- A Tesla will cost you an average $4,035 for maintenance and repairs over a 10-year period – as long as you don’t need a battery replacement.
- Land Rover is the most expensive brand to maintain at a whopping $19,250 over 10 years.
- American brands occupy four of the five spots for the cheapest maintenance and repair costs, while premium German automakers take over four of the five most expensive.
Maintenance and repair costs are frequently a critical consideration for prospective car buyers, as they can significantly impact the ownership experience and, of course, their budget. In the latest annual survey conducted by Consumer Reports, members were asked to report their out-of-pocket expenses for total maintenance (including oil changes, tires, etc.) and repairs over the previous 12 months, excluding costs associated with collision repair.
Tesla emerged as the least expensive brand to maintain over a 10-year ownership period in this study. However, it’s important to note that this survey doesn’t appear to factor in the potential cost of a battery replacement, which could significantly alter this assessment.
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American brands dominated the list of cheapest maintenance and repair costs, securing four out of the top five spots. This suggests that opting for a domestic automaker can be a wise financial decision for budget-minded buyers. Conversely, Land Rover stood out as the most expensive brand to maintain, followed, unsurprisingly, by the usual suspects: premium German automakers.
Overall, Consumer Reports found that new cars usually need very little work in the first few years of ownership, which are covered by the typical three-year warranty. However, maintenance costs can significantly increase as the cars age, especially when it comes to luxurious models from non-US brands.
Below you can see the detailed results for each automaker. Note that the chart is sorted by their performance in the full 10 years of ownership.
According to the results, the average Tesla costs only $580 to maintain for the first five years, and $4,035 for the first 10 years making it at the top of the list ahead of Buick and Toyota. This is a far cry from the respective numbers for the average Land Rover, which costs $4,250 in the first five years and a whopping $19,250 for the first 10 years, easily placing it at the very bottom of the list.
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We should note that the only Tesla that has been on sale long enough to make it into the decade-long survey is the Model S. Additionally, Tesla is the only brand in the list that exclusively offers electric vehicles, backing the theory that ICE-powered models are more expensive to maintain which makes sense given that they have more moving parts.
On the other hand, a potential Tesla battery replacement, costing between $10,000 and $20,000 depending on the model and occurring outside the warranty, could easily outweigh the potential benefits compared to gasoline-powered vehicles and hurt the cost-efficient character of an EV purchase. Fortunately, most electric car batteries should last for over 200,000 miles without significant degradation issues.
What About Collision Repairs?
However, the picture isn’t entirely rosy for Tesla. While Consumer Reports found them to be the cheapest to maintain, repairing Teslas after a collision is significantly more expensive compared to other EVs and gasoline vehicles. This discrepancy is largely attributed to the high-tech features, the scarcity of aftermarket parts, and the tendency for Teslas to be declared total losses in accidents rather than being repaired.
In a similar context, Hertz recently expressed concerns about the expensive repair bills for their Tesla Model 3 fleet. However, this issue is primarily attributed to the higher incidence of damage among EV rideshare drivers compared to regular EV owners.