Money is tight and cars are expensive. Because they are so expensive to buy, we now hold onto them for longer. In 2024, the average car in the U.S. was 12.6 years old, 0.1 more than the year before. But, cars are not only expensive to buy, it costs a lot to run them. Most cars come with a warranty, and many even have a period of free services, our running cost calculations were based mainly on MPG or MPGe (for electric vehicles). The first few years covered by the warranty did not really count in the cost of ownership.
You really only notice the maintenance costs when you have to service your car or have something repaired when it is out of warranty. And, the older the car gets, the more often things need to be repaired. Maintenance costs are not the same as reliability, although they often correlate. A car that seldom breaks down, but is expensive to repair when it does, can have a higher maintenance cost over time than one that often breaks, but is cheap to repair.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Consumer Reports.
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Tesla: Setting The Standard For Maintenance Costs
Exceptional Affordability In Maintenance For The First Five Years
Tesla is the EV brand with the lowest maintenance costs over a 10-year period. This is compared to all other car brands readily available in the U.S. A brand like Ford, for example, makes ICE, Hybrids, PHEVs, and EVs. Tesla competes with Ford and other carmakers in the entire range of drive options.
The fact that Tesla, as one of the few companies that make only EVs, can compete and beat all other brands is remarkable in itself. There is a perception that EVs are more expensive to maintain than ICE vehicles. Perhaps this perception is false, but it is a fact that EVs are still less reliable than ICE vehicles. This is simply because current EV technology is still relatively new, compared to the highly mature technology that underpins internal combustion engines.
Low Maintenance Built Into The Design
As the pioneer of today’s EVs, Tesla has the most experience of the technology. The age of the Tesla fleet is often touted as a weak point in the brand. The Model S was launched in 2012, the Model X in 2015, and the Model 3 in 2017. Only the Model Y in 2020 and the Cybertruck in 2023 were launched in this decade. Although that kind of age grouping would be a death knell for an ICE range, EVs are different.
Tesla has kept the looks and peripheral technology fresh through regular updates, and batteries have improved tremendously through the years, but the underlying drivetrain is very much as it was. This is because the Tesla EV drivetrain is so simple, with so few moving parts, that there is not that much to update.
First Five Years For Under $750
The first five years of any Tesla will cost on average $730 to maintain. This is partly due to the over-the-air software updates that can fix or prevent problems without dealership contact. The main reason is Tesla’s excellent 4-year/50,000-mile basic vehicle warranty, as well as the 8-year/100,000 miles plus battery and drivetrain warranty depending on the vehicle in question. The fact that Tesla can offer such a long drivetrain warranty bears witness to the simplicity and inherent stability of this EV range.
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Long-Term Value: Tesla’s Superior 6-10-Year Performance
Consistently Low Costs Over the Lifespan of Ownership
It is during the second five years of a car’s life that things can become expensive, not only because by then most warranties have run out, and aging parts start to fail. But because Tesla’s drivetrain and battery warranty extends to 8 years, this normally-expensive period is still on par with the best cars on the market.
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Next Five Years Cost $4,320
According to Consumer Reports, the maintenance cost of a Tesla for years 6 to 10 is just $4,320 on average. Add to that the $730 cost for the first five years, and ten years of Tesla ownership will set you back only $5,050 in maintenance costs.
The brilliant 8-year drivetrain/battery warranty obviously contributes to this low cost. But even without the warranty, Tesla’s build quality, and the minimal moving parts that can wear out means things last, and there are fewer parts to wear out and break. This simple drivetrain also sets Tesla owners free from scheduled engine tune-ups,
Five Lowest Maintenance Brands
The second five-year period of the best five brands is very similar, with only $350 separating Toyota and Hyundai as the maximum spread, and Telsa and Toyota only $20 apart. This does show that there is value to be had in a second-hand Lincoln, Toyota ICE or hybrid, given the disparity in MSRP between these and even the most affordable Tesla.
|
Total 10-year Maintenance Costs |
First Five Years |
Second Five Years |
|
|
Tesla |
$5,050 |
$730 |
$4,320 |
|
Lincoln |
$5,200 |
$850 |
$4,350 |
|
Buick |
$5,300 |
$1,000 |
$4,300 |
|
Toyota |
$5,300 |
$1,100 |
$4,200 |
|
Hyundai |
$5,680 |
$1,130 |
$4,550 |
It is also worth looking at the five most expensive brands for maintenance over 10 years.
|
Total 10-year Maintenance Costs |
First Five Years |
Second Five Years |
|
|
Volvo |
$9,825 |
$1,775 |
$8,050 |
|
Audi |
$11,050 |
$2,050 |
$9,000 |
|
Mercedes-Benz |
$13,100 |
$3,500 |
$9,600 |
|
Porsche |
$16,000 |
$5,000 |
$11,000 |
|
Land Rover |
$17,450 |
$3,700 |
$13,750 |
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The Engineering Behind Tesla’s Reliability
High-Quality Components And Cutting-Edge Innovation Lead The Way
When Tesla launched the Roadster in 2008, it created a pattern for successful EVs that endures to this day. Components like batteries, electronics, and software have advanced beyond imagination since then, but the basics of that EV were sound, and Tesla has spent the past 25 years improving that solidly engineered foundation.
EV Powertrain Pays Off
When you think of things that normally go wrong in ICE vehicles, several parts jump to mind. Cooling systems, oil circulation, timing belts, exhausts, gearbox, ignition, and a variety of sensors can all fail. Fuel pumps and injectors are also fragile components essential to the running of an ICE vehicle, but they are all unnecessary in a Tesla.
The Tesla drivetrain is simple. It uses permanent magnet synchronous motors and durable battery packs that go on working with minimal degradation. The regenerative braking means the normal brakes are seldom used, which also increases their lifespan.
Drivetrain Reliability Compared
ICE cars, with their mature technology, are still the gold standard in reliability. Normal hybrids are almost as reliable, while EVs and PHEVs are still most affected by reliability issues. EVs are 42-percent more likely to have problems than ICE, but that is down from 79-percent from the year before. Plug-in hybrids are the most complex drivetrains, with both ICE and EV infrastructure. These are currently 70-percent more likely to cause problems than ICE, down from 142-percent the year before.
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How Tesla’s Software And Service Keep Costs Low
Innovations In Software And Remote Diagnostics Reduce Visits To The Shop
Very early on in its journey, Tesla had identified and addressed the choke points in the customer/OEM relationship that cost time, money, and caused frustration. Instead of a flashy new model every couple of years, it built great cars to start with, kept updating them to keep new ones fresh, and put in place a customer-first philosophy seldom seen in the autosphere.
Over-The-Air Updates
A Tesla is basically a fast computer on wheels. Tesla’s over-the-air updates will continuously fix software bugs, improve the way the car works, and even resolve hardware issues without having to visit a service center. The technology that drives Tesla is mainly mature, and problems that do occur tend to be bugs in the infotainment, or glitches in the peripherals. Tesla also offers a mobile service for when the problem is beyond online remedy and requires a professional hand to fix it. This mobile service will bring a tech directly to you, which eliminates the time and costs normally associated with a service center visit.
Tesla App
There is an app for everything, and in the case of Tesla, that means everything from emergency roadside assistance to booking and paying for a service center visit.
