Man who owns Tesla Model 3 and gas car tracks all his expenses so he can share very detailed cost comparison to show what's best
Published on Feb 05, 2026 at 1:50 PM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Feb 05, 2026 at 1:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
A Tesla Model 3 owner has been logging every single car-related cost for years, then stacked his EV spending next to a gas car to see what actually wins in real life.
He compared a 2019 Tesla Model 3 he bought new with a 2009 Subaru Forester he also bought new, tracking everything from fuel to insurance to washing.
The headline numbers look almost identical at first glance, but the breakdown tells a very different story.
Once you zoom in on where the money goes, the Tesla starts to make a strong case.
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Tesla Model 3 expenses compared to gas car cost comparison
In his r/TeslaLounge post, the owner of both a Tesla Model 3 EV and a Subaru Forester said he has tracked his spending on ‘everything’ for nearly 20 years, which meant he could pull a true cost per mile for both cars.
Obviously, he hasn’t had the Tesla EV for 20 years, but he first purchased his gas car 20 years ago, so he decided to compare both vehicles’ first five years.
For the Subaru Forester’s first five years, he calculated a total cost of $1.13 per mile, with gasoline making up more than 15 percent of that spend.
For the Model 3’s first five years, he put the cost at $1.14 per mile using the same categories, including monthly payments, charging, maintenance, insurance, registration, and even washing.
That one-cent difference looks like a draw, but he pointed out two big caveats: he spent more on optional extras for the Tesla, and inflation affects how the totals should be read when comparing across different time periods.
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Gas car cost comparison
The real separator was energy, he said; fuel was only about three percent of the Model 3’s overall costs, compared to the 15 percent plus slice in the Forester.
Even with nearly half of his charging happening at Superchargers during road trips, home charging did the heavy lifting for savings.
His home-charging setup also helps: he reported that charging at home with solar works out to around two cents per mile, which is wildly hard for gas to compete with over thousands of miles.
Then there is the maintenance list.
In his post, he noted that with the Tesla, he avoids costs tied to oil changes and a bunch of combustion car staples like emissions inspections and other engine-related servicing.
His conclusion was simple: the Tesla does not automatically look cheaper until you track everything, but once you do, the gas car starts bleeding money in the places most drivers underestimate.
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As a Content Writer since January 2025, Daisy’s focus is on writing stories on topics spanning the entirety of the website. As well as writing about EVs, the history of cars, tech, and celebrities, Daisy is always the first to pitch the seed of an idea to the audience editor team, who collab with her to transform it into a fully informative and engaging story.
