One of the many touted advantages of EVs over vehicles with internal combustion engines is the far cheaper running and maintenance costs – but are these cost savings really that significant?
When the first Tesla models hit the market, in particular early Model S examples, it was unclear just how reliable they would be in the long run. After all, they were being built by a relatively young company at the time with limited experience in the automotive space. In the years since, Tesla sales have soared and some owners have put huge amounts of miles on their vehicles.
One of them is Steve Sasman. In 2014, he purchased a used Model S P85 with 35,000 miles (~56,000 km) on the clock for $79,000. He drove it extensively during his five years of ownership before selling it in August last year with 214,072 miles (344,515 km) under its belt. He even went on a road trip with it to 48 U.S. states and Canada. How much did all of this driving cost him in maintenance?
According to Tesmanian, Sasman spent just $5,415 on maintenance, with the most significant costs being $2,215 for a new infotainment screen and $790 for a new charging port. He also went through two sets of tires, had to replace a door handle and the 12-volt battery, as well as a few other things.
The Tesla’s current owner has continued to drive the Model S frequently and the EV recently ticked over the 300,000 mile (482,803 km) mark. During the last 86,000 miles (138,403 km), maintenance costs have totaled “about” $5000. All up, that comes to a touch over $10,000 for 300,000 miles of driving. Which, in our books, is pretty impressive.
