Not only that, I did it with two young children….
If I listen to everything on Twitter and the doom-laden headlines, I should scrap the whole idea before we even pack our bags. I’m bound to run out of charge, get stuck in endless queues at charging stations, and probably end the holiday early while the Tesla smoulders on the side of a French Autoroute.
As director of ShipMyCar in the UK, I have been lucky enough to enjoy some of the world’s best fossil fuelled cars but a few years ago I had a go in a Tesla Model 3 and had to admit for the daily commute, they tick a lot of boxes for me.
Once kitted out with some goodies from EV Styling, it also looked the part. Good enough for even the most hardcore petrolhead to admit, it looks kinda good.
Overnight home charging sets me back maybe £1 a day at most, quick 0-60 times and lots of tech to fiddle with suits my driving style, but driving almost 2,000 miles to the South of France and back in the Model 3 is surely setting myself up for disaster?
Step 1. The Prep
First, I had to think of the prep. The initial thought is of all the stuff needed for a family holiday. We opted for a Eurocamp holiday close to Port Grimaud. It had everything we wanted with onsite pools and beaches, but with four of us travelling we need a lot of things.
I already have a Halfords Exodus roof box, but just need the roof bars for the Tesla. The official Tesla ones can be bought online but were a) expensive and b) out of stock. I try to live by the Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail moto but usually the preparation starts a few days before the event as things at work are always so busy.
So Plan B was to order some well reviewed aftermarket bars that can be delivered the next day. They arrived and after some very tense tightening of the provided brackets (tight, but not too tight or it will likely smash the glass roof kind of tense), they were in place and felt strong enough to hold the roof box full of beach paraphernalia and spare bedding.
Eurocamp make it super easy to amend a booking so kindly changed the ferry booking to make sure the roof box will be accommodated, all at no extra cost.
Next were a couple of storage options for the children in the back, two over the front seat pocket things helped hold the vast majority of phones, fidget toys and small teddies I thought would be needed. A thin but high storage compartment the fit between their seats to store all the snacks.
For charging, I made sure I had a few USB C -> various USB ends to connect headphones, phones, tablets, etc straight into the front and back charging ports on the car.
If you haven’t discovered the Borrowbox App yet, it is a life saver when you have children. Free of charge audiobooks they can download from the local library all online, it really does seem too good to be true and keeps them occupied a surprising amount of time when driving.
We were ready to go. Route planning time
Step 2. Plan the Route
Luckily with a Tesla, this is pretty straight forward. You pop in the destination, and it works out any charging stops needed along the way, all at the optimum locations to get you to there as quickly as possible.
This often does not suit my driving style though. I prefer to drive as quickly as legally possible and then stop every few hours. I am not a long distance lorry driver and never will be, my bladder is too small and my love for coffee too large.
So instead I like to let the car choose the route, then start figure out in my head where my first stop will be. Instead of just slamming Grimaud into the Tesla I put Dover Car Ferry Port, once across the channel I plugged in our first overnight stop in Dijon (you didn’t think I’d drive all the way there in one go did you?)
The car felt happy that we would get to Dover without charge, and to stop on the other side at Calais Supercharger for a quick recharge.
The UK Leg
At just 147 miles I can see why the Tesla didn’t want to stop. I can usually squeeze 250-300 miles and a good three hours driving out of a full charge without much drama.
The roof box, as aerodynamic as it looks, does make a bit of noise at the top of the legal limits. You can barely notice it at anything under 70mph, but if the motorways are clear, you do get that aeroplane grade level of white noise – if you have kids though it’s a bit of white noise that can’t be complained about.
The M25 and a bit of a road accident in front of us meant we were cutting it a little fine for the ferry but it did mean we really didn’t have to queue for long. We arrived on the ferry with a good 10% left in the ‘tank’
That familiar smell immediately hits me when I get on a ferry, something about them makes my brain decide something is wrong as soon as I step onboard. Luckily the channel crossing is so short it barely has time to decide to empty my stomach, but I made a mental note to see how much the Eurotunnel would cost should we travel again next year.
