How much does it cost to maintain a Tesla car is one question that lingers in the minds of everyone. More because gas prices are a bit too dynamic right now. But this question makes more sense if you want to join the electric vehicles fleet anytime sooner.
One might still be in confusion to find out more about the total cost to maintain their EV. This guide could help everyone get a clear perspective on the total cost to maintain a gas car versus an electric car.
Gas vs. Electric
Buying a new vehicle needs you to make numerous considerations, and the operating cost factor is probably the most crucial one. Moreover, you cannot deny the fact that vehicles could cost significantly over the years. But how much?
Let’s say you are a small size family and would want to buy a medium size sedan that suits your requirements. If you would keep the car for about 300,000 miles, how much maintenance could you be expecting for a gas car?
According to the operating cost calculator by AAA, the operating costs, including fuel, repairs, and tires, could come down to 18.45 cents per mile. That means you could be spending as much as $55,410 throughout running your gas sedan for 300,000 miles. It is huge, and this could mean a potential expense over the years.
But why so much? Because gas cars or internal combustion engine vehicles have a lot of moving parts. A lot of moving parts means a lot of maintenance in its functional life. Therefore, all those repairs and maintenance on all the fluids changes, battery changes, spark plugs, air filters, etc. could combine into a huge sum.
If you consider the electric vehicles on the side, you see a lot fewer moving parts in question. There are just not as many parts that would require services and maintenance in its operational life span. Even there is a rare need to repair brake pads because of the regenerative braking system. Therefore, coming down to a lesser maintenance cost than traditional cars. Let’s have a more elaborated comparison with a Tesla Model 3 car.
Tesla Maintenance Cost
You have a bit of an idea now how much you would generally be spending on a gas car, but what is the deal with a Tesla Model 3? If you look at Tesla’s official website for maintenance and service details, this is all they list:
- Cabin air filter replacement every 2 years.
- HEPA filter replacement every 3 years.
- Tire rotation every 6,250 miles. (But, there’s more to it)
- A/C desiccant bag replacement every 6 years.
- Cleaning & lubricating brake calipers every 12,500 miles or every 12 months.
So, if you see here what’s happening? There are only a few things that Tesla officially asks their customers do to maintain their cars. To get a clearer idea of the same, let’s consider a real-life scenario of Mike who owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. His job requires him to travel long miles and thus the need for a car that could run 300,000-400,000 miles easily.
Mike was told by Tesla reps that he actually does not need any service or routine maintenance run on his Model 3. In fact, he was told to not worry about the car and was advised to turn it in if there is any breakdown. Pretty unbelievable? Isn’t it? But, this is all true. One YouTube account named Tesla Raj includes this incident on their channel.
Tyres
The biggest chunk of maintenance of electric cars is its tires. Tires on gas cars typically last for around 60,000 miles summing up for 3 to 5 years. However, electric cars need more frequent tire changes than gas cars.
EV tires last roughly half of what tires on gas cars would in similar miles run. Also, Tesla tires require more frequent replacement, but most of it depends on the way you drive your car as well. More aggressive driving would definitely take away a few thousand miles off tires life.
Why?
Well, the critical aspect of electric cars is that electric vehicles are much heavier than gas cars. Battery packs of EVs are very heavy putting a lot more pressure on the tires. More pressure on the tires means the tires would wear down sooner than traditional cars.
Tesla’s tires often do not last longer than gas cars because of the weight of the Tesla cars. Moreover, aggressive or more fierce driving can result in faster wearing.
EVs are more affordable?
Mike had to only spend on horn replacement, front control arm, and rear knuckle bushing repairs on his Model 3. Call him lucky or anything you want to, but the total maintenance cost him about $3000. You see maintenance is much cheaper on electric cars if you compare it with gas cars. Traditional ICE medium-size sedan costs about $56,410 over three years, and Tesla Model 3 is doing that for almost nothing in front of it.
In the case of Mike’s Tesla Model 3, he ends up replacing his tires about five times in the car’s entire run. He bought three summer tire sets and two winter sets to get through 300,000 miles. New Model 3 tires would generally cost about $285 each tire and another $40 on installation and labor costs.
This means in total he spent about $6,700 on five sets including labor costs and applicable taxes.
Tires on gas cars often cost about $167 for every tire with an additional fee of $24 for installation and taxes. Therefore, the total cost spent on gas cars would come to about $4,608 if changed every 50,000 miles in total 300,000 miles run.
- Gas Car Tyres $4,608
- Electric Car Tyres $6,700
The final comparison of tire costs is not that extraordinary to consider gas cars over EVs. There are some savings on tires cost, but is it a decision-maker? Well, we don’t think so. Let’s move on to other additional money spent by Mike.
Mike had replaced his Model 3’s wipers four times in this whole time costing him about another $200 in total. Moreover, he chose to replace the 12-volt battery because he thought it was time to replace one as a proactive measure. Another $120 for one battery replacement in 300,000 miles. Still, remarkably cheaper maintenance cost if you compare it with gas cars.
Here’s a simple breakdown tally of Mike’s expenses on his Model 3:
- $140 Horn Replacement
- $800 Front Caliper Arm
- $2,000 Rear Knuckle Bushing
- $3,900 Summer Tires 3 sets
- $2,600 Winter Tires 2 sets
- $200 Wipers 4 sets
- $120 12-volt Battery
Gas Cars maintenance cost as per AAA
Medium Sized Sedan
$55,410
Electric Car Maintenance Cost
Tesla Model 3
$9,760
What To Expect In The Future?
Comparing EVs to gas cars listing all the pros and cons of owning each car makes all the difference when deciding on which is better in long run. Operational or maintenance cost is a crucial aspect of owning a car. You can clearly see that there is a huge difference between both types. Tesla Model 3 is much cheaper to maintain than gas cars there are no two ways about it.
More people are booking EVs in current times, new cars are launched and get pre-booked in a matter of hours. However, not everyone finds shifting to EVs easy, as getting into the electric segment might make you feel weird at first. No oil changes or service schedules to follow could be unnerving at first. But you get to enjoy the incredible benefits of your EVs the more you drive them.
Mike’s Tesla is a great reminder of how convenient and affordable it is to maintain electric cars. Driving a Model 3 for over 300,000 and still clocking a lot less on maintenance is phenomenal. However, Mike has not shared any other expenses on his Model 3. It would be interesting to know if anyone can list if we are missing any additional costs of maintenance on Tesla EVs. EVs are definitely the future, and if they become affordable too would be just the icing on the cake.
What are your views on the maintenance cost of Tesla and gas cars? Please share your opinion and thoughts in the comment section below!
Insurance cost for my Tesla was A LOT more than my gas vehicle. A little shocking.
Not too bad. $480 ish every 6 months
No a lot more times 4
You too?
When I bought my 2019 Chevy Bolt Premier after my Audi A4 was hit by a dump truck and totaled, my insurance went from $79.00 a month to $259 dollars a month.
No tickets or violations and I’m 55 years old.
I was shocked.
It’s still the best car I’ve ever owned.
145,000 miles and still on the same break pads.
Hmm, insurance for my 2022 kia ev6 is less than my 2013 f150 truck
Really? Cos mine was less than my Mitsubishi Outlander
No one will EVER get 300k out of a tesla Absolute B.S. just like the maintenance cost for the ice. EVs are going to be the greatest environmental disaster ever. Only leftards would same increasing global mining operations by more than 10 fold will be good for the environment.
Don’t tell the ev crowed the truth they will hide in the corner from your harsh words
EV owner here! What do you want me to hear??)
