Tesla Model 3 cost of ownership after two years and 50,000+ miles

It's been two years and 50,000 miles since Andy Slye, a popular YouTuber, purchased his Tesla Model 3 RWD. After his two-year Tesla anniversary, he shared his Model 3 experience after clocking that many miles on the odometer.  

Above: A red Tesla Model 3 front fascia closeup (Source: Saketh Garuda on Unsplash)

According to Andy, the Tesla Model 3 has been the most economical car he's ever owned. This also holds true for many other owners around the world. And even though the car is still under warranty, you should still expect some (typical) out-of-pocket maintenance after two years.

To that end, Tesla recommends the following items be replaced or serviced within the two-year period (refer to the Model 3 owner’s manual for complete details).

1. Brake fluid health check every two years (replace if necessary)
2. Cabin air filter replacement every two years
3. Clean and lubricate brake calipers every year or 12,500 miles (20,000 km) if in an area where roads are salted during winter
4. Rotate tires every 10,000-12,000 miles (16.000-20,000 km) or if tread depth difference is 2/32 in (1.5 mm) or greater

By using the DIY Model 3 air filter replacement method, Andy saved around $225 and the total cost of service and parts replacement after two years was only $390. Crunching the numbers, this works out to be around 50 cents a day or $8 per 1,000 miles. Would that be possible in a BMW 3 Series or an Audi A4? Ummm, I don’t think so.

Above: Tesla Model 3 door handle issue fixed by Tesla Rangers under warranty at home (Source: Andy Slye / YouTube)

Tesla fixed a number of issues (without any added cost) covered with Tesla’s vehicle warranty. For example, the Model 3’s driver door handle was not closing as quickly as it should have — the automaker fixed this and a few other minor issues at the owner’s location using the Tesla Mobile Ranger service. 

Twitter: Andy Slye

Tesla vehicles are primarily meant to be charged at home overnight. And, the automaker offers the necessary gear (and guidance) to do so at the time of purchase. The company's Superchargers are intended to accommodate longer road trips. These fast-chargers played a big role in how Andy would charge his car logging 50k+ miles of driving longer distances. However, his Model 3 only cost him $54 in Supercharging fees — a rather cost-effective option when compared to filling up at the pump during highway road trips in your gas guzzler.

Of course, most of Andy's charging, as mentioned prior, was done at home. Still... throughout two years of ownership charging at home (about 90% of the time), it only totaled to about $900. Therefore, the grand total for charging after two years: $950 which translates to around $0.019 per mile.

Above: Tesla Model 3 After 2 Years: What It's REALLY Like (YouTube: Andy Slye)

Last year he also gave us a full breakdown of what it costs to complete a 1,000 mile US road trip in a Tesla Model 3 — and yes, it's extremely cost-efficient (in every aspect) when compared to a gas car.

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Written by: Iqtidar Ali. An earlier version of this article was originally published on Tesla Oracle.