A health decision a couple of years ago meant I am now a vegetarian (except for fish so I guess you can call me a pescatarian – I am sure some will call an EV driving vegetarian a lot worse), so it can be a bit harder to be fed on some trips like this. However, I found a hot spicy bean wrap onboard. I’m not lying when I say this think was unexpectedly delicious and only £2.95. I won’t go on about it too much, as I was already told to stop talking about it, but so far it was the highlight of the trip.
Calais to Dijon
Quickly off the ferry and a quick charge at the Calais Supercharger. I went for almost full charge which gave us enough time to try and get the first Cafe au Lait of the journey.
Parked up next to a nice UK registered Model S
Charge Cost: £19.12
£19 in all my previous cars might well have got me a few miles down the road, with French supercharging it meant almost a full charge. Time to get going and enjoy the drive.
The car estimated two more stops on the 400 mile journey. Quick maths I reckon we will stop in approx 200 miles then charge at the Dijon hotel but stomachs and toilet trips needed mean I’ll expect to throw another stop in there.
Driving in France is a delight—beautiful scenery and well-maintained roads. However, do factor in the tolls; you’ll probably spend more on those than on charging the car.
The driving style here is quite different from back home. Drivers often zoom up behind you, flashing their lights and indicating, but without exceeding the 130 km/h limit. This means that when you finally pull over to let them pass, they end up awkwardly hovering beside you.
Moving into the fast lane is expected to involve weaving in and out of every car in your path, even if the next vehicle is just a few metres ahead. This can make using Autopilot tricky, as the basic version requires you to deactivate it to change lanes. It’s not a major issue, though—just try not to get too frustrated when you’re flashed.
After about two hours, we reached our first stop: a massive hypermarché called Auchan. The Tesla chargers were blissfully empty, and there were plenty of food options to keep everyone satisfied.
At first, I was a bit put out by the absence of UK-style coffee cups with lids—ordering an oat flat white isn’t really an option here.
But then, you realise that the whole idea is to slow down, enjoy a strong coffee in a proper cup, and just sit back and relax. Before long, you start questioning why you ever bothered with all the extras. I know why, though—it’s because I need something to sip while driving. A long cappuccino or latte isn’t about savouring the coffee; it’s about making sure it lasts the drive.
A reusable coffee cup might solve that problem. That said, French coffee does the trick when it comes to staying alert. No need for energy drinks that make you feel like you could devour an entire loaf of bread. With a heart rate of 160 bpm and sweaty palms, it was time to hit the road again towards Dijon.
Charge Cost: £13.25
We chose Dijon as our halfway point—a hotel with easy access, a buffet breakfast, and, of course, the fact that I’m partial to the mustard. So, we booked the Holiday Inn Dijon, an IHG Hotel. It had everything we needed: a comfortable bed, breakfast, and a front-row seat to a spectacular overnight storm.
Saint Quentin to Dijon
This leg of our journey took us past Reims and into some stunning countryside.
As any parent on a long drive knows, there are certain phrases that can instantly raise your stress levels, and “I need a poo” ranks high on that list—especially when quickly followed by “really badly”.
It became clear that reaching Dijon in one go was off the table, as this sudden emergency forced us to take the very next exit. Fortunately, this led us to another Tesla Supercharger (they really do seem to be in every car park), this time in a place called Troyes. As expected, most things were shut, but we found a Burger King with the much-needed facilities, plus some delicious fried cheesy bites that hit the spot.
Again, another random Supercharger location with chargers as far as the eye can see.
Charge Cost: £16.06
At least we now had a full charge and didn’t have to worry about finding anywhere in the morning before we set off, plus a serious toilet emergency was narrowly avoided.
The hotel was as expected, there were some Tesla Destination chargers there if needed but as we had a pretty full battery we didn’t need to use them.
The buffet breakfast was decent and we were ready for the final journey down to St. Tropez – this was all seeming far too easy.
