5 years and 138,856 miles into my long-term 2019 Tesla Model 3, where do I stand now?

Sign up to receive daily news updates from CleanTechnica via email. Or follow us on Google News!

Why we still love our Model 3 after 5 years and approximately 138,856 miles

October 21, 2024 will be the 5th anniversary of our long-term dual-motor Tesla Model 3 (see 2019 delivery day photo above). As of October 14, 2024, the odometer reads: ~138,856 miles. Please see below a review of my maintenance and repair costs over those five years. Don’t stop reading before you get to the elephant in the room. My editor, Zach Shahan, reviewed the Model 3 Standard Range Plus recently, also on its fifth anniversary. You can use this article as another data point about the reliability of Tesla Model 3s and what you can expect them to cost over time. In my cost estimate, I did not include fuel costs, interest costs, insurance costs, or resale value.

The physical appearance of the car is still good, but not great. I love the look of the front end of the car (bumper, etc.), and have never installed a front license plate, which would ruin that look. However, that beautiful flat white surface collects insects like crazy, especially in humid Wisconsin. It also has some small dings that look like insects where the paint has chipped. I had to install an ugly front bra to avoid those chips. However, a new front fascia for $650 would give me a brand new front fascia. I have the standard black vegan leather seats, which still look perfect. The car has two USB charging ports under the front console that are no longer working. Fortunately, there were two in the back of the car that still worked, so we plugged our phones in there. Next time I need to go for service, I will ask for the price to fix the front parts.

Big plus! No new utility charges in the last 20 months.

I’m a big supporter of green technology, especially electric cars. I’m also a big Tesla fan! Even though Elon Musk is trying his best to keep me away. I still have a lot of fun with my Tesla Model 3. Reason #1: tremendous acceleration. Reason #2: He now has “full self-driving.” FSD makes my car drive fully automatically — at least under ideal conditions, as shown below.

Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) V12.5

I have the amazing (supervised) full self-driving package, now on version 12.5.4, that will drive my car completely to almost any location I put in the nav plus a good human driver. However, unfortunately, it still fails sometimes, so I have to be ready to intervene immediately. If I had not intervened on those occasions, I could have been involved in a serious accident. It’s also a bit shy at stoplights and in heavy traffic. I need a little help with the throttle at intersections. FSD has been improved several times over the past two years. For example: 1) The rotors now navigate correctly. 2) It revolves around prominent cars and obstacles in your lane. 3) Now responds correctly to construction barrels blocking a lane of traffic on a 4-lane highway. 4) Slows down when speed bumps occur. 5) However, he still ignored the 20 mph school zone signs and double flashing lights.

My maintenance costs (I haven’t had any new maintenance costs since my report at 90,000 miles, which is about 50,000 miles ago).

I know that electric vehicles are much less complicated than cars with internal combustion engines. The internal combustion engine is more complex than an electric motor, and rarely goes more than 200,000 miles without an expensive rebuild or replacement (rebuild costs ~$9,000). In addition, ICE cars have a very complex transmission (replacement cost ~ $5000). You also have exhaust and emissions control systems, radiator/cooling systems, etc., etc., which are not available in EVs.

However, an electric car has an expensive battery, should I worry about replacing it? I handle it with kid gloves and expect it to last 10+ years and 500,000+ miles. I never charge more than 80%, and at least ¾ of the charging is done at level 2 rate in my garage. However, I have used the Tesla Supercharger’s impressive Level 3 network more often than not for long cross-country road trips. My car had an EPA range of 310 miles when new. While charging your Tesla, you can set the charge limit to 100% and your car will give you an estimate of the battery range. Mine reads 271 miles now. Doing some quick calculations, 310 − 271 = 39, and 39/310 = ~12.5% ​​battery loss at 138,856 miles. At 112,000 miles, I lost about 8%. This means I have lost approximately 4.5% in the last 26,856 miles. This is not great. I was hoping that the battery deterioration would slow down as the mileage went up.

The drivetrain and battery warranty on my Model 3 ran out at 130,000 miles. So, I’m on the hook for anything that goes wrong in the future. I have solar panels on my roof, so when I’m at home in Utah, I drive in the sunlight. When driving cross-country with a Tesla Supercharger, your electricity costs will be the same as driving a gas car. Fortunately, a number of our readers used my referral code (see last paragraph), so, for the past year, I’ve been getting free shipping from Supercharges. However, an electric car’s heavy battery and great acceleration cause tires to wear out more quickly than an ICE car, which increases the maintenance cost of an electric car.