Do a little research before making ignorant comments. I’m no EV fan and don’t own one, but there are countless stories about Teslas going more miles than this one. It’s common sense they will have far fewer repairs.
I know someone who has 450000 on theirs.
Yup and they also don’t talk about the fact that if you are looking at a simple mid size sedan vs model 3, model 3 is almost twice the price of some! And they talk about the mike who may not even be real but if it is, it’s probably based on the luckiest guy. Heard of way more problems happening to model 3s than just what they noted.
Average cost of a new car sold in US is like 45k now. Model 3 not that much more. The difference is depreciation…as well as the above mentioned maintenance cost and “fuel” savings. Buy a 7 series for 100k and it’s worth 50k in a couple years. Buy a Model 3 for 60k, it’s worth 50k in a couple years. $$$$
Although I do share your distain for LIBTARDS…there are many conservatives who are buying Teslas. Gas is insane, Tesla has amazing technology, high safety ratings and a great car to drive. The environmental damages are not good for both I agree, however the overall expenditures for combustion engines/maintenance are still significantly higher for combustion engines overall. I am a huge TRUMPIAN and a conservative and we made the decision to buy a Tesla. The media is skewing the data and until the libtards quit messing with our oil and gas supplies.. I don’t see the price going down anytime soon.
Trumpian? LoL….no, you’re a Trumptard.
You know you sound really not smart using a weird like libtards. You’re still supporting a guy who is against democracy, good job
How insightful with absolutely no data to back up your claims
I agree Brendan I read these horrible stories of people having to replace the battery pack in these cars and it’s outrage what Tesla charges. Then only getting 200 or so miles between charges forget it.
You should probably look up information before you post something. Tesla battery will on 1200 – 1800 cycles – 1200 by 300 miles per charge and you get the minimal amt the battery will last. Mining etc has all been figured out by people much smarter and guess what you about your car is still better starting I believe after 40,000 miles but why don’t you look it up maybe you’ll learn something
Exactly… people just don’t get that.. and if you happen to have solar in an area like California or Arizona the amount of money you save on gas each year more than covers your depreciation so you I drive for free…
Do you own a Model 3. I have had one for 4.5 years, have over 70k including 2 round trips Fl to Oregon. Replaced tires and wipers. That is it. Battery range has degraded about 10% as expected. Love the car. I could see getting 300k out of it. Will probably outlive me!
My Model 3 was similar to a BMW 3 series with the same coverage. It was with Allstate @ 210/mo.
We traded the BMW for a Tesla model 3 and switched to Tesla insurance. We pay @70/month now.
I am using State Farm and it costs me $390 for 6 months
Interesting article. The costs for ice seem high to me but when I add up all those crazy problems that ended up costing thousands hmmm maybe. Here is my experience.
Drove a 2008 Honda Accord 187,000+ miles bought used 2017 for 2,500.00 with 100k miles.
In 2019 I bought a used 2019 Tesla model 3 standard range plus with enhanced autopilot (it was also wrapped) with about 13,000k miles for $ 38,900 that was 400 more then a new one (but faster delivery (days vs months)
I drive about 40k a year +/-
I’m 56 yrs old with a heavy right shoe.
Insurance cost me
2008 Honda Accord-159.00 per month for California basic liability only insurance (25,000 coverage)
2019 Tesla Model 3 100k/300k full coverage – comp, collision, uninsured motorist, glass and towing thru Tesla 109.00 per month. I was quoted 350-435 per month with traditional insurance companies.
Maint exp
Honda – in the 2 years I put approx 87 k miles in that time I replace tires 2 times about 800. Includes tires install etc. 1 new battery, alternator 300.00, replaced headlight bulbs and tail light bulbs don’t remember cost, replaced fan belt aprox 300. 8 oil changes at about 200 each (synthetic oil, filter etc.), replace transmission 1800.00, brakes once don’t remember the cost, had to replace driverside mirror (just stopped working, not damaged). Other problems not addressed engine mounts need to be replaced, misfire, timing belt needs to be replaced, coolant leak out of radiator, oil leak out of who know where (the tried everything still leaks) oh and headliner dropping, other than that it’s a great car. It’s for sale to any one who want to buy it….
Tesla – now at 111k, car told me to replace 120v battery I did not schedule it just drove over to Tesla as I was feeling kinda weird about the whole process they changed it in about 10 mins for 120 and it was a absolute pleasant experience.
I changed tires 4 times but only 2 tires at a time never rotate them (shame on me) cost 485 each tire, repaired vanity mirror (kept falling out)tech repaired about 5 mins no cost but tipped him 20, wipers once not remember the cost (wasn’t much though) washer fluid 2 times, brakes nothing yet
Oh and the biggy – the high voltage battery YIKES …. at 86807mile the battery would not charge I took to Tesla they told me they were expecting me and they had already place the order for the battery and gave me a loaner Tesla model 3 with free superchargers and told me it would be about 8-10 weeks due to supply chain issues for repairs. After about 2 weeks they called to tell me it was done I was pleasantly surprised! The real blessing was it was covered by warranty if it happened outside of 100k I was told the cost would be 14-15k. Which I would probably do or possibly put into a new tesla.
Gas – with the Honda my gas ran me between 600 – 900 sometime more / sometimes less. The Tesla – The same runs me 120 – to 190 my highest has been 360 I charge at home and at superchargers but try to time my charges at off peak time when possible.
The Honda when driving is noisy seems like everything rattles and it definitely does not get peak gas milage at her age
The Tesla drive as solid and tight as the day I got her, no rattles no complaints here other then how often I have to charge but I have learned to take the charging time as breaks to eat and to not want lash out at the stupid driver’s who are so inconsiderate of everyone else on the road. I love the self drive its not perfect but she has noticeably learned as I have been driving the car. She drive more conservatively then I do and my trust is at 98% VS when I got her it was closer to 30% I still pay attention just in case.
FYI we just bought a new model 3 with 15 miles weeee. The exp we bought on March was delivered Sept never spoke to anyone no upselling anything. All paperwork done via email and the app. Got a note saying the car was out for delivery and we would be notified when car was being delivered. 5 mins later we got notified the car was delivered. Walked out front and the car was there. No driver, no truck nobody just the car sitting there.
I would have to say my personal exp with Tesla has been awesome. Whenever I do speak to someone they have always been super friendly fast and very casual.
My exp with dealers/ice mechanics and even tire shops is I feel I have to be on guard seems like they are always trying to upsell me on other stuff like the $2000 I just spent was nothing, not to mention the handful of times I have caught mechanics actually doing things wrong like try to convince me the K&N air fter was dirty so it needed to be replaced (it was just put in 3 weeks prior and never needs to be replace as they can easily be cleaned) and even though I said no when I got home I found a nice fancy paper filter where my K&N was. End result the manager found it in the car of the mechanic, who was supposedly fired, like I car, I would never go back. Or the dealer who some how turns a routine $500 service 1 inspection into a 1200 service bill. Or…… Dealers have destroyed the trust with most of the customers by these same kinds of shenanigans so it ruins it even for the dealers who are trying to be reputable. Let’s face it do you truly trust the dealer or mechanic? Would you really know, if they were fudging a little to up the sale? Well with Tesla I don’t get that feeling. I got notifications each time thru the app and was able to monitor progress thru the app additionally I easily got someone on the phone anytime I had a question. Tesla pricing is comparable to service shops maybe a couple dollars more but I always expect to pay a lot more when I go to a dealer that has just not been my exp with Tesla tho.
