I drove the Tesla Model S Plaid until it died
May 01, 2025 by Mat Watson
Car changing is a big deal
How far can the Tesla Model S Plaid actually go on one charge? I’m going to find out by driving it up the motorway until it runs out, as well as testing it against two of its key competitors.
There’s no doubt that the Tesla Model S Plaid offers insane performance. With its three electric motors and 1,020hp it’ll do 0-60mph in under 2.0 seconds, making it one of the best bang-for-buck electric cars you can buy if you’re looking for outright speed.
But what does that blistering turn of pace do to this car’s efficiency and range? Well to find out I’m going to drive the Model S Plaid up the motorway until it conks out – and to keep things interesting I’ll be bringing along two of its biggest rivals to see how they compare.
That would be the new Audi RS e-tron GT and the Lotus Emeya R. Both are hugely powerful, but today is all about efficiency.
Before we get into the stats, let’s go over the ground rules. We’ll be driving these cars as we would on a day-to-day basis. That means sticking to speed limits, using the air conditioning and other gadgets as and when we need to. Then once the range gets really low we’ll start to do what anyone would when trying to eke out some extra miles – slow right down and switch everything off.
We’ll also be running all three cars in sport mode for the entire test, because there’s not much point in buying a performance EV like one of these if you’re going to waft about in comfort mode all the time.
Tesla Model S Plaid
Powering the Tesla we have three electric motors with a combined 1,020hp, and these are fed by a 97kWh battery pack, and the claimed range is 364 miles. The Plaid costs £109,990, although you can’t currently buy one in the UK brand new. I did manage to find one used for sale on Carwow for £105,000 though.
Audi RS e-tron GT
The Audi RS e-tron GT has two electric motors which send 925hp to all four wheels and a 97kWh battery, just like the Tesla. It should do a claimed 368 miles on a charge, and the Audi costs £142,870, making it a lot more expensive than the Tesla. You can save more than £10,000 on one through Carwow.
Lotus Emeya R
Finally we come to the Lotus Emeya. It uses two electric motors putting out a combined 918hp and driving all four wheels. It has the largest battery here at 99kWh, but it also has the lowest claimed range. Lotus says it’ll do 301 miles on a charge, but we’ll see how close it gets. Parking an Emeya on your drive will cost you £133,000.
It looks like it’ll be tight between the Tesla and the Audi, but maybe the Lotus has a few tricks up its sleeve to win this test. You’ll have to watch the video to see what happens.
Car change? Carwow!
Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.
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