Dardilly Tesla Supercharger
A couple of hours down the road and we were hungry again. I am not sure why sitting in a car doing nothing except eating Lays and Chocolate Madeleines makes me so hungry, but it does.
This was my first experience in three years of a busy Supercharger location, it was a 50/50 mix of Teslas and non-Teslas, and for some reason some of the non-Teslas were having to take up two spaces. I squeezed in between an MG SUV EV and an MG EV and started charging.
I then realised that if they left, I would be sat in the middle of two charging bays, so when I saw one of them leave, I opted to return and move our car. So the first charge was just 55p.
It turned out to be a good eating spot though, the hotel next to the chargers had a decent restaurant with a fresh tuna salad that was genuinely one of the best lunches I have had in a while. Can’t beat the French way of doing lunch.
Charging Cost: £15.11
The next leg turned out to be 2hrs 20 mins and we ended up in a place called Orange.
Orange Tesla Supercharger
This one turned out to be my favourite. Rows and rows of the latest Tesla Superchargers and plenty of shops to browse, plus the most incredible bagel shop I have ever been to.
It is amazing how changing the wheels, adding a carbon spoiler and wrapping the top pillars of the car make it stand out from all the other Teslas at the supercharger.
There are lots of different wheel and styling options available at EV Styling, as well as a number of wheels in UK stock at discounted prices.
It’s not just about looking good, EV Styling sells wheels like my New Aero Razors which actually improve range while looking incredible.
There are options for comfort, e.g. downsizing from 20″ to 18″, as well as winter options complete with winter tyres fitted and balanced.
I can’t say whether the New Aeros have improved my efficiency on this journey, the car is fully loaded with a huge box on top with the aerodynamic properties of a brick, but they certainly make people stop and look at the car.
Charging Cost: £10.99
With just 124 miles to go, the end was in sight, but so was a huge storm just over the hills and exactly where we were heading
The Storm
Our total expenditure on charging came to just under £75, which is quite remarkable for a fully loaded performance car carrying four passengers.
I won’t dwell on the cost-effectiveness of running an electric car, though. Despite being economical on fuel, this is still a brand-new electric vehicle, with a monthly outlay of around £500 when you factor in leasing and electricity costs. However, when you compare it to other new performance cars, it does have its perks—no need for servicing (ever), a comprehensive warranty, and no MOT required for the first three years. So, when you compare it with something like a 400bhp BMW 3 Series, it does come out on top in terms of affordability. For a reliable daily driver, it makes a lot of sense.
Now, back to the drive. In the distance, we spotted not just dark clouds but an unusually intense rainstorm, complete with lightning—a far cry from what we expected in the South of France. Surely, it would pass.
Pass it did not.
As we ascended the hills just an hour from St. Tropez, we found ourselves in a scene straight out of an apocalyptic film. Rain lashed sideways against the car while lightning flashed incessantly, as if a strobe light had been mounted on the roof.
The children screamed with every rumble of thunder while I struggled to maintain a calm composure and navigate the car down narrow mountain-like roads with shear drops just next to us. We still got overtaken by a BMW X5 on a blind corner, I guess they were in a rush.
Finally we popped out the other side and descended into Grimaud. What a fabulous little place that is, proper medieval French streets with cafes on every corner. There was even a street side EV charger which worked
Dropping down into Les Prairies de la Mer was more than we could have expected, the temperature ratcheted up, everything suddenly felt very Mediterranean
Amazing that you can jump in a car in the UK and after a bit of a drive, end up somewhere like this.
The Eurocamp was top notch, great accommodation, lots for the children to do, entertainment, a fantastic beach. Honestly, best holiday ever
I am so sorry to disappoint if you were hoping for tales of EV driving woes, but to be honest they just don’t exist when you add a tiny sprinkle of planning to your journey.
If you enjoyed this, please let me know at nick@shipmycar.co.uk and i’ll get the return journey online.
The journey back involved ferry delays and a nudist Tesla supercharger station.