Tesla Model 3 leads as the most cost-effective car to operate in the US

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Luckily, statistics level put these edge cases and takes an overall picture. Maintenence is only part of the cost of a car, especially for new cars it's definitely not the main cost. Fuel and depreciation are the main factors for new cars.

What I found astonishing is this part: >The three Teslas ***were the only EVs to make the list***. (talking about Model 3 in 1st, Model Y in 7th and Model S in 20th of a list of the top 50 most cost effective cars)

No shit. I tell people this every day, in real life and all over Reddit. Literally zero people believe me.

I think that makes sense, outside of depreciation, which admittedly is a bit harder to calculate as it depends how long you own the car.

It’s not clear how they picked cars to evaluate. I think they just didn’t consider a lot of other cars to be “best selling.”

The maintenance cost seems high for the Tesla. 1200 per year? For what?

Good point. I dug a bit for the original source. There aren't any other EVs in the top 50 sellers. (There's one hybrid: Honda CR-V in 10th place), So there *might* be cars that are cheaper to run...they just aren't being sold in big numbers. [https://www.self.inc/info/expensive-cars-to-run/](https://www.self.inc/info/expensive-cars-to-run/)

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The article says “fuel, maintenance, insurance, and general fees.” So some combination of that.

Insurance is broke out separately. I’m referring to the article this one links to, which has a little more detail, but not enough.

1.2k for electric LMAO. I'll stick with my V6 T-REG that is 400$ for oil and filters change per year. It is an actual premium car with quality materials and a premium feel that can do 1000 km on a single tank. And fyi it took less CO2 emissions to be made and driven for 10 years.

same, got my car used and its been so fun and nimble to drive with such little problems. If you want exclusivity i could see why you don't like it, but I drove a 911 porsche taragan last year...I prefer the 3 easily actually enjoy it more than the s, the X is fun but still 3 at 25k or less really is just a no brainer.

The whole point of measuring operating cost is figuring out how much money comes out of your pocket while you use the car. Depreciation is a different thing—that money comes out of your pocket when you buy/sell, and is heavily influenced by how long you own the car.

Tires, mostly

Tires.

High IQ take.

We have both a Bolt and a Model 3 and the Bolt is cheaper to register, insure, and maintain (smaller tires cost way less).

That’s the thing. I don’t understand what the 1200 is for. I pay for tire rotation and windshield super fluid. Sure, once a year new wiper blades. But that’s it. Tires when needed. They’re cheaper than my Honda pilot tires were. I’m not racing every chance I get so at 32k miles there’s plenty of tread left. I which the “study” would have more detail.

Yup yup and yup. My dream car for a long time was a used 911. My friend just got a 2014 Carrara with a manual and let me drive it and it was so boring!! Sloppy steering, sluggish driveline. The S is a nice luxury Tesla but I agree, it’s not nimble and light like a Model S. Yes I said light. A Model 3 is the same weight as a convertible Mustang GT.

Is not just me who has had 3 flats in my M3 but zero in twice the amount of time my wife has had her Audi? Does Tesla do something that makes their tires crap?

Depreciation is included in operational costs on financial statements. It’s not a different thing. So, if you want to discount that like the article has, I agree it’s an extremely cost effective car to drive. If you include depreciation, probably a different outcome.

Okay so you both talk about owning/driving a Porsche, yet the first person calls a Taycan a Taragan and the second calls a Carrera a Carrara...you have to be either bots, lying or plain stupid if you can't even get the model right. And this comes from someone who doesn't even own a car or is a car-geek.

Depreciation makes it even cheaper to run if you buy used . It's kind of funny how it went from "EVs cost too much" to EVs depreciate too much". Also, literally every single source I've ever seen regarding depreciation completely ignores tax credits (and just compares new price without tax incentives vs used prices to get their misleading numbers) But I'm not buying cars for their resale value...so if they depreciate, cool, more affordable EVs to choose from.

Tires wear ALOT faster on the Model 3/Y because the car is much heavier and has much more torque than comparable sedans and crossovers

If you count insurance, sometimes it feels like only the five richest kings in Europe can afford to drive a tesla.

I am convinced people mess with Tesla tires. I have had too many nail punctures.

I think you’re conflating ‘operating’ and ‘operation’ cost. Operating cost is normally the cost per unit service, like day-to-day expenses. **Operation** cost would be the **total** overall cost, which includes operating costs as well as one-time expenses.

