How Much Do Tesla Batteries Degrade After 200,000 Miles?

The lifespan of an electric vehicle battery is a common concern among prospective buyers, with many worrying that they’ll someday need a pricey replacement. However, recent data shared by Tesla spanning over a decade shows that the automaker’s vehicles may face less degradation than once thought.

Above: Tesla vehicles charging at a Supercharger station (Image: Casey Murphy / EVANNEX).

Tesla’s 2022 impact report showed that its battery capacities only degraded by an average of 12 percent after 200,000 miles, as demonstrated by data from over the last decade (via Not a Tesla App). For most customers, the company says that battery replacements won’t need to be an option at all.

To be sure, the data comes from Tesla itself and real-world results could vary. Still, as Not a Tesla App points out, the automaker also invests a significant amount of money in research and development, and its batteries have remained on the cutting edge for its short history.

“We often get asked: Will I need to replace my battery at some point in the future?” Tesla writes in the report. “The answer is no. Since we’ve been selling EVs for over a decade, we have a reliable data set that shows us battery degradation over time. We estimate that a vehicle gets scrapped after approximately 200,000 miles of usage in the U.S. and roughly 150,000 miles in Europe.”

Tesla also notes that, while mileage can be a factor in battery capacity retention, age is also a major factor. Furthermore, the company explains, the retention figures at lower mileage levels probably represent the age of the batteries, while high-utilization vehicles with higher mileage levels probably show less impact on batteries resulting from age.

Additionally, Tesla says that the performance of its newer battery chemistries doesn’t yet appear in the results, since it requires more data. This refers to Tesla’s more affordable lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which the company began selling with its lower-ranged, entry-level Model 3 and Y vehicles in 2021. The company’s nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) batteries are still used in longer-range variants.

Tesla has also said it’s already developing newer battery chemistries that it expects to be even more efficient than current ones. As its current and newer battery chemistries generate more data over time, Tesla also says it will disclose the degradation levels of those batteries, too.

From reducing battery waste to avoiding costly replacements for buyers, Tesla’s R&D into batteries also serves the company’s larger goal of sustainability. And as more buyers go electric, fewer overall GHGs will be emitted from vehicle tailpipes within their lifespans.

===