Tesla maintenance cost drivers#

вЂњIn our experience Teslas have been very unreliable,вЂќ Montoya said. The car had to have its drive unit replaced three or four times, Montoya said, and once he was left stranded on the side of the road.

Tesla maintenance cost drivers#

Maintenance costs for a Tesla Model S over five years were at most $2,800 (if drivers donвЂ™t use the pre-paid maintenance package) as of 2017 while a Mercedes-Benz S-Class racks up $18,000 in maintenance bills and the BMW 7 Series costs about $17,000 over the same period, according to an analysis by a self-described Tesla enthusiast and вЂњdata geek.вЂќДespite their image as a low-maintenance car, Teslas have been plagued by reliability problems, Montoya noted - something he saw firsthand when Edmunds tested the Tesla Model S. (Tesla actually recommends Model 3 drivers only service their cars every 24 months - the second-year checkup being more comprehensive.)

However, drivers can skip the first-year checkup if they choose and their warranty still stay in effect, according to the Tesla website. And drivers are generally stuck paying dealership service prices on their Teslas, because the cars canвЂ™t be serviced at just any mechanic, Montoya said.

Lee has no formal affiliation with Tesla, but owns a Tesla and has a few shares in the company.Д«ut TeslaвЂ™s standard first-year maintenance checkup - which cost $475 in 2017 - covers just a few relatively modest services such as key fob battery replacement, tire rotation and wiper blade replacement, said Ron Montoya, senior consumer advice editor at car-buying advice website in 2017. Before he bought one, he compared the costs of owning one to similar sedans. вЂњWhen you go to the dealer for service with an electric car - it doesnвЂ™t even matter which car - all they do is just top off the wiper fluids and check your air pressure,вЂќ said Paul Lee, a former McKinsey management consultant and Google product manager who owns a Tesla. Some Tesla lovers are fond of saying a battery-powered motor doesnвЂ™t require some of the upkeep of a traditional internal combustion engine and, as such, yearly maintenance costs on a Tesla should be cheaper than on other luxury sedans. Fueling a gas-powered car that gets 30 miles to the gallon would cost you significantly more at $1,195 a year.ДonвЂ™t miss: People rarely ask these questions when buying a car - but they shouldД«ut there are other issues to consider aside from gas:Д®lectric cars come with their own unique maintenance issues Currently, the affordability calculator does not appear to include the Model 3.ДЄccording to the cost calculator available from the independent website Teslanomics, consumers would need to pay roughly $712.80 in charging costs annually for the lowest-cost Model 3, assuming a daily commute of 40 miles. Instead, the site now has an вЂњaffordability calculator,вЂќ which simply breaks down the cost of the vehicles based on a consumerвЂ™s budget, the down payment they can make and the vehicleвЂ™s trade-in value. TeslaвЂ™s website no longer includes a cost calculator that breaks down the expenses - such as home energy costs - associated with purchasing one of its vehicles. But there are other expenses to consider when you own a Tesla. With gas prices rising, itвЂ™s likely cheaper to power up the all-electric Tesla than to take a traditional car to the gas station. Tesla said back in 2016 that 373,000 people had put down $1,000 deposits to join the waiting list for a Model 3, and CEO Elon Musk said in 2017 вЂњthere are more and more every week.вЂќ He initially expected that people who ordered the cars then would get them starting in 2018. Before the Model 3, its lowest-priced model went for $88,500. Since then, Tesla has added new interior options for the Model 3, though it now comes with a shorter driving range than previously estimated.

Most of the top 10 serviced parts on EVs are related to the battery and charging.Д«y the way, Tesla was not rated among brands because of a lack of available data.Tesla celebrated the start of production of the вЂњaffordableвЂќ $35,000 Model 3 with a launch party nearly two years ago.

While maintenance costs are lower for EVs, costs for parts and labour, for repairs, and for service campaigns are higher, the study points out.