530E vs Model 3 vs ?

rizzee · 13-02-2025 01:44AM #1

I'm starting a new job in April which will most weeks involve 3 days/week approx 50km a day round trip and one longer trip per week (approx 350-600km round trip mostly motorway). Let's say ballpark 500km week.

We will need a 2nd car so I'm looking into the PHEV or BEV route. We already have a Koleos which is perfect, but the wife will need it with the kids and distance travel, to be honest I fancy a change to something a bit more business / sporty.

Budget ideally €25k max. No experience with EVs but we were planning on getting a home charger installed while we got some other work done to the house & our contract is up with elec provider soon so can take advantage of charging rates if needs be.

I'm really open to suggestions but these two caught my eye. The main focus for me is comfort and reliability. Ideally the newer the better ( will be kept for at least 3 years) so the lower the milage too. Obviously no range anxiety with the 530e but I'd have to go maybe 3 to 4 years older for the same price range.

Open to any comments or suggestions, it would be much appreciated. I'm going to continue to look through the threads on the forum here too. Cheers

User1998 · 13-02-2025 03:47AM

Financially speaking you’d be much better off with the Tesla. It will save you thousands per year in fuel & maintenance. Even if you charge the BMW regularly you’ll still spend over €3,000 in fuel per year plus a small bit in electricity. And another €500 or so in basic engine servicing. Versus just a bit of electricity for the Tesla and no annual servicing required. So over the course of 5 years you could save €15,000. Thats if you charge at home on the night rate and keep public charging to a minimum.

From a comfort standpoint most will side with the BMW but personally having driven BMW, Mercedes, Audis I would always choose my Tesla due to all the extra features it has even if the BMW is a bit more comfortable.

You could get a low mileage 2020 Tesla Model 3 Long Range within your budget, with an 8 year 200k km warranty. I don’t have exact range figures but I expect it would handle your weekly long trip unless doing 600km, then you’ll have to stop and get a quick charge but there are loads of places to do that

ELM327 · 13-02-2025 10:08AM

The BMW is a nicer car and a nicer place to be, no doubt, but you won't get many km in EV mode.

I'd go for the M3LR as they can be had below your 25k budget and will do the 350-600km trip with one stop. As it's motorway you will be passing a Supercharger and or an Ionity on your journey. In summer my old model 3 SR would have done the 350km likely with no stop at all.

rizzee · 14-02-2025 01:08AM

Thanks a million, really appreciate it. After researching for a couple of hours this evening I think the pros outweigh the cons and I'd be looking for a M3 2021-2023 (Preferably LR). I'm fairly set on that :-)

I have a couple of more questions if you don't mind me asking and apologies again as I'm new to this so there'll be a bit of waffle!! If there's a specific area for basic questions please let me know.

There is high praise for the late 2021 to early 2023 LR compared to older & newer models - is this the peak model to go for in terms of reliability? Is there a specific reason for this?
1. Anything specific to look for in test drive - known faults, any specific information I should be looking for on the display etc.
VRT exemption right now - slightly cheaper up north? Any cons to buying from a Northern dealer? (in terms of warranty etc)
Prices of home chargers seem to be extortionate - best place to buy?
1. The one from Tesla direct (€530) plus installer?
2. Any specific Irish sites to recommend and can avail of the grant? Lead times?
There's probably a whole other thread on this - charging speeds vs which cable to get vs what electricity provider / rates people are on (only asking because it links up with my provider renewal in 6 weeks)

Again, thanks for the replies so far. I'm off to go down a rabbit hole again :-)

Gumbo · 14-02-2025 01:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123169386#Comment_123169386

Because they are the china built cars. Vastly improved build quality than the previous American built cars, although that was blown out of proportion my Opinion. They would not be peak as the new version is supposedly even better again.
The normal car stuff. Suspension, brakes , crash damage and condition. Battery and drive train are still under warranty and a 2021car will have a few months general warranty left depending on mileage and date of registration. 2022 and 23 cars are the same as 21 generally speaking. There was a refresh in 21 that got a newer interior, dechrome and a heat pump.
Chargers.

4. There’s a thread on tarrifs and you should also get all the cables you need with the car generally speaking. That will include a 3 pin granny cable and a 3 phase, 22kw capable type 2 cable but you’ll only get 11kw charging with the car generally speaking

kirving · 14-02-2025 03:20AM

Of those two in particular, and having owned a 330e (I know it's much less car than the 530e), I'd choose the M3LR.

If you did a ton of short school runs, the 530e PHEV battery might last a few days, but plugging any car in every single day gets old fast.

I got 6.2l/100km on combined driving in the 330e - and sometimes (rarely) hit 5.0l/100km on a long run. Call it 6.5l/100km in the 530e - that makes €3,000 per year @ 500km/week. A diesel might cost you €2,500 or so. A Model 3 on a night rate would be about €300 (with all charging done at night - but that's not totally feasible), so probably €500 - or more if you publicly fast charge once a week.