Or they are dictating and that is what came out in the dictation.

Bots can actually spell correctly, and I can spell Porsche names wrong and still know 100x more about cars than you do. But thanks for contributing. Next time maybe contribute something positive.

Not any faster than my Chevy volt. The original tires had three blowouts. I obviously switched brands to Michelin, which still had a blowout when the tread got worn. That lead to changing tires every 30k miles even though they had good tread left. My m3 is ahead of the game compared to my volt.

Tire manufacturers like legacy OEMs thought EV will fade in few years but EV is marching ahead in stride and Tire Manufacturers too are trying to catch up! I switch to EV since 2016-it's no brainer!

An electric scooter would be even cheaper.

I have zero maintenance with my lucid and what? It’s electric car

I thought that too until someone here said that similar sedans from Audi and BMW weigh about the same.

Nah, I literally can’t spell for shit lol. Took me around 40 years just to learn how to spell “Porsche”!

People really underestimate how much it costs to own a car. Even an EV.

My insurance only went up by 28 bucks a month from a 22 civic hatchback to a 25 m3 lr rwd.

I've been in a Model 3 for 7 years now... In that time, my maintenance cost has been about $1500 in total if I don't include tires, and it's worth mentioning over half of that cost was covered by warranty. So my actual out of pocket has been around $400ish. I'm not sure what this article was measuring exactly.

Well EVs just have pure efficiency so people tend to go faster which in turn wear tires out. If people did drive them slower then yeah it would last a bit longer. But also cost of tires for EVS are more expensive a tire companies are just taking advantage of the premium prices.

My Cyberbeast costs less to insure than my daughter’s ‘18 Jeep Renegade. Parents, don’t list your adult child as the primary driver of a vehicle if they live with you.

only on the performance versions of the 3/y that's true, for standard ones, it's not much difference, it's based on driving style as EV tends to be more fun to drive than the average sedan/suv, so ppl probably are more likely to punch the pedal on the 3/y vs gas. They also weight similar to ICE equivelents.

Or, you just suck at driving compared to your wife?

That’s cool, what was the price point? I’m actually intrigued by the batteries on those things. But also how has the drive been? Like a Lexus sedan?

I just hit 280,000km. I did some calculations based on the liters per 100km of my old vehicle and the average price of gas over the time I've had it. Factor in oil changes and brake jobs (still original pads and rotors) and I would have spent over $80k. Estimating about $11k for the electricity and small amount of maintenance I've done to it and the car has more than paid for itself. Best purchase I have ever made.

No issues with my Y. Tesla doesn't have tires, they just put them on the car.

I’ve had my car for 6 years, 80K miles and have had to change them once… (Probably will need to change in another 6mo or so)

You should try a Miata!

A Miata is one of the only ICE cars that one day I might buy used when I retire.

I traded in an ND RF for my M3P because of work and family. It’s cool to have the fastest car in the area. But I admit the Miata was more fun to drive. The steering is *chef’s kiss*.

You missed the torque part

No I didn’t. I was addressing the weight claim.

no, I was referring to thet Taragan bc itst a 100k plus car. I drove the taycan as well(it was a great drive, fun, but both the software and drive was not as nimble as the 3 in the same way the S a nicer car was not as nimble as the 3). The Targan, a 100k gas car, drove like a go car. perhaps by design of being some sort of race feal but it felt like a go cart. And I think that maybe fun for some, but I felt both the speed, handling of the 3 were better and it was just smoother all around yet still quite sporty. Spelling errors don't mean a bot, i dont get the issue here why people are so triggered with complimenting a really great mass market under 30 car that delivers, that doesnt mean Elon is a good guy. how to deferentiate that on here is beyond me

i still can't get myself to spell it right all the time...who cares...except for that guy

I drive a hi-torque ICE and I always drive in sports mode, take corners at the highest G's I can (love the g-meter) and always floor it at every chance. Still don't eat up my tires. So I don't think it's having higher torque. It actually might be a quirk of EVs since their torque is at 0 rpm, so, maybe in the initial phase of launch they just eat up rubber because they have full torque. Just my layman thinking.

😂

My modded bmw certainly ate tires left and right

Was going to say. I've rotated my tires once in ~32k miles. And they still have tread left to get to 40k probably. And I just got the washer fluid low warning. So my maintenance in ~1.5 years is $60 for rotating tires and whatever washer fluid costs.

lots of popped tires on "regular" sized road bumps in some cases.

