Man who traded in his 2018 Tesla Model 3 after 234,000 miles shares what impact its high mileage had on range
Published on Feb 22, 2026 at 2:18 PM (UTC+4)
by Callum Tokody
Last updated on Feb 19, 2026 at 9:49 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This man traded in his 2018 Tesla Model 3 after 234,000 miles and revealed exactly how all those miles affected the car’s range.
The Tesla Model 3 had been driven regularly, not saved for weekends or short trips.
When he first bought it, the display showed around 310 miles on a full charge.
He knew that number would drop, but wanted to find out by exactly how much.
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Tesla Model 3 battery range after 234,000 miles
When the 2018 Tesla Model 3 arrived, its battery range was a major reason buyers took notice.
An original 310-mile rating meant most daily driving happened without much thought about charging.
But what did a couple of hundred miles do to that range?
This man wanted to find out.
After 234,000 miles, the same Tesla Model 3 showed a loss of roughly 70 miles of rated battery range.
That change happened over years of regular use rather than all at once, and the car continued to operate normally as the range figure slowly declined.
With around 240 miles available on a full charge, the car still covered commuting, errands, and general driving without difficulty.
Charging needed a bit more planning, but it remained manageable.
He said the driving experience stayed predictable, which is often more important than the headline number.
Long trips now required a little more thought than they once did.
But for day-to-day use, he said the Tesla Model 3 continued to function as expected.
What high mileage feels like in an electric car
High-mileage electric cars tend to age differently from petrol vehicles.
There are fewer mechanical components affected by long-term use.
Over time, most of the noticeable change comes from the electric battery.
Battery replacement is part of the long-term ownership discussion for any electric vehicle.
Costs remain significant once warranties expire.
At the same time, battery recycling has become more common, with materials like lithium and nickel now routinely recovered from used packs.
This Tesla Model 3 trade-in shows how ownership evolves when an electric car is driven hard and often.
Electric cars have not been around long enough for anyone to fully understand how they would age until recently.
High-mileage examples are now filling that gap.
Luckily for buyers, many owners are now breaking down the real cost of driving gas cars versus EVs.
Some owners have even ranked EVs against gas and hybrid cars, and the results are eye-opening.
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Callum has vast and varied experience, presenting a radio show and founding his own magazine to name just a couple of his accolades. In addition to his role as PR & Partnerships Coordinator, liaising with the most prestigious car brands in the world, Callum also heads up the website’s daily news. When he's not at his desk he can be found testing out the ASMR and driving UX of the latest supercar and EV launches.
