Man who bought UK's cheapest Tesla for $6.7K and gets free charging for life shares how he's getting on with the bargain

In mid-2025, car journalist and Fifth Gear presenter Jonny Smith somehow bought the cheapest Tesla in the UK, and he’s just updated us on how his incredible investment in a Tesla Model S Performance is paying off.

Tesla EVs are not cheap, especially in the UK, where the electric vehicle curve is a few years behind America.

But this specific Tesla Model S Performance was found on the market for an unbelievably low price, and Smith couldn’t resist taking a look.

And it turned out to be much better than what he bargained for, as aside from one fixable fault, its free fuel perk was enough to entice any daily driver.

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Fuse-light fear allowed one man to buy the cheapest Tesla in Britain with lifetime free charging

Most of the time, cheap Tesla cars are quite fruitful, with one US man claiming that ‘the risks are pretty low,’ as he discovered a bargain Model X last year.

As for Smith, the Tesla Model S Performance that he found was worth just $6,700, with 266,000 miles on the clock.

The previous owner was fearful after the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree, but Smith found its simple fix was just a fuse change, which he and his friends knew how to perform quite cheaply.

Back when the Model S was first being shipped to the US, Tesla ran a scheme that would pay for their electricity, and this offer was then tied to the car for the rest of its life, rather than the owner.

In this case, the company is still paying for the Model S mileage, which could easily mean the car could pay for itself.

So, seven months later, was it worth the gamble?

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Reaping rewards of dirt-cheap Model S Performance

On his new YouTube video, he explained that the car has been more than affordable to fix, and he’s already winning money back.

With the fuse issue being instantly noted, Smith also took the UK’s cheapest Tesla for a quick once over at a garage, intending to get an oil change and repair any other minor snags.

Skimming the brake disks, upgrading the aero wheel covers, re-aligning the micro-switch assembly, and replacing the anti-roll bar link were ‘cheap adjustments’ that had the Model S Performance back in prime condition.

Combined with the free charging, the car only had glowing reviews.

“It’s got amazing performance, a hugely capacious cabin and boot spaces, and it just does so many things so well,” Smith said.

“High‑mileage EVs like this can still be reliable, extremely cheap to run, environmentally friendly, and practical daily drivers. Especially when free charging dramatically lowers ownership costs.”

The best part about the car was pointed out to be the ‘Insane Mode’, aka Mad Max Mode, which gave a ‘monumental’ boost to the torque that was instantly felt.

But for his daily driver, Smith has put an extra 9,000 miles on the clock and hasn’t paid a nickel for his Supercharging habits.

One of the biggest bargains we’ve ever seen.

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