Man breaks down total cost of owning Tesla Model 3 after four and a half years and ends up challenging popular misconception when he compares to gas
Published on Apr 07, 2026 at 3:15 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Apr 07, 2026 at 3:15 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Owning an EV like a Tesla Model 3 feels like a no-brainer right now, given gas prices, and one man who has owned one for over four years has broken down the cost of ownership.
YouTuber Nigel, who runs the channel with his wife Jen, recently uploaded a video breaking down the cost of running his Model 3.
The car has done just over 30,000 miles, and Nigel also talked through how much money he saved with the electricity versus the 30,000 miles in gasoline.
The video sheds some interesting light on just how much an EV can cost over an extended period.
This is how much a Tesla Model 3 costs to repair and service
Nigel first broke down the repair and servicing costs for the Model 3 EV.
“The first four years, the Tesla had a basic vehicle limited warranty, so there was nothing to pay,” said Nigel.
“It also comes with an eight-year or 100,000-mile battery and drive unit warranty,” he added.
Nigel had to pay £420 for a repair on the touchscreen, as well as a replacement air filter and windshield wipers.
He also paid for new tires after 25,000 miles, which cost £650 ($861), and two inspections cost £110 ($145), with road tax adding £195 ($258).
Five years of insurance cost £2,091 ($2,768), totalling around $4,592 for four years.
How much does refuelling the EV cost versus a gasoline car
With a mixture of free supercharging, home charging, and paid supercharging, ‘refuelling’ the EV costs $1,137 for the four years.
Home charging is typically cheaper, but having 5,000 free miles of supercharging is a definite bonus.
The biggest question, however, was how much cheaper it was than a gasoline-powered car?
Nigel calculated this based on various MPGs of 45mpg, 40mpg, and 35mpg.
After doing the maths, the YouTuber worked out that the gasoline would have cost $5,815, $6,543, and $7,478, respectively, over four years.
So clearly, he and his wife saved a lot of money using the Tesla Model 3.
That certainly challenges the misconception that EVs can cost more to run than gasoline-powered counterparts.
So not only were repair costs lower, but so too were the prices of replenishing the car with energy.
It does sound like EV ownership is currently a no-brainer.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