As far as all the actual environmental costs I am no scientist but it seems pretty clear to me my car produces a lot less green house gases not to mention no oil leaks that can’t seem to be fixed, which are not only an eye sore on my driveway but horrible when it drips in the ground or the additional environmental cost for producing all the replacement parts for an ice car. I know there are always envirmental costs but provide me a better option that will allow me to provide for my family and I will move to that option as we must start trying to do things different. Look at the mess we have made of this beautiful planet. But enough of my soap box …. hope this is helpful.
If you think people poor in more than $11000 a year for gas powered vehicles. You are on crack!
The actual driving costs of any car will vary for every individual based on driving habits, location, operating conditions, and numerous other factors.
The stats are based on AAA report on owning a mid-sized sedan from the top 5 selling cars:
Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, & Toyota Camry.
How much stock do you own? This is an unfair comparison. Why did you choose to compare the total operation cost of gas to just maintenance cost on ONE Tesla? Why don’t you finish what you started and finish the job. Include production costs, charge costs and disposal costs as well. Heck, you could even include the environmental pros/cons. Shill.
It would be an additional embarrassment to gas cars if they showed the cost was 1/4 of gas or better. And the production cost vary so wide. This EV car cost about 50k in this example. It is real simple. At the moment upfront EV’s cost more than gas. That will get better over time. Also we are comparing this to a Tesla in the example. All EV’s are not the same. Most are still turd converted gas cars.
That is what I was thinking.BS article sponsored by EV lobby.
You’re supposed to have some semblance of journalistic integrity, that means sanity checking information from sources you plan on using. Example: if AAA says $50k+ is AVERAGE (for mid size sedan), you should know someone that has spent that. Do you? I know I don’t, I can’t think of anyone that’s spent even half that.
I have a chevy Silverado 2500hd..work truck 2006..6.0 gas..I bought this used for 8500…4 sets of tires at approx 350 per set…just put 1200 to rebuild front end…150 for a water pump…say 125 x3 for plugs..oil change 150 per year..As well I put 1000 to rebuild rearend…I’m gonna say 200 for wipers..,which is alot,over my time as owner..So roughly 4000 bucks..and vehicle runs great at 306,000…So what In the world cost 50k for maintenance on a vehicle?Please show me this on paper….Long story short I travel USA for work and this article is non fact based,especially in case of maintenance..As well to travel 600 plus miles a day in an ev is really not currently possible,just my opinion,In short the ev is useless for my application,towing trailers between jobs in the Us,but to each his own..The fact that numbers are extremely exaggerated tells me that said costs are bs…In closing…yes gas would be a big expenditure, tho not considered maintenance, it’s just not even remotely possible to travel really big daily mileage in an ev at this point…so fuel powered truck is the only way to go…cb
The cost of owning the ice car includes the depreciation of the car itself. And no one has considered the high cost of a replacement battery on the Tesla, could be 20k. Green thinking people will be easily convinced that drive electric is better for the environment and cheaper than gas cars. And they are when you only consider the actual cars emissions, however is you add on the destructive mining and manufacturing process and the recycling of batteries I think you are in for a rude awakening. Battery technology will improve 10 fold in next 10 years so in the long run EVs make sense. The power needed to run this car is another environmental night mare. With brown outs happening all over the country now with very few EVs plugged in what’s going to happen when you get 100 million cars plugging in. There is not enough wind and solar on the planet to provide that kind of power. So more gas/coal power plants and or are people ready to accept nuclear.
They didn’t account for the cost of electricity to charge that car over 300000 miles
Or the fact that taxes on gas pay for road repairs.
This is news to me. Where do you live? The PNW uses our registration fees to fix the roadways.
The gas tax that Biden lifted recently to try to get gas prices to come down some.. Every state has it. They use that to help pay for roads.
Yes, and in Washington state, EV owners pay an extra $150 per year on registration ’cause we’re not buying gas. That’s actually more than most non-EVs pay through gas taxes.
Sorry your full of shite
They also didn’t include the cost of gas. Put that into the equation and see the difference.
They did include the cost of gas for ICE. However they didn’t include the cost of charging the EV for 300k miles. Yes is “cheaper” than gas (for now) but the difference would be less.
This is 1/4 the cost of gas
And in California can you charge your car at night? What does it cost for Battery replacement?
That’s one key commission from the article. The other problem without article is the use of 300,000 miles when the average person drives around 10,000 miles per year. That would take the average person 30 years to drive that many miles! Also forget to mention 150-200% greater initial purchase price of the EV and 3 or 4 battery changes overs it’s life at a cost of about, I don’t know, $25,000-35,000 in total?
I went from spending $27 a day in gas to $2 a day in electricity. I got an ELR, not a tesla. If I drive it for 880 days, just on fuel savings alone, I’ll have saved 100% of the purchase price of the car ($22,000).
My 2016 Toyota 4×4 Tacoma has only cost me $2200 in parts and oil changes since I picked it up new in 2016…..
No kidding! I can’t stand these articles. They included gas as maintenance costs, what about charging costs?What about the electric motors? They need have any issues?
Electric motors have virtually no moving parts. Friction and heat are the biggest killers of motors and neither are a concern in an electric engine. The literally have a single gear so no transmission to wear out, they don’t even have oil that can wear out the engine quicker if it isn’t changed. You would more likely rot out the entire body and frame before you’d ever have to replace an electric motor.
💯 agree what kind of bs is this even if I added in an engine and transmission I wouldn’t and haven’t been anywhere near that in 300000 miles. I didn’t notice any costs by author for comparison
Hi Matthew well in Australia to give you an idea of gas prices 91 octane at the moment aud$1.93 per litre as there’s 4.4L to a gallon that equals ruffly in usd$8.60 per gallon I travel 12.000klm = 7000ml aud$2.600 , so yes there’s people living in cities in Aus travelling 3hr per day burning aud$300 per week aud$15k per year , they can’t afford crack.
I don’t get how they got their math considering their own claims. I feel like a poor example was used for gas cars considering my 2005 4door, 6ft bed dodge ram 1500 with 280k miles on it doesn’t cost as much on maintenance. And they claim ev tires last half as long but in their math give the gas car 6 sets of tires for 300k miles, which is also 10k fewer miles a set than they claimed for gas, and then used an example of the ev needing only 5 sets of tires for 300k. Which would also mean that mike was driving on rims if he’s putting around 75k miles (300k miles in 2 years spread out on 4 sets) on his tires meant only for 30k(by their claim, just googled it, tesla claims 25-30k, but teslas also says to change them every 6 years, suggesting that they think their drivers only drive 5k a year). Meaning that either their claims are false on tire life, mike forgot a “few” sets, and/or they decided to add an extra set onto the gas car while forgoing the other 8-15 sets of tires for the ev considering mike was supposed to be someone who needed a car that can go the distance
Last four ICE cars i owned never went to dealer. Just brakes oil changes, tires and wipers for four years and 100k miles(VW GOLF, DODGE CARAVAN, GMC YUKON, Subaru WRX). I’ve never seen a non lemon car require $56k in maintenance costs.
Hell, my GOLF retailed for $17k. Better check your facts. Also, what is that monthly payment again for this tesla? Anything over $390 is too high
$54,000 for 300,000 miles with a *quality, normal* internal combustion powered car?! That’s rediculous.
Keep in mind that fuel was included in that “maintenance” cost, and that it covered 300,000 miles! Fuel alone would add up to $35-42,000 for that many miles, assuming 25-30 mpg. That leaves the typical maintenance cost at $13-20,000. That still seems a little high, but then not many cars will go 300,000 without needing some major work, e.g. engine and possibly transmission overhaul, as well as front end suspension overhaul. I can only guess Mike didn’t include electricity charging costs because the 2018 may have included free DC fast charging.