You mean a 911 Targa?

Sure it’s more fun to drive. My E46 M3 was more fun to drive than my Model 3 even if it was slower and had much less tight steering. Light well balanced cars are fun, especially when they require more driver input like a stick shift and 3 pedals. All cars are compromises. My Model 3 does more stuff well and is more reliable and economical than any of the other 20 cars I’ve owned. (And all were great cars except one Mitsubishi Starion I owned for a few weeks before flipping it for a manual one because it was so boring to drive)

3 years, 80k miles on my MYLR AWD. Just one set of tires and wiper fluid.

Still missed the torque part.

This seems unusually low for a an EV. They are heavier and accelerate quicker which usually means you go through tires faster than an ICE car.

Depreciation also varies wildly depending on when you buy and sell. With new models and price drops you don't really know. Ex. if you bought a model 3 end of 2023, and want to sell now, depreciation is pretty good. But what if you want until end of this year? We could see a drop in prices due to new model that is coming out. Hard to say.

Ok but what is the sticker price?

If you drive like a normal person the tires last like any other car

yes that must be it. it was a 110$k plus car i was told, so i was intrigued by it. I drove the taycan as well too, and as mentioned loved the drive, but the interfacec and hence i did have issues with it is why they switched me to the 'upgrade' of the targa which was not an upgrade for me. both the cars were beautiful in design however. but use and interface matters and its one of the things that tesla excels at I also had a chance to drive the gwagon electric mercedes recently, and what an incredible drive and i loved the design...but similarly the interface was just a mess. Its odd it passes testing that you have to have this awkward search through menus to guess what you need to get, but great car outside of that yet usability matters hence why i dont enjoy newer stalkless teslas either

I have a MYLR (w/ Acceleration Boost thanks to referring people), I blast off every chance I get, and I'm sitting on my original tires at 32,386 miles. I've had them rotated twice. They still have a decent amount of tread.

Do they do the same for an ICE? Engine /trans replacement? Certainly the trans replacement seems more common than EV battery replacement.

Data point - 6 year and 8 month old model 3 LR RWD - heater went out a couple weeks ago. $1200 to fix (not including the $1000 tow was annoying but I’m 2 hours away from a service center) - tires. First set was such trash, but did the research and found a good set of high mileage tires. Replaced them once and then got a set of snow tires as well. Expect I won’t replace either set in the next 4 years. - 2 12v batteries. First one under warranty, second was $100. - rear seat warmer - warranty. - wiper fluid Then electricity for 90k miles. Once you realize how much simpler these cars are, it makes it hard to see how we continue to drive the Rube Goldberg machines powered by explosive fluid.

We had to replace the transmission in our rav4, it was $7500

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Even my GTI ate tires id have to rotate and buy new fronts every summer season (stage 2) my new model 3 feels similar for tires, honestly surprised I get more then 1 season out of them

I have 45,000 miles on my Tesla and in all that time the only maintenance has been tire replacement which lasted as long as they do on any car I’ve ever owned.

I know. Reddit crowd is sometimes so far removed from reality. Reddit hates Tesla cars but they are the most common car in my town by far.

Mine almost doubled compared to my 2009 Toyota Corolla, going to a ‘24 M3 SE SR RWD

There are a few Tesla model S cars being used as Ubers that have over 350,000 miles on them. One has over 400,000. Yes they needed some maintenance but they are on their original motors and battery. No modern ICE car can last that long.

I had to change 3 tires and one rim in my model 3p within one year. No other car I’ve ever owned went thru even one tire during my ownership of it

1000% agreed. If your $50K car is only worth $20K three years later.. then it really doesn’t matter how little maintenance you had to do. You have still lost a ton of money and are now pretty much stuck with car (or negative equity). My 2021 Model Y has been fantastic from a user experience.. I’ve only needed new tires and windshield wiper fluid. But I can’t trade it for anything else because it’s lost so much resale value.

The hate for Elon overrides logic. They can’t separate the product from the ceo.

Yeah same I’m used to getting “15K” out of my pilot sport cups but realistically it was only 9-13K

I've never had a flat in the 3 1/2 years that I've had mine but I wouldn't put it past haters to put debris under tires when a car is parked.

