Man reveals 'shocking truth' about Tesla Model 3's battery at 200,000 miles
- We know the savings you can make powering a Tesla
- The performance of a Tesla Model 3 at 20,000 miles is surprising
- Is it a worthwhile investment in the long term?
Published on Jan 08, 2025 at 9:35 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jan 09, 2025 at 6:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
If you’re wondering about how a Tesla Model 3 will perform down the road – this owner speaking out on the ‘shocking truth’ about his battery as it hits 20,000 miles.
He’d owned the car for five and a half years.
It still has its original battery.
However, its battery performance might surprise you.
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Tesla Model 3
Joy of the Tesla Joy YouTube channel is already a Tesla Model 3 enthusiast.
She makes content about her Tesla Model 3 owner experience ‘to help recent new owners learn about this amazing car and help future owners make an informed decision’ when looking to buy an EV.
She checked in with her friend, Lawrence, as his electric car hit 200,000 miles after five and a half years.
According to Tesla: “[The] Model 3 has one of the most sophisticated battery systems in the world.”
Battery performance at 200K miles
Fitted with the original battery, Lawrence’s Tesla showed only around 10 percent degradation.
Surprisingly this had been consistent since 100,000 miles.
We’ve already seen that the Tesla Model 3 has proven to be a huge money-saver as their mileage grows.
Lucky for those who suffer from range anxiety, charging performance remained strong with supercharging still reaching 250 kW.
It has an efficiency of 244 Wh/mile – and we already know the savings of driving a Tesla EV.
Like most car owners, Lawrence had encountered minor issues like a seat sensor fault and the occasional tire puncture.
Its original brake pads were still in place and there were no major fluid changes needed, despite its AC servicing being overdue.
The takeaway?
“Consider used, man,” says Lawrence.
This sentiment was echoed by a man who bought a high-mileage Tesla Model 3 dirt cheap from a trade auction and revealed its surprising running costs.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