Yes, but the average person only drives 10,000 miles a year. So, it would take 30 years for a normal person to reach 300,000 miles. People don’t realize that electric vehicles are only cheaper if you put a lot of highway miles on (large work commutes). Otherwise, the ICE is still cheaper. I only spent $500 in maintenance costs for my car last year. The only time I have seen maintenance costs anywhere that high were on sports cars or luxury vehicles. The average, reliable American car has maintenance costs many fractions lower.
Then why isn’t charging costs included with the tesla?? Charging is far from free…
Only for fuel u need about 28K $…
If you can do thorough research and put all the breakdown of costs, why doesn’t author do the same for gas cars. Just stating what AAA has to say about cost, makes this article very weak.
No way you spend that much money on good quality gas car.
We are keen to keep people informed on all the latest trends in the EV industry. We will keep sharing our experiences and knowledge as we build up more on how EVs are doing around the globe.
How about letting people know that electricity costs have tripled in Europe over the last 2 years. Disclose your investment portfolio paid shill.
It’s true electricity went up, but it’s also true gas went up. But cost of solar has dropped 22% in the last 3 years. You can very easily generate power to charge your vehicle but you’re not going to be refining crude oil on the side of your house.
Your sensationalism is suggesting that the ev sector is paying your bill ,you fold out you cheap hack
After 250k miles you need to replace the batteries on your Tesla that costs upwards of 25k, batteries are the biggest expense of electric cars in the long run, Tesla gives a battery warranty of 8 years, in 10 years time you need new batteries.
You forgot about waiting for the car to charge on some days, especially on long trips. On a gas car you wait 5 mins to fill the tank. What about the human time value?
Waiting time? What about the people who charge at home who never spend 1 minute waiting like you do with every gas station stop with an ICE vehicle? What about that human time value?
300k miles under 4 years, I don’t think you just charge at home overnight
300K miles in 4 year is alot for normal driver , thats mean he drove 205 miles each day for 4 years !
Make it 240 miles a day assuming he had a day off each week. Still able to charge at home overnight and never need a charge on the road.
I don’t have home charging available at my condo, which is why I will not buy an electric car.
Its only $15-17(depending on charger)to charge to the MAX.Charging to the max is only recommended for trips anyways. Daily usage is even cheaper and much faster. Most just charge while shopping at the grocery store, some even have free charging now 🙃
You assumed he drives to gas station.
The point is this jack is tilting the scale. If your going to right this type of article then do your fucking research
I haven’t changed my model s p90d pack after 319k miles.
This article avoids the elephant in the room for teslas which is battery replacement. While it may be rare, that $30k price tag should be included or at least amortized with other operating expenses. Best would be a comparison of fail likelihood with age or mileage. This data does not seem readily available, but no doubt tesla has it.
Why do you “need” to replace it after 250k? Did you read that in the Tesla manual? Cause I haven’t seen it anywhere.
This dude drove 300k and didn’t need to replace the battery. Are you saying the article author is lying or withholding information?
No, it’s because Tesla is not set up to repair Batteries, only REPLACEMENT. After time, depending on how the charging cycle is done, many of those tiny Battery Cells give up. When enough fail, charging capacity or worse happens. 🤔
Thus Battery needs Replacement.
Now there are some 3rd party repairs available but Tesla doesn’t Warranty the Repairs and may not allow Supercharger use.
“Human time value” you kidding me? Can you compare time value Vs human life value? The safest car in the world “Tesla”. Environmental friendly “tesla”. Less maintenance cost “tesla”. There is no battery to change at 300k. If tesla.might change a battery it only happens after a combustion gas car changes transmission 3x. Bitter truth buys. Like it or not tesla is the future.
The point is this hak is tilting the scale. If your going to right this type of article then do your fucking research
I don’t know where you live, but I have never had a vehicle take “3 transmissions”. My vehicle that I am currently driving has costed $500 a year on maintenance. What money pit are you driving to have to replace 3 transmissions? My car has 215,000 miles and has only required tires and oil changes. In no world is an EV cheaper than my car. An Tesla is considered a luxury vehicle and is in a completely different realm in terms of cost. I cant believe all these people are comparing the cost of a Tesla to a cheap car priced at under $2,000. Not even logical.
Ravindra, you are full of shit with that comment. When you know nothing about a subject, keep your eyes on the road and stay in your lane! IDIOT
Warranty doesn’t mean lifespan. How many ICE vehicles with a 4 year warranty have you swapped the entire engine and transmission 4 years and 1 day after you bought it new?
If you get even 250,000 miles (they’re rated for 300,000-500,000) out of the battery and even if you had to pay $25,000, you would have easily spent close to $72,000 on fuel on the equivilent ICE vehicle (basing it on $1.70/L and around 10L/100km)
Checked your tire math and it was off. You also state tires have half life of gas but then use the same amount of tires when trying to do your calculations…
You know, now you don’t need to go to elementary school to start writing an article.
He says tires will last 30k, but many people cant even get that much, and many start replacing tires before 20K. Then people cheap tires that last a little longer that is huuuuge safety concern for powerful and super heavy cars. Tesla specific tires cost a lot and last up to 25k on normal driving, I mean some got over 30k if you never push even a little but what the reason to have so much power and never even use half of it.
After 13000 miles in down to the legal minimum on my Tesla 3.
The article does not state cost to supercharge. It’s very difficult to believe that the owner charged at home only.
The average cost in NY is 10 cents a mile at the supercharger, which is comparable to a hybrid camry and worse than the Honda clarity.
My SC is free for life and I will replace the pack if it fails after dec 2023 (end of 8 yr unlimited mile warranty). My friend replaced his 85kWh at $10k.
Tesla is the most expensive car to insure at about 2.5x that of a comparable ICE vehicle or about $3000 per year. So you need to up your cost by $5400 for the three years. The AAA calculator includes insurance so your comparison needs to do the same for Tesla.
That’s not remotely true about Tesla being the most expensive car to insure. Why do some of you insist on lying about these things?
Apparently they think $100k is the most expensive car in the world? Yeah, sounds real suspicious…
That being said, the model 3 for this article costs half that so if ducky thinks it’s the model 3 that’s the most expensive than they’re even more shocked to know $50k is nowhere near the most expensive car in the world.
It wasn’t stated that it was the most expensive care in the world or that it was the most expensive car in the world to insure. Yes, he said its most expensive to insure, but by applying context clues to the comment, it should be easy for the average reader to extrapolate that the poster is referring to sedans in general. They are not meaning to include supercars with 7 figure price tags. You’re just nit picking for the sake of nit picking or you lack the ability to think for yourself and apply aittle context to the comment.
True, my Tesla insurance is between $80-100 when I don’t follow cars closely per the AI that follows my driving habits. GEICO was $220.
Go price out insurance on a fully loaded vehicle that is around 1000hp and can do 0-60 in 1.89 seconds. I bet the insurance is comparable or more.
Could you please include true cost of ownership for EV and IC vehicle.
1.how much you paid to buy the car
2 cost of insurance for 7 years
3.maintenance cost
I have a Bolt, I lease monthly payment $290. Never use DCFC I do that at home every other day sometimes. Dealer charges about $50 to rotate tires and system check, that’s every 6 months. I live in Michigan, the closer you live to Detroit your insurance is higher. So that’s debatable.
$290 for car payment
$40 for charge every month light bill or less.
$100, tire rotation.
$3000 car insurance a year.