You don't have to hammer the pedal off the stop line.

I’ve had my Model 3 for 2 years and 9 months and have spent $0.00 on service/maintenance. Tires have 26,000 miles on them and are good until at least 30,000, probably more.

My relatives keep going on about some "report" they saw on facebook that said EVs are actually more expensive in the long run because of "hidden costs" like, uh... They can't name a single thing except that they believe "you have to spend $15,000 every 5 years for a new battery." That was coming from the same one who told me solar panels won't work in Phoenix because it's too hot...

They are sized so that they have very little sidewall extending past the rim. I think this makes it easier to damage the sidewall rather than give you curb rash on the rim. That's part of it.

lol. There’s lots of purposeful misinformation being shoved in their faces. Once they talk to some neighbors who eventually will buy an EV they will come around. We are still in the early stages of a massive technological transition. Around only 12% of new cars sold in the USA are full EV cars.

Very similar to my experience with a 2018 Model 3, down to my heater going out less than a month ago. I live in the Northeast so putting that off was not an option. Bye, $1200! I'm also on my third 12v, but I feel like I should replace it soon. I only have 57,000 miles though.

Same. 125,000 miles and counting with no flats knock on wood.

What wheels do you have? 19” for me and I haven’t had a flat in 6 years. Maybe you have the 20” wheels?

That's a lot in one year

The first tires in my 2021 MYLR lasted about 40k

I don’t use sentry mode a lot, which apparently impacts it. If you lose the 12v it can go really wonky. I suggest getting the LiON one. Also, did they say anything about your super bottle with your heater?

what set of tires did you end up going with? new/used, model, cost for set / each?

I’ll have to look up brand but it was $200-250 a pop at discount tire. There is a spreadsheet around that has ratings. I picked ones that had either 60 or 70k miles on them. New. Discount tire. Not cheap but also don’t like buying stuff. I didn’t prioritize road noise really.

Teslas are cheaper to uh… ‘fuel’? but more to insure. Is the Tesla insurance tax a permanent thing? I don’t think my lift kit and wheel spacers count as maintenance.

My wife had her M3 for a week when it manifested a nail in the tread. haven't had a flat tire in a car for at least 20 years before that.

I didn't replace tires in my 3 until 37k and it's at 71k now still going strong with the Michelin Cross climate 2 tires.

I honestly laugh when I hear people acting like Tesla is a car for "self important people" or whatever. Every 4th car in my area is a Tesla. at this point it's so far from a prestige vehicle that it might as well be a Honda Accord. it's really weird how fixated some people are about Tesla and EV in general. Like owning one is an attack on them in some way

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I'd think so, especially if you consider engine components in that equation, e.g. spark plugs, belts, hoses, water pumps

I'm on my third EV in 5 years. Mini Cooper, Nissan Leaf, and now Tesla M3. I never spent a dime of maintenance on any of them. Hell, I never even had a L2 charger at my house until a few weeks ago. 110v charging did me just fine for 5 years.

I’ve had the opposite experience. I replaced tires 3x faster on previous Mercedes sedans in the same time I’ve had a Tesla.

I reeealy hope it will last that long. I'm certainly willing to try and make it. I'm planning on making a service appointment before it hits 100k to make sure everything is ok. I know there will most likely be parts that need to be replaced due to wear-and-tear, like bushings, maybe brake pads, etc., but I don't suspect anythign major.

I've been getting 60,000km to a set of tyres on my Performance 3 which is better than I was getting on my old Mazda 6. It also wears them much more evenly. Yes, I have a very heavy right foot, no-one gets off the line before I do. Five years in and just crossed 100,000km on the second set of tyres and they're still good. My 12v battery also started failing this year so I took it to Tesla and it was cheaper than buying one myself.

Total cost of ownership is a different thing. Operating costs are incurred by owning and using the car—you pay to charge, you pay for new tires. Depreciation is different because it is not paid ‘per use’, it is only paid when you sell. Including it would make operating costs appear to decrease over time, when the actual costs paid remain the same.

I do. Tyres lasting 60,000km (about 40,000 miles) on my Performance. Hardly eating tyres with those numbers.

Tires wear A LOT faster when cars are not aligned correctly at the factory…

Tyres on my Performance last longer than my wife's Nissan LEAF and way better than my old MINI Cooper and Mazda 6 ever did.