You don't do crazy mileage, but I personally couldn't sit in a Model 3 for a 600km round trip. Suspension is absolutely awful and irritates me no end - but I hear the Highland (2024) is much better. (I'm actually going to test drive one next week.)

Overall, I'd probably suck up the €2k per year and get an E-Class or 5 Series diesel with small alloys (for comfort).

MojoMaker · 14-02-2025 11:06AM

Suspension is "awful"? 🤔

Gumbo · 14-02-2025 11:22AM

OP, today I have a 530e, MYLR and M3 RWD outside. Ask quick as 2 will be gone before lunch.

530e is a 2017 car with 105k km on it. Really well spec and a lovely place to be. Typical bmw problems include the steering wheel degrading. I actually got it retrimmed it was that bad. Happens them all. Decent space inside but bolt is small due to battery.

MY is huge inside in comparison. Storage is on another level with the bolt and frunk. A lot more minimal of course so here it’s personal choice. But our 530e has a touch screen for seat and climate controls too.

M3 is bigger inside that the G30 bmw. More space again. More compact and a tighter drive as it’s a close steering ratio. Smaller steering wheel makes it more direct than the 530 to me.

kirving · 14-02-2025 09:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123169936#Comment_123169936

Well, the overall ride is awful, to me at least. Feels sporty for 20 minutes and then is just harsh at hell. Extremely stiff chassis, tight suspension, and low profile tyres, so it's understandable, but not something I'd put for up to a 600km round trip once a week.

In the US, I can lease a M3LR RWD Highland for 3 years (48,000km total), taxes, fees, delivery, etc, all in for under €5,000 per year, which is a great deal, so I'm strongly considering it if they've improved the ride quality.

MojoMaker · 14-02-2025 09:59PM

Maybe there's a difference with the made in China cars. No suspension/ride issues over here.

Firm ride, but that's a positive, no?

kirving · 14-02-2025 10:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123172381#Comment_123172381

Plenty of talk online about it on UK forums, so I don't think it's US vs Europe vs China thing necessarily.

It's personal preference though of course. I was doing Dublin - Galway return at least weekly for 10 years, sometimes more, and I grew to hate anything that wasn't at comfortable as an E-Class (and I include and F10 5 Series which I thought tramlined terribly, but maybe it was the tyres on that particular car). I put major value in getting out of a car after a long drive and not having felt like you've done a long drive.

User1998 · 15-02-2025 04:57AM

I’ve done Dublin to Galway in my 2019 Fremont Model 3 and it was a doddle. You don’t even have to touch the steering wheel or pedals for 99% of the journey and its perfectly comfortable too. Unlike more traditional brands such as BMW and Mercedes which require a lot more driver interaction. Sure most of them don’t even have radar cruise control or a proper lane assist?

kirving · 15-02-2025 08:59AM

Yeah but doing it week in week out is a different story IMO. Autopilot is fantastic, but it still doesn't fix the ride quality.

I'm just out of a brand new (but not Juniper) Model Y taxi and I stand by it. Longitudinally it's not great, not the worst, but laterally, the stiffness and damping are godawful. Just constantly bouncing left to right on the tiniest of imperfections.

True about Merc and BMW buyers not often speccing ACC & LCC which are totally gamechangers for long trips. Abject failure by their marketing and sales departments. VAG absolutely cleaned up in that department. Passat or Super would be worth a look too.

Merc/BMW missing ACC isn't even an Irish Paddy spec thing - I had to do a 1200km round trip to find a GLC with the full driver assistance package in the US. I do have to touch the wheel every so often, but it goes for ages in slow moving traffic without touching the wheel, and will lane change itself when I tap the indicator.

User1998 · 15-02-2025 11:55AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123173233#Comment_123173233

Yeah I suppose it depends what you’re used to. Someone coming from a smaller car would probably think a Model 3 is like driving on clouds. But your right and the whole ACC thing is even more annoying because even a 12 year old Golf or a 10 year old Polo comes with ACC. Theres a lot of BMW/Mercs that I’ve always wanted to own but I would have missed ACC too much.

SweetCaliber · 15-02-2025 11:55PM

I switched from a 530e to a model 3 and would never go back. I actually find the seats in the model 3 more comfortable and the ride, while stiffer is grand.

This is a 2020 Fremont one by the way, so I can only imagine if you go for a 2021+ that was China built it'll be even better.

Yeah theres the rattles etc. but you learn to live with them. There is no engine noise so you will hear every rattle etc. but its nothing that would make me hate the car or want to get rid of it. Driving experience and tech is fantastic.

MojoMaker · 16-02-2025 11:22AM

You may also be quite a bit younger and less affected by ride comfort.