At approximately 138,856 miles, the total cost of tires and non-forced warranty repairs for my Model 3 was $5,290.15. For three sets of four tires, I bought economy tires, and the results were good. However, I had to pay almost $1200 for my third set of tires because I had a flat tire on the highway and could barely get to the nearest tire store. I haven’t had a chance to shop around for a good deal. So, my total cost is more than I expected, but probably no more than I would pay to drive a gas car with the costs of repairs, tires, oil changes, emissions checks, brakes, other miscellaneous items, and the higher cost of fuel. The big savings will come in the future, when those costs are repeated in a gas car, plus the costs of a timing belt, muffler, replacing the exhaust and emissions control system, and eventually rebuilding the transmission and engine. If I live long enough, I expect to drive my Tesla over 500,000 miles. It’s not unrealistic to expect the electric drive system and battery to last a long time.

In Figure 2, we see my wife with our dog Zuni, our Tesla Model 3, and my e-bike in Zion National Park. We spend a good portion of the winter at our daughter’s house in St. George, Utah, just 40 miles away.

Below, see my detailed service costs over 138,856 miles. Other than needing another set of tires before long, I haven’t had any additional service costs in 90,000 miles.

Conveniently, I can get the exact dates, mileage, and cost of my Tesla repairs from the Tesla app on my phone. Not relevant, it seems to only be a couple of years old. Find out below how much I paid for non-forced issues with my car that aren’t covered by warranty.

I had to replace the tires four times. The fourth set should take me to 150k miles. However, with winter approaching, I might get tires early so I don’t get stuck on my way up the valley to go skiing. You paid $578.93 + $565.44 + $1,252.23 + $644.15 = $3,040.15 for the four sets of tires. I also replaced the cabin air filter for $29.00. The cell phone service guy did not charge anything for the installation. Also note: The cabin air filter comes in two units. I’ve watched a cell phone service guy do this and I wouldn’t recommend doing it yourself unless you have the right tools and are very handy with DIY repairs. ~ April 2020 and April 2021: 2-time 4-wheel alignment ~ $280. November 3, 2021 (54,131 miles): Resealed right front upper control arm ball joint (was squeaking) – $49. November 3, 2021 (54,131 miles): 4-Wheel Alignment – $90.75. July 22, 2022 (73,149 miles): Superbottle (battery and drive system cooling valve) removed and replaced because car would not go above 50 mph – $672.75. February 2, 2023 (88,705 miles): I had the cell phone operator replace my windshield wipers for $23.00. This was a simple process that anyone could do themselves. February 20, 2023 (90,029 miles): PTC/cabin heater removed and replaced (car will not engage in drive) – $1,148.00. March 2024: Car floor mats replaced. The original cloth floor mat will not remain in place next to the driver’s left foot. Velcro no longer works. I bought a set of rubber mats on Amazon for $49. These look much better, are easier to clean, and stay in place. However, it covers the trunk well, making it a little more difficult to use. There is also a simple clip in one of the mats, but other than that I’m glad I didn’t pay more.

Note: Ironically, despite all the advanced technology, my Model 3 has an old fashioned 12 volt lead acid battery that is used to power the electronics when starting my car. This battery is supposed to last 4 to 5 years. My system is still working fine, but I’m wondering if I should proactively change it. I believe newer Tesla cars use lithium ion batteries for this function. Lithium-ion batteries are lighter and more durable and should last for at least 10 years. (Editor’s Note: Tesla has a pop-up notification on the touchscreen when it’s time to replace the 12V battery. It asks you to do so before the battery actually dies. —Zack)

Total repair/maintenance cost

4 Sets of Tires: $578.93 + $565.44 + $1,252.23 + $644.15 = $3,040.15 4×3 Wheel Alignment: $370.75 Superbottle Replacement: $672.75 PTC Replacement: $1,148 Air Filter Replacement Interior: $29.00 Replacement Windshield Wipers: $23.00 New Floor Mats: $49 Get Picky: 4 bottles of windshield wiper fluid at $2.50 each for a total of $10.00 Total: $5,290.15

Other costs

Annual registration in Utah for a 2019 Tesla Model 3 is $318.25. Part of this is the $188 electric vehicle fee. The state of Utah imposed this fee on EV drivers to compensate for the fact that we don’t use gasoline and therefore don’t pay a road use tax. Utah offers mileage-based fees, which saves money for cars with low miles. I drove a long distance, so I paid the flat fee of $188.

The elephant in the room

I just checked how much my Bear River insurance policy would cost on my Tesla. In the past, Bear River insurance was always low cost. I was surprised to learn that I recently pay $3,089 a year. So, for five years, my insurance cost could be $15,000. This dwarfs the roughly $5,200 I paid for tires and out-of-warranty repairs by a significant margin. Obviously, if I think buying an expensive electric car will save me money, I’m sadly mistaken.

Please add your experiences repairing your own Tesla vehicles in the comments section below.

Referral Program: If you’re buying a new Tesla, Tesla has reactivated its referral program. If you find any of my articles useful to you, please use my referral link: https://ts.la/arthur73734 (be sure to use it when you place your order). If you’re buying a new Tesla and use my link, I think you’ll get $1,000 off the purchase price of the Model S or . Just be prepared to intervene immediately if you make a mistake.