My car had really poor factory alignment. I found out at 22k miles, smooth sailing for the next 40k though (after an alignment…)

Same here. I get about 40K miles per set on my performance 3.

911 with sloppy steering. You've lost all credibility with me after that one, and this is coming from someone that owned both a GT3 and a M3P.

no cabin filter change? AC desc bag?

I doubt it. The big majority of replacements will be under warranty. Most cars will never need a replacement.

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one cabin filter change. I just got another. total $50 for both. forgot about that.

Except for insurance and tires, everything else is mostly non existent so far in 30k miles

looked it up. Altimax rt43s purchased quite a bit ago.

I get free charging in my apartment which is really cool

This is basically what I cite when people are like "Well aren't those expensive?" "Well if you factor in cost of ownership, it's a lot cheaper than your Altima."

ive been getting wrecked on tires, granted i was flooring it when i first got my M3 because it was so fun and I never had a car with that kind of performance before. Just got Hankook EVO and put in chill mode for first time, hope these last, im driving like a grandma

Just wish it was cheaper to insure. It's almost doubled since I bought my LR back in 2021...

Maintenance low. Insurance high. Tomatoe tomato

New fronts? But not new rear tires? Was it a front wheel drive?

Data point: 51k miles over 3.5 years. Tires at 35k, washer fluid, cabin air filter at the 3 year mark. Ease of ownership is astoundingly good.

How? I've gone through a set every 25k or so, but Michelin gave me some pro-rated discounts on second set where I actually kept receipts from tire rotations at least.

I'm not sure, I don't drive it super hard but not easy either. Maybe just luck. My 3 was one of the first ones.

So would every ICE manufacturer? Pretty moot point.

I’m at 44k original tires, never rotated either!! I’m going to push it to 60k but if not hopefully 55k or 50k!!! 23’ base 3

If it helps I do rotate every 6k miles like the manual says to.

Naw, I was rotating every 5k, I just didn't have receipts/proof for Michelin to pro-rate the first replacement set. I'm going to the same place I bought the tires for every rotation now, it's free and they keep track so I can easily make the warranty claim.

That's a right foot problem. My original set didn't last the rated miles because I was zoom zooming everywhere. Every subsequent set lasted rated miles.

I'm 3 years in. Probably need to replace this season. Cc2 cost about 900. That's about $300 per year for my math.

Would you recommend the CC2? did you range take a hit?

How do you drive? We have a Model 3 at 40k on same tires and it’s fine. An EV6 at 32k and that one has plenty of tread left the last time we took it in.

They did not say anything about it. I had very little direct interaction with any human during the repair process.

Apparently like a bat out of hell. Lots of time on the Interstate at 70-80 MPH, but I don't think I'm really that hard on it. Tire place says they see all kind of Model 3's needing replacements at 25-30k on 50k warranty tires so I'm not alone. Could be a cold weather thing, I'm in the Chicago area.

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Tesla recommends rotation every 5k and annual brake cleaning and lubrication. I got to about 35k before needing new tires. Probably could have stretched it longer. Many Tesla owners don’t get that fan.

I didn't notice much tread wear difference until around 20k miles so I had it done then. Now my rear still has slightly more tread than my front tires so no point in rotating them yet since rears wear faster.

BEGONE COMMENT! I cast you into the abyss from whence you came!

Alright. I had checked mine and the super bottle was also acting up before hand but held off. Then they were going to repair that and decided it wasn’t needed after the heater went. Was wondering if it was correlated

It’s so crazy. Realized it when I first drove a model s back in 2013. Realized I couldn’t go with a gas car again

My original tires lasted one year, and were $1200 to replace. Granted, my alignment was fucked, but it is what it is. YMMV

Electric bike for the win. No license, insurance, or registration needed.

Could be. I'll let you know if I have any problems in the near future.

Purchase costs were high and are higher now that subsidies have been removed. Service centers and charge network expansion are ongoing problems. These are all good reasons to wait until they fix the problems before purchase.

I don't seek your creditability, but I would sure love driving a GT3 over a Model 3P any day. I take it you've never driven a 2014 Carrera convertible.

definitely bushings and ball joints in the front end will need replacing. brake pads will still be fine as you never use brakes on a Tesla if you know how to drive, but they can get rusty if you are anywhere where they salt the roads in winter.