Bar and accident if I have to replace a tire because of a pothole. Not included
$3,030 estimate for the whole year.
I drove my model 3 (standard range) for 80,000 Km in 2 years and I had zero maintenance cost. I have since replaced it with another model 3 (long range) and have driven just shy of 40,000 Km with zero maintenance cost as yet.
To the comment on human time value, newer/upgraded V3 superchargers have a charge speeds of 1800Km/hr (of course this drops as the battery gets charged), and so getting to 250Km of driving range now takes me about 15-17 minutes. Just enough time to stretch my legs and get a coffee. If one drives a lot then the business case for a Tesla (and EVs in general) is a slam dunk. Cheapest car I have driven from a cost of ownership perspective. The resale price of my old model 3 was just 8,000$ less than my original buy price. Effectively my cost per km came to be about 0.10$ (yes you read it right… 10 cents)
What do you mean ‘I had zero maintenance cost’? No cabin air filter replacement? No wiper replacement? Same tires? Stop laing to people. At least 25% of EV buyers coming back to gas cars and this percentage is going up. If you like to save the environment stop lying about how EV will do it, You will do much more by buying Hybrid or plug-in hybrid.
Calm down. Who even mentioned saving the environment??
I bought a one year old fender bender repaired 2018 Chevy Cruze for 10k. Three years 31,000 miles (crossed country 3 times) oil chgs and gas that’s it. It gets 41mpg highway has avg 34mpg for the entire distance. No electric car of any kind will trump that. No brag just a fact.
I’ve had my model 3 for over 4 years now and the only maintenance I’ve done is replaced one tire that got punctured which was 300$. That and the occasional supercharger fee. I should replace my cabin filter based on recommendations though.
Alex, absolute 100% nonsense. Model 3 is the vehicle I’ve ever owned.
I’ve driven 49000 km, but need to change tires every 21000-30000 km. Otherwise no maintenance so far.
Gas cars doesn’t require $55,000 in maintenance. That’s a lie. Someone is totally ripping you off if that’s the case. I work on cars for a living.
Pretty sure that includes fuel. 55k sounds about right, closer to 75-80k for 300k miles here in Canada. We’ve averaged about 5$ a gallon over the past 5 years(and topped at 8.50$ couple months ago). 300k miles at 28mpg @5$/per would be 53k just on fuel alone. Right now I’m averaging around 18 cents per mile with my diesel Jetta, 7.60$/gallon of diesel at 42mpg. Can’t afford the 65k on a Tesla right now and charging would be a pain in an apartment but in the long term it’d probably end up cheaper than fuelling my 14k, 8 years old VW.
Let’s be honest. Let’s compare real stuff. Lets say Toyota Prius Prime and Tesla model 3.
Priuse cost 30k vs Tesla cost 55k
Priuse is one of the most reliable car on market and Tesla the worse one
Oil change every 10 k for 50$ = 1500$ over 300k
Tires(from Costco) for Prius 600$ every 60-70k =3000$ vs tesla 1300$ every 25k= 15600$
For MA gas was less than 3$ for 300k millse you need 5500 gallons that ~16000$ vs Tesla with real word milage ~ 1000 full charge of battery for 82 kW with 28 cents/kw (from my Eversource bill or supercharge in MA) =23000$. Fill up time 42 hours vs 500 hours(0 to 100 every time).it is extra 19 days.
Taxes + insurance is 7k more for tesla for sure.
Any rapier is few time less money and easier on Toyota.
Toyota 30k$+1500$+3000$+16K$+5k(tax+ insurance)=55500+ some repair = 60k for 300k miles and you still have a car
Tesla 55k$+0$+15600$+23K$+10k(tax+ insurance)=103600+ some repair = 110k for 300k miles and you still have a car.
And for the environment Prius Prime will do better then model 3.
Great analysis
Lol. Doing the math. Over 300,000 miles is only spend about 35,000 US in over all ownership cost including taxes, registration, insurance, the works.
That’s only 60% of what is quoted here. And not only that, I don’t loose range over time!
Get the facts first. My Equinox with 100,000 miles has a maint cost including tires of $2100 over 4 years.
The writer of this article doesn’t make any sense. He states that EVs go through tires at twice the rate that ICE vehicles do, which he says changes tires at 60k (so EVs should go through them at 30k). Then he states that the Tesla owner in 300k miles has bought 5 sets. Well 300,000 divided by 5 is 60,000. That sure doesn’t sound like twice as fast. Writer is either an idiot, or has no idea what he’s writing about (or probably both). I will agree that EV maintenance is much lower than ICE, but his figures make no sense.
My 3 litre Subaru I’ve had over 6 years, in those six years I’ve replaced a sticky caliper, a hub bearing and a reverse switch. It can also do over 400 miles travelling at 80mph, giving a range a EV would not achieve at that pace. A Volvo survey said EVs don’t even contribute to the environment until over 90 thousand miles due to the catastrophic manufacturing process they go through. And these fictional savings to be had from EVs are just that, unless someone magically finds 50 or 60 large ones behind the tree.
So your Subaru has no maintenance? Such as oil changes, 30k tune ups, brake pads?
The BIGGEST expense in owning a newer car is not gas, maintenance, insurance, but DEPRECIATION and the Tesla Model3 has held its value extremely well vs your run of the mill ICE cars, excluding the past 2years with the chip shortage. The average new car will lose 45-50% of its value in 5 years. The yearly cost of depreciation is more than any other single cost period.
The Tesla was built in 2018. What about the battery pack replacement cost if and when it stops working? How much “charge” is left? Remember too that this Tesla is most definitely not a “normal” usage type car.
I imagine that almost every Toyota could put 300k miles on um in 4 years with very similar maintenance costs?
Please please let us know the cost to replace the battery pack?
Battery packs don’t typically “fail.” You lose some capacity over time until you get to a point where the range doesn’t suit your needs. At which point you could sell the vehicle to someone who is happy with the range left on the battery.
The other thing is, you don’t generally need to replace the battery pack completely. Usually only a few of the cells have failed within the overall pack. So you drop the pack, identify the cells from the data in the Battery Management System and replace the ones underperforming. The support doesn’t exist now because the fleet of EVs is still relatively young, but it will be reasonable to expect businesses to do a refurb pack swap in the future, just like you do with alternators and engine rebuilds.
How much did it cost on charging the car
How much to charge the car for 300.000 miles
They’re forgetting to calculate the cost of charging don’t you think is it’s free
Drive EV cars, trucks, like you own mini gas station at home. But not applicable to suitable for everyone needs also yes 100% very flexible how to cut down costs than combustion engines. Environmental still way better than combustion engines. Even people thinking batteries not good for Environmental? Leave that questions to answers to yourself until you drive EV motors?
Maybe this will give a little extra insight. I see a lot of questions about charging cost. So here is what I have. 2020 model 3 LR. 196,874 miles. My total energy used 45,054 kWh. 100% changed at home. .09 cents per kWh. $4054.86 for almost 200k miles. Hope that helps. Oh, and I get 60k miles out of my tires, because I put 60k mile rated tires on my car. And I’ve had no extra maintenance costs other than 3 sets of tires, 2 sets of cabin filters. And I have Tesla insurance that’s cheaper than what I had with liberty.
Ok that estimate for IC repairs and Maintainence is very much inflated. Beside until lenders recognize this and allow people with lower income and lower credit scores buy EVs with this in mind the majority of people will never afford an EV !
Running cost of ICE shuld be around 10 to 12 cents a mile? Compared to charging at home at 3 cents. But tesla charging was/is free.
