The first Tesla Model S was released in 2012, so it’s still young by used-car standards. We don’t know what a junker Model S looks like yet, and none have made their way to scrap yards. But things are looking good for long-term reliability, based on one very heavy user.
Tesloop is a private car service that — you guessed it! — has a fleet of Teslas. Its cars operate around the San Diego/LA area, Tesla’s home turf. Given that the service mostly does city-to-city transfers, it also racks up the miles.
Its first car, named “eHawk,” is a 2015 Model S that just hit 300,000 miles. According to a company blog post spotted by Jalopnik, the car has run up just $11,000 in maintenance costs, far less than what you’d expect from a similar gas-powered vehicle.
“During the first 300,000 miles the total combined maintenance and fuel costs of the Tesla Model S were $10,492, with a total of 12 days in the shop. Of these costs, $6,900 was scheduled maintenance and $3500 was headlight damage due to driving through deep water. Had this been an Mercedes S class, the scheduled routine maintenance and fuel would have been $86,000 ($52,000 maintenance and $36,000* fuel) with 112 days of servicing, or for a Lincoln Town Car $70k,000 ($28,000 maintenance and $42,000** fuel) with around 100 days of servicing.”
This actually shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Tesla has an unlimited-milage warranty on its cars’ powertrains, which means you’re not going to be hit with unexpected bills. A taxi driver in Canada compiled his expenses after 100,000 miles of driving last year, and all he’d paid for was a few sets of tires, a brake change, and suspension components. Even the brakes need changing infrequently compared to other cars, thanks to Tesla’s regenerative braking.