Agreed. Just today my friend and I were eating lunch at a sandwich shop and he pointed out that there were 4 Teslas right in front all parked next to each other, and then he said he doesn't know how all thee people everywhere can afford luxury cars. I pointed to the 7 series BMW next to the Teslas and said "That is the only luxury car in the lot and you didn't even notice it. That BMW was $120,000 when it was new, and most of these base Model 3 Teslas were $35-$45k which is less than the national average price of a new car in America.

I'm renting one and it gets way better range per how much it says it has than my my.

Try an online insurance maybe? In Europe it’s way cheaper. First Tesla was 1200€ (insure my Tesla) per year and the second (online) is around 800€.

4 years in with a model Y only thing I've ever changed is the wipers. Free rotation and balancing every 6k miles and the Michelin pilot sports have been great. I've had bad luck with nails not being repairable so that's two tires I've changed under warranty for free. These vehicles are heavier so the tires likely won't last as long as with something like a Toyota Camry, but it's 100% worth it no moving parts in an engine bay to replace in the future. Smooth sailing so far

Yeah i wonder if it's a regional thing. Maybe road conditions or weather or something in some places is harsher on tires than other locations.

4 years - Model 3 here. 30k miles and still haven't changed my tires. Probably less than $300 in maint over 4 years.

My BiL here in Germany was the same way. He started off being overtly hostile to EVs. We got our Model 3 (and now our Y), and he noticed that it worked just fine. Then he had a chance to ride in a Plaid, and he started to come around. Now he is a fan of Tesla. I'm genuinely wondering when he is going to finally pick one up.

It's worse than that. They cannot even understand that you can disagree with someone on many things and still not hate them. I am not entirely certain where this came from, but it's poison.

>Teslas are cheaper to uh… ‘fuel’? but more to insure. Is the Tesla insurance tax a permanent thing? Unfortunately, I think so unless Tesla starts making boring cars. People who buy these things tend to drive more aggressively.

I dunno about you but I seem to go through wipers frequently.

What mileage you guys replace rotors and pads? Sitting at 95k now, should I take it in? Lol

So its a claim-rate thing not a cost-of-repair thing?

I live in a dry place, so not a lot of rain. I am not sure I've changed them. Maybe once

I've driven all manners of 911s, I certainly wouldn't say that a 991.1 base Carrera has sloppy steering compared to any Model 3. Maybe the one you drove wasn't maintained very well.

I've always lived in very wet places

I'm paying ~$20/mo less for my 3 and Y than I paid for my previous gas cars.

It's all about how you drive. I'm 8k in on my original set of tires, and I'm maybe at 3/4 life left. MYP here. Hankooks or something. I've heard the tires that come with the cars are different and wear faster than the ones bought after. Idk if there is any truth to that or not though. If so, 40k sounds about right.

My original PS4Ss were fantastic tyres and I would have had them again but they just weren't available so I switched to the PZero that Tesla fits as standard to the M3P now and they're way less grippy. Not sure what I'll get next but the current ones are about 2/3 done at this point so good for another 20,000km I suppose. The fact is, EVs weigh about what their ICE equivalents weigh, and they're no worse on tyres, and a heck of a lot better on their brakes. No idea how these myths keep floating around but here we are.

After much arguing and probing with copilot I came up with about $1500 of that yearly figure is "general wear and tear". I guess, but that seems more like depreciation.

Hey that was me as well. My daily driver was a low mile, brand new condition E46 M3. I didn’t like the idea of a Tesla for many reasons. I liked 3 pedals, my engine sounds, and buttons and gauges. But then I test drove a model 3 and when I got back into my BMW M3, it felt like a loose, sloppy, bucket of bolts.

Don’t ignore the cost of any convenience store items you may have grabbed while filling up. That shit adds up too.

Has that person ever actually replaced tires? It does not cost that much and that’s not a yearly expense. There’s no regular services needed. Most people will never even go through a set of brake pads. In my 2018 I’ve only replaced one set of tires last year and it cost me $800 for good tires. I could have been way cheaper. Other than that a couple cabin air filters, a couple sets of wiper blades, and a few gallons of washer fluid. Total ownership cost is under $200 a year. I couldn’t spend $1200 if I tried.

I just did tires recently after having a 2020 Tesla for 5 years, it was about $250 for stock tires, and a little for installation, it came to about $1200 for 5 years. That's about 45,000 miles. I don't think most people are replacing all 4 tires every year, or even every other year. What else is there that's expensive? Windshield washer fluid, wipes, and an air filter every few years? I think my 5 year maintenance costs, including tires, was about $2000, not $6,000.