So i think in the article the bulk of the cost towards fuel is 35k? Considering oil changes at 5000 miles = 60 changes x 50 bucks = 3000. Brakes replacement during 300k usage = 5 times x 750 = 6750. Am sure other things add up
Your full of it ,In the rust belt,you elect car will rot in 3 years,What about trucks for a working man
Did your comparison include running elect with a,heat,wipers,radio,lites,AC,ON LOL ,Not there yet
So this what’s missing from this article. Rich Rebuilds did an update on this Model 3. From his repair cost to this this article there is a missing key maintenance cost.
I don’t see how any one can drive 300,000 miles and in 4 years time hasn’t had to replace the suspension. EV are heavier like the article says. So how is the suspension hasn’t been replaced yet. Rich Benoit had to replace his Model 3 suspension 3 times even though it’s and older car.
Well… I own two Teslas and had owned 4 in total… I came from a lot different ICE cars, I’m an ASE Master Technician who owns an Auto Repair Shop in Miami… I just compare apples to apples, my previous monthly expenses on gas were $ 320 just for my daily use on 2020… (e85 “high powered” BMW with CHEAP gas prices)… My wife had a Jeep SRT with a whipple supercharger that got 10.8 avg MPG… so I was spending A LOT on gas alone each month… the insurance on my BMW was 150 and the insurance on my wife’s SRT was 140… right now its 420 total on both teslas (so 130 more monthly) but I have free FPL chargers so I pay nothing for electricity… the Oil changes on each monster I had before were around 120-150… every 3 or 4 months… the transmission oil change was 300 once a year… and brakes were replaced yearly too and it was around 400 for both car and suv… so all those expenses were too much and when I test drove the first tesla we bought I fell in love with it… it was almost as fast as my wife’s 650whp Jeep but it wasn’t loud and smelly like the jeep was… I had equity over the previous teslas I had, I traded those cars in for more than I bought it (including taxes and fees)… so right now, at least for me that I’m a car junkie and I couldn’t keep not even the family car stock, it has been a savings pot everywhere I see… no loss value, no “gas” and no ability to mod it, so no extra expenses like a bigger turbo, a supercharger, etc…
complete BS
Thanks for sharing this information it will help me a lot as i am planning to buy tesla.
I’d love to see a 60k tyre…
You added fuel and insurance to the gas car. Didn’t include the cost to charge a tesla 150 times or insurance.
You identified the cost of gas over the 300,000 mile life-span of the car, but neglected the cost of electricity the EV would consume over the same distance covered. What about the cost of replacing the complete battery pack. It’s debatable whether they will last 300,000 miles. Also, It’s doubtful if anyone habitually driving long distances between points A and B would be too pleased with needing long stops for recharging en route.
“ let’s consider a real-life scenario of Mike who owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3”
A co-worker who owned a Model S told me he was required by Tesla to sign an NDA and was not allowed to talk about any issues he had with the car—and he had some serious ones—so how should we trust what anyone says?
The taxes for road maintenance will transfer from gas to electric cars somehow as well. Why don’t you calculate that? What about the higher purchase price as well? This article is a shill.
good luck buying the replacement battery at 70000 miles for $15000 to $30000 …electric vehicles are wayyy more expensive than gas….also in France at $1 a kilowatt you are looking at $130 to charge your car
Another lopsided Teala cost estimate
No accounting for State extra registration tax for electrics
No higher car cost with interest or higher insurance
I’m not saying electric bad but be fair and honest about ALL costs
EV’s are not hard on tires. People with a heavy foot are hard on tires. Even a 60,000 mile Michelin Pilot Sport won’t last long if you’re hitting the power. The original Eagle F1’s (summer tire) on my Model Y lasted nearly 29,000 miles before nail holes caused them to get replace with the Michelin’s.
Those of us that own an EV know the truth about tire wear. So don’t tell lies!
Just don’t understand why there are so many anti-ev people who can’t believe that maintenance is lower than ICE. When owners give examples, they say it’s lies. If you don’t want an EV, fine don’t buy one. Stop spreading lies about the costs vs ICE maintenance. In the responses above, some have said they’ve had virtually no costs with ICE, which means that they don’t do the recommended maintenance which voids your warranty. I’ve had my Model 3 for 4+ years, have 35k miles, and my range has dropped from 310 miles to 300 miles on a full charge. The only time I’ve had to wait while charging is on a long trip (600+ miles one way), which I’ve done 2 or 3 times in my 4+ years. Other than that I’ve never had to “waste” even 5 minutes fueling as I had to do with ICE previously. I also get to leave my house in the AM with more than enough range to cover my daily needs (I charge to 90%, which is 270 miles, while my daily commute is only 32 miles). I have driven to Tahoe (201 miles and an elevation increase of 0-7200-5000 ft) several times and can do so without stopping. The 3 1/2 hour trip used 62kw (the return trip only used 41kw due to the elevation drop). Another bonus of those trips was that I have access to FREE level 2 charging in Tahoe. It does take 10+ hours to charge, but once I’m at the resort, I don’t drive again until the next day. In my 4+ years, I have replaced my tires and in-cabin air filter. I have free premium internet in my car (I believe the current models only give you free internet for a year then charge you $10-20 after that). When I had my E550, XMradio wanted to charge a ridiculous amount monthly for live traffic being integrated with the GPS. I find the Tesla live traffic with the Navigation to be very accurate and helpful. I was very happy with my previous ICE cars, and am equally happy (actually more so) with my EV. The purchase costs were similar, I bought the E550 used, but do find the costs of the EV to be significantly cheaper. If you don’t want to believe me, so be it, but every word is true. EVs aren’t for everyone, but don’t let personal bias skew the facts. The vast majority of people will not be limited by range (at least in a Tesla). Initial cost is a valid deterrent, but unless you drive more than 200 miles on a daily basis, range is not. If you don’t have a garage, drive 200 miles daily, just like the sound of a V8, or can’t afford to buy an EV then you have a legitimate reason for not wanting one. But don’t make up reasons that “EVs are not environmentally better or don’t save on maintenance” to try to convince people. I don’t believe in “alternate facts”. And those who try to fool you with them are just Ass#@!#s.
Im sorry, but your common core math skills and your lack of understanding of diesel/gas engines is on full display. HOW someone uses their vehicle is just as important as WHAT type of vehicle is used and WHERE it is used. “Maintenance” is affected by far too many variables to quantify a “standard” use. I find your article disconnected from the life of the business owning, working people. You should step outside your office once in a while to see how productive people earn a living without a Model 3. I need my vehicles for work and play. Model 3 is all play, and does no work. I may have high maintenance costs, but my return on investment for the work accomplished pays me back many times over.
I have owned my Mitsubishi imiev for 7 years and 20 thousands miles.
I have replaced front brakes as some metal lodged in the pad. About 200$…
4 tires at about 400$ totally…
Wipers for about 25$
Probably need cabin air filter
That’s it ..
Love my little car..
You explicilty state that EV tires wearout faster. Yet the calculation is 5 sets for EV and 6 sets for ICE?
300k/50k = 6 sets of ICE tires.
300k/5 sets of tires= 60k miles per set of tires on EV
I’m curious to see the cost when someone smashes you bumper on a Tesla. Can you you find parts somewhere else that a Tesla dealer? No aftermarket parts there yet heh!? What if your door handle jams because you live in Canada. What if your door chews on anything in the car. Therese are all things that happen to regular gas cars. How much it will cost then? How long you’ll have to wait for the repair. Gas cars parts are available in every scrap yard. What if Tesla tell you tomorrow morning that you have to pay 10$ a month to unlock your car? How cheap is it then? What happens when we run out of copper?
