: DS knows exactly who it’s talking to—and it’s speaking their language fluently.
