Tesla Model Y Long-Term: Maintenance Costs vs ICE Comparison

I have driven a 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range since August of 2021. As of last week the odometer shows 81,400 miles. I bought the car for $54,900 out the door, financed over 60 months at 2.9 percent, and I have kept a spreadsheet of every repair, every tire, every service visit, every charging cost and every efficiency observation since day one. The Model Y is the single most-driven car I have ever owned, and the data I have collected is more reliable than any internet speculation about EV maintenance costs.

What I am going to do here is compare actual spending on the Tesla to what I would have likely spent on an equivalent gas SUV over the same mileage. I have access to that data too because my previous SUV was a 2015 Lexus RX 350 that I sold with 142,000 miles and whose complete service history I kept. So I have real numbers on both sides. The comparison is more nuanced than "EVs are cheaper" or "EVs have hidden costs."

What the Model Y Has Actually Cost

Tires are the single biggest maintenance line item on the Model Y. I have gone through three full sets in 80,000 miles. That is worse than average for a mid-size SUV. The Model Y is heavy at 4,400 lb and it has tremendous torque, which combined means tires wear faster than on an equivalent gas vehicle. The stock Goodyear Eagle Touring tires lasted 18,000 miles before the inner edges were worn past the wear bars, which is pathetic. I switched to Michelin CrossClimate 2 all-seasons and got 28,000 miles from that set, and I am on Continental PureContact LS now with 16,000 miles on them and lots of tread remaining.

Total tire spending over 80,000 miles has been $3,540. By comparison, my Lexus RX 350 burned through tires at about 35,000 miles each and spent $2,100 on tires over 80,000 miles. The Model Y costs 68 percent more in tires, which is real money.

Brake pads and rotors are where the Model Y shines. Because regenerative braking handles most of the deceleration, my brake pads have barely worn in 80,000 miles. The front pads are still at roughly 75 percent of original thickness. The rears are at 85 percent. I have not spent a dollar on brake work since buying the car. The Lexus needed a front brake job at 45,000 miles ($520) and another at 95,000 miles ($550).

Tesla-specific fluid services have been minor. Coolant flush at 50,000 miles was $120 at a Tesla service center. Brake fluid flush at 60,000 miles was $80. Tire rotations are free at Tesla with a tire purchase and $65 if done separately. Cabin air filter replacement at 30,000 miles was $45. HEPA filter upgrade for the bioweapon-defense feature was $189 one time.

Total scheduled maintenance over 80,000 miles has been $699. The Lexus spent $3,800 on scheduled maintenance over the same mileage, including oil changes every 7,500 miles, transmission service at 60,000, coolant flush, brake flushes, and the expected consumables. The maintenance cost advantage for the Tesla is $3,100 over 80,000 miles, which is meaningful.

The Unplanned Repairs

The Model Y has had three significant unplanned issues. At 38,000 miles a window regulator failed on the driver's rear door. Tesla replaced it under warranty for free. At 52,000 miles the heat pump developed an error code that required a software update plus a physical component replacement. Covered under warranty, took four days in the shop with a loaner provided.

At 73,000 miles, out of warranty, a rear-seat heating element stopped working. Diagnosis was $185 and the repair was $420 for parts and labor. Not a crisis, but an out-of-pocket cost that would have been warranty work on a newer car.

The Lexus had two significant unplanned issues over the same mileage. A water pump failure at 62,000 miles cost $780. A power steering pump replacement at 92,000 miles cost $920. Total unplanned repairs on the Lexus at 80,000 miles were roughly $800.

So on unplanned repairs, the Tesla has actually cost less out of pocket ($605 net of warranty items) versus the Lexus ($800). Not by a lot, but the conventional wisdom that EVs have expensive surprises has not been my experience.

The 12-Volt Battery and Other EV-Specific Costs

Every Tesla has a 12-volt auxiliary battery that handles the electronics when the car is parked. This battery fails, typically between 3 and 5 years of age. Mine failed at 68,000 miles. Tesla replaced it for $185 including labor at a mobile service appointment. The cost is similar to replacing a battery in a gas car, but the failure mode is more dramatic because when the 12-volt dies the whole car becomes inoperable, sometimes including the ability to open the doors.

Software has been excellent. Over-the-air updates have added features, fixed bugs, and improved the car in ways that no gas car receives. In 80,000 miles I have received more than 40 significant software updates. Whether this has dollar value is subjective, but it is real value.

Charging infrastructure at home was a one-time cost of $1,400 for a Tesla Wall Connector and electrical work, installed by an electrician in 2021. Over 80,000 miles that amortizes to 1.75 cents per mile, which should be added to the total cost analysis. The Lexus had no equivalent one-time cost.

Electricity for charging has been approximately 3.8 cents per mile on average, a mix of home charging at off-peak rates and occasional Supercharger stops during long trips. Over 80,000 miles that is about $3,040 in electricity. The Lexus averaged 19.5 mpg and gasoline over the same period averaged roughly $3.85 per gallon, for about $15,800 in gas over 80,000 miles. The fuel cost advantage for the Tesla is roughly $12,700. This is by far the largest cost difference in favor of the EV.

Insurance and Registration

Insurance on the Model Y has cost $1,420 per year on average over four years. Insurance on the Lexus cost $1,180 per year. The $240 annual delta is partly because Teslas have expensive bodywork and fewer body shops certified to work on them, and partly because my insurance company treats any Tesla as a performance vehicle even though the Model Y is not one.

Registration has been similar between the two vehicles, though several states have introduced higher registration fees for EVs to offset the gas tax they do not pay. In my state the Tesla pays an extra $125 per year in EV registration, which is real money and is not included in the fuel cost advantage.

Total Cost of Ownership at 80,000 Miles

Model Y total maintenance, tires, repairs, and charging. $7,968.

Lexus equivalent maintenance, tires, repairs, and fuel. $22,500.

The Model Y has cost approximately $14,500 less to operate over 80,000 miles, net of the home charging installation. That is significant but it is not the $30,000 that Tesla fan forums like to claim. It is a real savings but it is not transformative.

The depreciation picture is different. The Model Y has dropped from $54,900 to approximately $30,000 in current market value, for $24,900 of depreciation over four years and 80,000 miles. The Lexus would have depreciated from a similar original $55,000 to roughly $34,000 over the same period, for $21,000 of depreciation. So on depreciation alone the Tesla has cost $3,900 more than the Lexus would have.

Netting out the operating cost advantage against the depreciation disadvantage, the Tesla saves about $10,600 over 80,000 miles compared to an equivalent gas SUV. Over 150,000 miles the advantage would likely grow to $18,000 to $22,000, because the fuel cost difference continues to accumulate while the depreciation difference mostly levels out after the steep early years.

The Model Y is cheaper to own than the gas SUV equivalent over most timeframes. Not by as much as the loudest EV enthusiasts say, not by as little as the ICE holdouts claim. The reality is somewhere in between, and for a household that drives a normal amount of miles and keeps the car past the warranty period, the Tesla is the financially better choice. The experience is also genuinely good most of the time, with a handful of Tesla-specific quirks that you either learn to accept or that drive you crazy.