The Tesla Model 3 is one of the most popular electric cars in the US. But how much does it cost to own one in the long run? YouTuber Andy Slye decided to find out!
Slye bought his Tesla Model 3 new in 2018 and has driven it over 144,000 miles since then. He kept track of every expense, including charging, repairs, tires, and even accessories.
Most of the money Slye spent went to charge his car at home. The good news? He gets a very cheap electricity rate of $0.08 per kilowatt-hour. Over the years, he spent a total of $2,772 charging his car at home.
Slye also used Tesla Superchargers occasionally, but he never had to pay for them! This is because he got unlimited Supercharging through Tesla’s referral program. In total, he got 1,824 kWh of free electricity from Superchargers.
Adding up all the charging costs (even though the Supercharging was free), plus the cost to install a charger in his garage, Slye spent an average of just 3 cents per mile on electricity. He estimates that he saved about $20,000 on fuel costs compared to a gas-powered car.
Besides charging, Slye spent money on new tires, rotations, and a few repairs. The most expensive repair was replacing the front control arms and lateral links, which cost a little over $1,000. He also had to fix a problem with the charging port door for $300.
In total, Slye spent $2,720 on tires and $2,040 on repairs over the past 6 years. He also pays about $100 per month for insurance and $350 per year for registration.
After factoring in the purchase price, all the charging costs, repairs, and maintenance, Andy Slye spent just over $75,000 on his Tesla Model 3 after driving it 144,000 miles. Was it worth it? That’s up to you to decide!