Our 5-Year Tesla Ownership Cost: Most Misleading Price in Automotive History

2023 Model 3 va BMW 330i true cost of ownership analysis

Model 3 Five-year breakdown

BMW 330i Five-year breakdown

2019 Model 3 vs Camry vs Audi Study

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Timecodes
0:00 - Intro
1:13 - US EV adoption doubles
2:11 - Our 2018 Model 3 savings
4:32 - Model 3 vs Toyota Camry savings
4:52 - Model 3 vs BMW 330i
6:21 - Enviornmental Impact
8:29 - EV jobs
9:05 - Share the good word

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[zhugeliange]

Owned my tesla model 3 performance for 4 years and over 70k miles. Love it. Swapped one set of tires and one set of air filter. Otherwise maintenance free. Don't have to deal with dealership which is a massive plus.

[aerodyneservices]

Fuel costs are a very small portion of TCTO of a new car. In my case, fuel is $0.05 per mile vs $3-6 per mile total. This is mainly depreciation ( Thanks Tesla for the recent price cuts) 😕 but does not include interest on loan or most important, loss of use of money. If one is not contributing the MAX to your retirement plan, you should not be buying ANY new car.

[DannerBanks]

If you:
* don't need to tow
* don't regularly drive long distances
* have a place to charge at night
* have the money to buy something beyond an economy vehicle

You should totally get an EV! I have one but I also recognize the limitations for certain use cases.

[fuzicast]

A few thoughts came to my mine.
1. your cost of fuel is about $38 per month, how much do you drive per month? it seems way too low, I would've expected $80 per month, which seems more reasonable.
2. your insurance is really low as well. i have seen folks paying $150 per month for insurance, yours is like $100 per month.
3. camry resale value seems really low for a toyota. they typically depreciates at around 20-30%, not more than 50%.

[timstone]

I have 2012 Toyota Camry and have had it since new, 2 sets of tires oil changes and 1 brake job. still less than the $4000 show me what maintenance was done that cost $4k in 3 years to a Camry!!! 120k miles

[toxinx]

Based on the table in 4:42 resale value of camry is about 9k. Can you sell me a 5-year-old Camry for $9, 000(or even $10k)? I will buy as many as you have.

[jacksonbangs]

Comming from bicycle commuting I have actually noticed an increase in my transportation spending. But I have to admit that electric vehicles get you from point A to point B faster than a bicycle. Keep up the good work in educating people about the benefits of going electric.

[Subroc]

My 5 year old model 3 with the same mileage just two weeks ago needed $4, 500 in suspension work.

[Berretotube]

Fantastic video Kim - such great breakdown of costs. I’ve had an almost identical ownership experience- and with solar panels, we’ve spent almost nothing on gas/fuel/energy 🚘

[ARRehman]

I have been driving a 2018 Toyota Camry since 0 mile and the car has now75, 000 mile with zero repair other than 10, 000 miles oil change interval wich cost me $60 a year
So all i want to know is where those $4, 000 repair came from, it's Camry not a money pit BMW.

[Jimsxn]

how do you get insurance this cheap? AAA quoted almost 3k a year w/ clean record.

[MehmetcanKarahan]

Though not unique to EVs (though seems to be unique to Tesla) is the Model S/X and now Y (I believe) the HEPA filters for the cabin. The exhaust coming out of cars are almost at the same height as the cabin air intake, and so the thickest of smog is thus on the road especially when there's lots of traffic. Having the HEPA filter was a game changer for me and I know it's kept me and my family healthier.

[jacksonbangs]

From a cycling perspective there were times when a big diesel truck would pass me on the road while emitting a huge cloud of diesel exhaust in my face.

[oldguy]

I installed a solar panel electric system a little over two years ago, with no thought of owning a Tesla. Early this year, my daughter bought my wife a Model Y, so I installed a charging system which cost me only $150. My system provided all of the watt hours we needed for everything in the home, except the Model Y. I added to my system, and still have a couple of additional things I plan to do. Here in California, electricity is up to around $0.30/ kwh. My wife put on 14, 000 miles in 8 months, or about $3500 in electric cost without the solar system. With it, only about $1000. We also have a Prius. The same mileage would have cost up 350 gallons of fuel, or $1750. So the really important savings with a Tesla is to have a solar eledtric system.

[seansuwanto]

You should also compare the cost when warranty expires. That’s when you may get a spike in cost which may offset all the cost you’ve been saving.

[adequatedust]

Thank you for the video. A couple things I like to add is I do not feel BMW is a good comparison to Tesla as BMW is luxury and Tesla not so much. BMW is known for its high maintenance costs. Here in San Diego our electric costs are between $.42 to $.85 per Kwh. Much more than your reported $.11. I would have to report that fuel costs are three times higher than you reported. I just drove cross country and the average super charger cost across 15 states was $.32 per Kwh. Insurance on the Tesla is just short of double for similar coverage.

[ElMistroFeroz]

I don't even buy into the environment hocus-pocus and even less climate politics. This technology is amazing technology either way.

[vapeking]

Wait Telsa doesn't include free supercharger for life anymore? Just isnt practical for long distance unless you dont mind waiting and paying to charge. Honestly I dont get why hydrogen is only in California I think its a better and less expensive idea.

[JeanPierreWhite]

We've had a similar journey.

We started our EV journey in a Nissan LEAF in 2011. Then came the Model 3 and we've since added the ID.4. Total miles on these vehicles is 202, 750.

Thank you SO MUCH for emphasizing the health benefits of EV's and how insidious PM 2.5 is to our health. I especially like the studies you referenced. We banned smoking in public decades ago and driving an ICE car is very similar to smoking in public. We all deserve clean air.

You guys are AWESOME!

[redst]

Just curious what do you do when they tell you not to charge your car because the grid is overloaded and you need to get to work, sounds wonderful but realistically our grid is nowhere near where it needs to be and battery technology is still lacking, than no one seems to talk about what it takes to get materials for all these batteries im sure thats really good for the environment, we also seem to ignore the fact that China and India seem to do whatever they want when it comes to the environment.
🤔