How about this to ponder on how is the government and all 50 states going to replace the taxes lost from the revenue on gasoline it’s got to be replaced by electric now I think you all better have some Deep Pockets you know that that’s going to be added to your monthly and yearly and total $300,000 MI cost DMVs counties townships they’re all on this tax revenue payout how is that going to be replaced to all those entities
Why don’t you compare a Civic to a model 3? Civic cost 20k, model 3 cost $50,000. So I could buy 2.5 civics for 1 model 3. Civic can go 5000 miles conservatively on oil change, which do yourself is $25. So let’s say 10k miles per year is $50. You don’t need spark plugs until 100k again 4 plugs, top access is Easy do it yourself, cheap, cheap,. Windshield wipers are a wash for duration but probably a lot cheaper for civic. Air filters are good for a year or more and cost what $5 on Amazon. Tires will go 50-60k on civic and are a lot cheaper than model 3. Civic gets 40mpg, so gas before Biden is $500/yr. at $2/gallon. What is electricity for 10k miles? 1 tire gets damaged, $60 on civic, on Tesla probably a lot more, they probably require replaced in pairs at minimum. Brake pads are cheap for civic, probably get 60k miles or more. Tesla not so cheap. I could replace civic brakes in 30 minutes.
There is NO way Model 3 is cheaper to own and operate than a Civic. No way. Even if you can’t do your own oil changes, spark plugs at 100k miles, brakes at 60k. Garage cost on civic are probably 1/3 that of Tesla, Tesla still needs brakes and tires. Tire wear much higher on Tesla.
Just compared brake pads at a national chain (parts only), Tesla $194 front, $194 rear. Civic $37 front, $27 rear. No Way heavier Tesla, brakes last that much longer even with Regen to come out ahead. I read many have to get them replaced nearly as often in northern climate from salt in winter. These costs differentials are going to be same or worse for tires, wiper blades, cabin air filters. Let’s talk cost to propel vehicle. Somebody put their numbers above which calculate to .229 Kwh / mile. Average national kWh is 16 cents. So Tesla is 3.66 cents per mile (no road tax being paid). Gas before Biden at $2/gallon for car getting 40mpg is 5 cents per mile. Average 10k miles per year, Tesla saves only by $134. $20k vehicle versus $50k vehicle saves only $134 in power to propel and 1 or 2 oil changes at $25 or $50. So $150 savings in Tesla would take 200 years to come out equal. And yes Biden policy has made gas more expensive, he pretty much stated he is against oil, MANY specifics can be found. Even use $3/gallon (it is less than that where I live now) and it would take over 70 years for Tesla price to equal civic.
The trick is to always drive in autopilot or cruise control.. I commute over a mountain twice a week in California the average person making that drive applies thier 50 times I apply mine maybe twice… my ice cars in the past have gone through breaks in 15K.. my Tesla has 40K and the brake pads aren’t a bit no brake dust either… I’m tired of trying to convince people of the economic value in owning a Tesla.. bottom line is the savings aren’t that great unless you have solar with good output like California or Arizona.. I drive 20,000 miles a year what I save in gas pays for all my depreciation and my maintenance .. I drive for free.. it’s all about the numbers.. those numbers enabled me to retire at the age of 48 and I have not paid taxes legally in 35 years… it’s all about being resourceful with numbers…
The author of this article really has missed the point of comparable vehicle maintenance costs. What happened to depreciation and insurance? Comparable gas vs electricity? Pick any location but do a proper comparison of ALL COSTS
I buy my cars used with 80 to 150k miles on them for $3000 to $8000. Up front costs; tires and brakes and steering $900 with some work myself. Run them until engine or trans failure. Oil changes every 5000 miles. Brakes every 60k ( buy lifetime pads so they’re free for changes). Been getting 270 to 300+ out if them with average of 25 mpg city and highway ( mainly city). If still running, sell for $1000. If not, $300 from recycle yard after towing expense. Why do i need a second mortgage again?
Im the same way or at least I was until I bought a Tesla.. I’m in California so solar works well… I do not pay for electricity or gas.. what I save in gas a year at 20,000 miles pays for all my depreciation all my Servicing all my repairs and I basically drive for free.. so I can take a second mortgage out and buy another house and continue in my retirement…. the numbers don’t lie but I had to be convinced..
What about the electric car batteries to replace? I read it could be a fortune. 10,000-20,000 I guess if money is no option just spend it but the average person does not have a fortune in the bank!
That’s why I waited until Tesla came out with a battery that would last at least 300K.. if you have a good solar and you can power your car for free you will save enough in gas to pay for new batteries at 300K not to mention what you will save in maintenance and depreciation..
Nice article but the petrol price was add on but not the electric price was not funny now that works
Good article and easy way to explain it, but not totally accurate information 🙄 😕
Currently expensive to replace the battery packs for the Tesla 3 EV.
Prices are expected to drop for all EV vehicles over the years.
Happy hunting for a perfect fit for an EV 😁
Can someone explain to me how they got that figure when Tesla recommends changing the $15k (including labor) battery every 100k miles or 8 years? Over 300k miles, that would mean $45k in batteries…
So, you’re looking at a $54,760 over 300k miles if you’re performing recommended maintenance. You save $650. Neat.
This is bs I have a 2004 excursion a 2006 mustang gt and a 2008 escape I haven’t spent that much maintaining all 3 this is just more fack news trying to sway people to computers on wheels.
I have nothing against Tesla – wonderfully engineered vehicle. But comparing the cost of ownership for a vehicle driven 75,000 miles a year cannot be compared to the average vehicle, gas or electric. Start/stopping and old father time are worse on automobiles than just high miles and costs start to add up. I want to see a 6 year cost of ownership for a car driven 15-20 k miles per year.
Average person only drives 20 to 30k per year so the comparisons are not the norm. One other thing to consider is taxes on gas sales go to maintaining the roads, right now EVs pay zero,. That will change in the near future. Plus who is going to pay for the infrastructure to charge all the EVs. Can you spell increased taxes, surcharges.
$55k maintenance… bullshit. My 99 saab 9-3 is the only car i have ever had get close to 300k miles @296k. I have changed my own oil the entire time under 40$/change every 5k miles. Brakes, shift linkage, trans mount, shocks changed 2x, clutch kit, misc lightbulbs. Did an engine/ turbo swap in 2009 @ 180kmiles (bad oil ruined turbo that ruined the engine)was under $1k total. Was a salvage engine/turbo cost me $550 delivered I bought the car for less than $3k I have spent less than $15k with all the maintenance in that car including purchase price. Most recent tire set was only $330 installed @walmart. I had the receipt for the previous set 67k miles ago in the glove box. 296k miles at my average 26 miles/galon im still under the cost of a tesla model 3
Newer cars costs are more expensive. Tires for my 2015 x3 was 100$ each but that set was replaced when it hit 83k miles. I bought it early 2020 with 36k it now has 120k oil still 40$/change, tires, wipers&fluid. I doubt I paid even $5k in costs for that car. With the diesel i expect it to easily last well past 300k miles. Even with fuel im well under the cost of even a tesla model 3. Have yet to need any repairs on it. And with fuel its still less than the cost of a model 3.
