Kentucky man who's owned a Tesla Model 3 for years works out the 5-year cost compared to a Toyota Camry and says he's shocked
Published on May 14, 2026 at 5:51 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on May 14, 2026 at 5:51 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
A Tesla Model 3 owner has crunched the numbers to see how much its five-year cost compares to a Toyota Camry – and the answer left him stunned.
Andy Slye, a YouTuber from Kentucky, wanted to see how much money he’d invested into his EV over the years.
He was taking everything into account, from maintenance to charging costs.
Putting it up against the Toyota Camry, he wanted to see which car came out on top as the cheaper option.
Estimating the costs attached to a Tesla Model 3 over five years
When Slye picked up his Model 3 in 2020, the total cost was $56,000 – including destination fees, upgrades, and extras.
However, this was back in the days of the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit (RIP), so Slye only paid $48,500.
With $900 spent on a home charger, that went up to $49,440.
And when it came to service costs, Slye estimated that repairs had cost him $1,003.
Throwing in insurance and tires added $10,511 to the bill.
What about charging? You couldn’t possibly talk about EV costs without factoring that in, right?
After 119,990 miles, Slye had racked up energy consumption of 30,361 kWh.
Fortunately for him, he had free Supercharging – but how much would have he been shelling out otherwise?
Estimating a split of 94 percent of charging done at home, and six percent done at Tesla Superchargers, he estimated it would come to $3,308 in total.
All in all, the Model 3 came to $64,262.
How did the Toyota Camry compare?
By comparison, the Toyota Camry came to a cost of $64,300.
That’s right, it was a mere $38 difference between these two cars.
Watch below to see him break down his comparison:
Slye is far from the only person to draw comparisons in costs between EVs and gas cars.
One study from Veloz found that EVs offered ‘meaningful savings’ – certainly a wider berth than what Slye found in his estimations.
But victory for the EV category isn’t always guaranteed, as demonstrated when this American writer put EVs, hybrids, and gas cars up against each other.
Ultimately, every person will have to do their own research to feel like they’re making an informed decision.
Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
