Tesla Model 3 owner reveals how much it cost to drive 1,000 miles compared to gas car
- A Tesla Model 3 owner has revealed how much it cost to travel 1,000 miles
- He embarked on a lengthy journey across Australia
- The motorist says it was ‘cheap’ and ‘very easy’
Published on Jan 20, 2025 at 2:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jan 15, 2025 at 10:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A Tesla Model 3 owner from Australia has revealed how much it cost him to travel 1,000 miles in his EV compared to how much he’d have paid in a gas car.
JJ embarked on a 3,000km (1,864 mile) journey from Melbourne to Magnetic Island in Queensland, in his 2023 Model 3.
The mammoth road trip took around 60 hours to complete.
But how much better off was he opting for an EV over a gas vehicle?
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
He took his Tesla Model 3 across Australia and found it ‘very easy’
For many EV owners, the savings after switching from gas to electric are a huge plus point.
Last month, a Tesla owner revealed that he’d spent just $436 charging his truck at home for a whole year; while a fellow Tesla driver recently shared a real-time cost breakdown of using a Supercharger.
And over in Australia, JJ says his 3,000km journey – which he went on with pal Siouxsie – was ‘insanely cheap’ and ‘very easy’.
JJ said he was initially met with some skepticism from his friends when he told them about his plans, with many concerned he’d struggle to find charging points.
“When I was telling all of my friends on the island about [driving the Tesla] they all just laughed at me and said, ‘where are you going to charge?” he told Yahoo! News.
But he managed to find charging points no problem and 60 hours later, arrived at his destination.
So, how much did he save?
JJ said it cost him AU$321.44 ($198.94) for the entire trip – which works out to be around AU$10.25 ($6.34) per 100km (62 miles).
According to Yahoo! News, Aussie gas was selling for an average of AU$2.01 per liter ($1.25) so for a car that used eight liters per 100km, you’d be looking at a cost of AU$16.08 ($9.95) for the same trip.
Scaling that up to get to 1,000 miles (1,609km), JJ spent around AU$173 ($109), whereas a gas car would have cost in the ballpark of AU$271($167.72). A solid saving of AU$98 ($60).
Not only that, but JJ reckons he could have managed the journey for even cheaper.
“I was using the most expensive chargers, the Tesla Superchargers, the whole way up,” he said.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