Now my BMW i8 is in a league of its own. I sold my Tesla S p100d less than 6 months old in 2021 for The i8. It was actually cheaper than the S. Its much more comfortable and feels sportier. Tires @25k miles were $880 max performance summer tires. Oil changes cost me about $60(still do it myself) engine mount broke under warranty. Only 36k miles on it so far. Its a hybrid and is currently at BMW for an entire battery pack. Thankfully battery has a warranty for 10 years. Otherwise its a $10k replacement fee. My friends 2020 model 3p also needed a battery pack which tesla replaced under warranty. Not sure his exact mileage now but i know it was under 30k miles when that happened.
Total BS! It costs only $6k average to replace the engine on a regular sedan. If you drive it like a civilized person you may never need to. It’s about $20k to replace a battery in EVs and another 9k to replace the motor, no matter how you drive. Gas is about $5k a year on any new model sedan. Even less when oil companies aren’t vilified and choked. You wanna feel superior spending $100k thinking you’re “saving” the planet, go ahead. But when you blatantly lie about the alternative it reveals your lack of faith in your own cause.
If your pay $55k for maintenance I want to be your mechanic! Lmao you should have bought a Toyota! Ok so my Toyota Tacoma bought new 6 years ago has had 8 tires, 2 sets of wipers a year, scheduled fluid changes and I might be close to $5k, remember this is a 4×4 with extra fluids and the cool beefy expensive tires too. I bet a Camry would be almost a 1/3 less. This story is a propaganda article to get people to migrate to electric for social control. Think about it what’s stopping the govt from taking control of you charging your ev? It’s all computerized which means it can be centrally controlled just like those Colorado thermostats.
What about the cost of electricity to charge a EV. It was never mentioned in the article
I would like to see a cost comparison again and figuring the electricity Cost.
Wow a lot of charged comments on this EV subject. How much carbon is created to produce just one EV vehicle? Not to mention how much carbon is produced to charge said vehicle? Most electric produced in the USA still comes from burning coal or natural gas correct? I don’t believe the technology is there yet for the perfect EV at this time. EVs are just in fashion right now.
What fluff. The costs for the ICE car includes fuel and insurance, and the cost of fuel or insurance for the Tesla is never stated. The author says that tires for the EV cost twice as much and last half as long as the tires for and ICE vehicle, and then assumes the ICE vehicle replaces tires every 50,000 miles and the EV every 60,000 miles. The conditions under which the vehicle is used are also hugely important and the assumptions made in the article seem unrealistic. Either very poor reasoning skills are displayed by the author, or the article is written in a deliberately provocative way to create more outrage, more comments, and more clicks and interaction. Unethical journalism, but it pays.
He made 5 sets of tires last 300,000 mi. Thats 60k per set. Not remotely right. More like 10 to 12 sets of tires for 300k
Your cost for the EV assumes your power bill is $0.00.
At least try to do a fair comparison…
The genius who wrote this article forgot to mention the 22000 dollar expense that you are going to hit once the battery hits those high miles. Tesla has been dropping the battery warranty from lifetime now down to 4 years. So essentially you are now buying g a new engine every time battery dies. The gas cars are easily recyclable very hard to recycle used batteries.
BYD Atto 3 in Australia have a maintenance schedule that is hard to fathom. Seems the importer for BYD has old ICE car mentality. Although it’s still a little cheaper than an ICE it’s often compared to Tesla’s optional service mantra. A cost to include is installation of EVSE (charger) to charge your car as granny charging isn’t viable.
Obviously your anti ICE, who does your math, never in a million years would it cost that much to maintain a family sedan over that amount of time even if the engine needed replacement.
Typical EV liar and Tesla shill aka stockholder. What a poor comparison. Conveniently leaves out cost of annual caliper costs, tires only last 30K miles and god forbid you don’t get in an accident and have to wait 3 months to get your car repaired.
Whose gonna put 300000 miles on in in three years come on and 56000 in maintaining are you including the payments I’m just saying
The AAA figure for costs includes fuel.
The comparison isn’t valid without adding in the fuel costs for the Tesla.
Just sayin”
What range did he have left on a battery that went through 300, 000 miles worth of charges?
TYRES ON ELECTRIC CARS DONT LAST 60,000 MILES….2 paragraphs later: He used 5 sets of tyres for 300,000 miles.
that’s 60,000 per set….your math aint mathing. Very rarely do I a see an article calling out its own BS 3 paragraphs later.
54000 over 3 years 8n maintance costs, more bs as my cars maintance is $120 a year for oil change with tyres $480 total costs for 3 years.
Water pump at 150000 miles is $350.
Spark plugs $36 every 120000 miles.
So total costs per that time $1100 in maintance costs for 3 years for a 4litre lexus
How many cycles are yhe batteries on the tesla good for? 1500 meaning miles don’t matter as much, the fact is as the batteries get older the range becomes less..and then they have to be replaced….cost..$15,000…nice…hydrogen is the future…
Hydrogen cars have been out here for quite awhile. Never caught on.
What’s the cost of the electricity to run the Tesla? I didn’t see that in the article. If you’re counting the cost of gas, let’s balance with the cost of the electricity.
Cost of electricity is at least half of the gas price. Maybe more depending on your rates. That’s easy to calculate
300k miles in 4 years? How realistic is that ?
I think the comparison is unfair.
I own Honda CR-V from 2014 and drove it 70k.
I didn’t spent more than $2500-3000 in maintenance.
Modern gas cars doesn’t need big maintenance at least until 100k miles.
Please be fair and don’t unfairly select the data to make you point.
I’ve had my Tesla and drive it hard and fast with just over 4 years and 68k miles I’ve spent nothing on maintenance. Ive had lots of gas cars and love them. I’ve recently sold all my gas cars but I’m even thinking to get another but I can’t bring myself to do it cuz I hate dealing with mechanics since most all are dishonest which brings the cost of maintenance even higher. With my Tesla it’s not even on my mind. That in itself is worth it
I looked up AAA cost of mice on a gas car is$792/year. This article is misleading when you look at that and insurance cost difference.
You should be looking at ownership costs
~$400 for my Tesla Model 3 that I got in 2018 with ~66,000 miles
Why didn’t this article include electric costs for the Tesla. It included has for the ice car.
I’ve driven 30.000 miles. And had to change rear tires every 13000 mi, front lasts 19000.
But Hankook are just as good as the original Pirelli from my point of view, and costs only $140 each for 235/35R20.
Otherwise no other maintenance costs so far. I’ve lost 15% of battery range…
Insurance is $900 annually, but not covering my own damages to my own car.
I drive mostly in Germany, often at speeds exceeding 120mph. So I’ve not been very “gentle” with it.
That’s why I waited until Tesla came out with a battery that would last at least 300K.. if you have a good solar and you can power your car for free you will save enough in gas to pay for new batteries at 300K not to mention what you will save in maintenance and depreciation..
As a 2-year-old Tesla owner with 40K you’re pretty much right on.. my concerns are about suspension although those costs are pretty minimal comparatively speaking and I’m guessing his AC never went out which all ICE cars need a new AC within the first 150k.. I replaced my tires for $500 as I got them wholesale but I did not get the expensive Tesla cushion soft noise reducing Tire.. instead I got a nice Michelin and can’t notice any noise difference, and they last about 5,000 miles longer..
The really big consideration is solar.. I live in California so solar works.. what I save in gas per year more than pays my depreciation and any maintenance costs so I drive for free..
I’ve always bought used ICE cars and saved on depreciation.. this is the first brand new car I’ve ever purchased that made sense where I’m actually coming out ahead… no one can argue with my numbers… when I talk to a pro ICE Car Guys
Whoops! Need to include the EV’s electricity costs if comparing to conventional car maintenance costs–while to including fuel!
Hello
I need to
thanks, interesting read