User1998 · 16-02-2025 12:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123176303#Comment_123176303

Late 20’s here so that might explain it alright

rizzee · 28-05-2025 04:41PM

Hi all, just a quick update to the thread.

After semi-settling into the new job, I'm not travelling as much as I thought I would be & approx 80% of sites are within 50km and nothing over 200km.

After many months of research I put a deposit on a early 2021 standard plus M3 (one with the heat pump) , only 29K miles and just under £18K (no VRT or VAT as NI car) so I'm very happy with that. I managed to contact them before they put photos and full details of the car up online and got a walkthrough. I'll up to Belfast the weekend to pay the balance all going to plan. I've also booked in the Sync-EV tethered charger to be installed in next week so thanks again for the recommendation there!

I've put a small deposit on the car and will need to cover the rest in GBP. I currently have it in my AIB so I wanted to possibly pay it through Revolut via GBP to avoid fees. Is this the best way to do it(for people who have bought up North) or has anyone any advise as to how to reduce as many fees as possible?

Thanks again

Gumbo · 28-05-2025 05:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123493976#Comment_123493976

yes, use Revolut to get a better rate.
safe driving.

Check with the garage to see if they have Revolut as it could be an instant transfer on the day and if not, do a test £1 transfer to see how long it takes.

bazz26 · 28-05-2025 05:24PM

If you are paying with Revolut either check with your bank first or make sure the funds are transferred from your bank well in advance of paying for the car. Depending on the bank they may have a daily limit on interbank money transfers.

horgan_p · 28-05-2025 07:00PM

Keep an eye on Revolut. They can have a knack of freezing transactions they deem "could be fraud"

I wouldnt trust it to go without a hitch on a Saturday. At least if theres a problem on a Friday theres a chance of getting it sorted.

rizzee · 28-05-2025 08:51PM

Thanks a million! I need to first get it from the AIB account to Revolut. I can do max €10K/24hrs with the AIB card reader at home (won't be home until Thursday night) so our BH weekend might mess up with the 2nd payment.

I will ring tomorrow to see what the daily limit is if I go into the AIB branch and transfer it in there if I bring ID.

If all else fails I'll ring the garage Friday to say it'll be part payment when I arrive Saturday and then the rest next week and come back to collect it.

I've got the Tesla, ESB eCar and Zap Map installed; any others to recommend?

JohnySwan · 28-05-2025 09:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123494682#Comment_123494682

Ionity and epower worth having too.

Gumbo · 28-05-2025 09:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123494682#Comment_123494682

Work out what your typical journeys are and what chargers you will be passing. For example, I have the Tesla one as I have some charging credits, I have the original eCars one with the original €20 on it and that’s it.

I don’t use them so for me, I don’t have them.

rizzee · 30-05-2025 04:23PM

The money has made it into my Revolut anyway, signed up for 2 months free Revolut premium which will save me on weekend charges (no charges) and less on transfer. There's a way around everything 😊

rizzee · 07-06-2025 06:44PM

And she’s home! VRT booked in the end of the month.

Only copped the previous owners email is still assigned when I tried to factory reset so I’ve to contact the garage to sort that and set up the phone on it. Any advice on this if they can’t get the information? Rookie mistake, should have checked… although I did say I’d factory reset when home to set it up from scratch, just didn’t check there and then.

Other than that, very happy. Fokearn also did a great job on the charger install yesterday.

Gumbo · 07-06-2025 07:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123523743#Comment_123523743

Email the guy.
Tell him you just bought it and he can assign the car to you through the Tesla app immediately.

rizzee · 08-06-2025 02:25PM

I don’t have his details, when adding a new device on the car his email address is partially shown & when adding the car to my Tesla app it said they have reached out to previous owner and takes 3-5 days. I’ll contact the garage tomorrow to try speed it up.

Gumbo · 08-06-2025 02:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123525787#Comment_123525787

Agh crap, I thought you had the email address.
Yeah just have to go through Tesla.
email them a copy of log book or invoice with the vin number along with your ID etc

rizzee · 10-06-2025 05:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123525818#Comment_123525818

Thanks Gumbo, all resolved - email removed from the system then Tesla themselves contacted me to say my email address was added. Set up phone and payment cards. Class service all round.

I have one question if you don't mind. I found earlier today that the fans were on in the car after shopping this morning & again this afternoon when I went outside the house. It was quite noticeable from the outside (small bit of noise, air freshener flying away!) - I do have cabin overheat protection turned on, I assume that's what it is?

Gumbo · 10-06-2025 05:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123531805#Comment_123531805

Sounds like it alright but I think they kick in at quite a high temp. Maybe turn it off and test again to rule it in/out.

It could also just be battery cooling or by any chance did you keep the cabin temp fans on while

Gone?

530E vs Model 3 vs ?

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