Lol. I didn't put it in the comment above but realistically had I just kept buying used vehicles similar to what I had before I would have probably gone through 2 so I can add 15 to 20k of additional savings when comparing against the cost of the tesla.

Do you track your car every weekend or something? lol

Similar experience. 6yr 3mo Model 3 LR AWD w/ 92k miles - heater last year around 86k ($1200 USD) - upper control arms around 80k ($198 USD for parts; labor was free because the part had a design defect, despite it lasting 80k miles)  - cabin air filter twice ($80, I think?) - tires (I run winter tires. I'm on my second set of winters and second set of summers. I don't expect I'll need another set for 3-4 years)  - fog light (hit a snow bank, was only $120) - 1 12v battery (died around 36k miles, under warranty) - wiper fluid Electricity, I pay $0.044/kWh at home, which is about 500 miles for $10 (assuming a realistic 180 mile range with spirited driving and heater use). My insurance premiums were even $18/mo cheaper ($108/mo) than the Ford Fusion ($126) I owned before and my premiums have gone down $32/mo since buying it ($76/mo). Cannot believe how cheap it's been to operate.

I’ll have to check my upper control arms

Mine is $137.25 a month with Tesla Insurance, 2024 Model 3 Performance, not-married, located in SoCal. Perfect driving record, no accidents. Near-max coverage ($500k instead of $1mil), lowest deductibles possible

I agree with you, but that’s not what this is about. If you were interested in lowest total cost, you should always buy a used 200k mile Prius, if an e-bike wouldn’t cut it for your commute ofc. This conversation is (or at least should be) targeted to those cross shopping new cars. Particularly for those cross shopping German luxury offerings, depreciation is a non-factor for those buyers. And again, whether or not you and I agree with that sentiment is not relevant.

Not sure why people keep repeating this false info about all EVs being "much heavier". Toyota Highlander: 4,365-4,595 pounds Toyota Highlander wheelbase: 112.2 inches BMW X3 & X3M weight: 4,176-4,610 pounds BMW X3 wheelbase: 112.8 inches Model Y weight: 4,154–4,404 pounds Model Y wheelbase: 113.8 inches Damn, that Highlander is a porker for something with such low performance. Tesla has much better safety ratings and roof strength, as well, which adds weight, and yet it is generally lighter than a comparable gas SUV. EVs' superior torque and power thing I agree with, but that would primarily affect the rear tires if that was causing all the tire wear.

absurd. I owned my car for 60 months. My TOTAL spend on maintenance over that time was $50 on a new cabin air filter install. It had the original tires on it when Carvana picked it up with 42000 miles. The car also averaged 5 miles/kwh over its life. Truly amazing car. My new BMW i5 electric is great but I miss my Tesla for a bunch of reasons.

That has not been my experience. original tires on my model 3 at 60 months - 42000 miles. If you drive like a racer then sure, but same would be happen with a chevy suburban , or any SUV out there that weighs 5000 lbs. For tire wear, compare a 3700 lbs Tesla Model 3 to a Honda Accord. And Tesla Model X to a Chevy Suburban, or an Cadillac Escalade. Tire wear could be 10% more or less but weight is weight... tire wear from weight is the same on EV's or Gas cars driven similarly.

I beg to differ. The last update killed my cabin heater and they want 4500$ca to fix it. 3 years of gas savings up in smoke. I've gone from loving this car to hating it. I feel scammed. I was going to upgrade to a model s next year. Not happening now.

Same here on my M3 just got 2 new tires yesterday due to alignment. Only 11k mi on vehicle

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State Farm. Don't know if it helped, but same agent for the past 20 years. Multi policy discount as well. Paying around 74/mo on a '18 3 and 86/mo on a '24 Y, $500 deductible, $0 glass deductible. Tesla insurance quoted me around $120/mo. My last gas car was a '14 Fusion and I couldn't believe it was cheaper when I got my 3.

Good for them! I'll still never buy one.

I believe the tires come thinner to help extend the range

Are you driving a performance 3? Lmao

Check your alignment. I got about 20k miles from my first two sets. Got an alignment for my third set and have almost 40k miles on my 3rd set, and will probably get another 30k miles or so out of them.