Do Teslas Lose Range Over Time? (Checked & Explained)

Teslas are going to lose range over time simply because of the battery. The range that you lose will depend on a number of factors ranging from the temperature your Tesla is exposed to all the way to your charging habits.

Knowing how much range to lose and what you can do about it will help you to get the most out of your Tesla EV.

Will My Tesla Lose Range Over Time?

The range of your Tesla battery will decrease over time. You can estimate losing approximately 5% of the range the battery can hold within the first two years. Lithium-ion batteries typically lose 1-2% of their range every year.

How Much Range Do Teslas Lose per Year?

Typically, lithium-ion batteries that are used in electric cars lose approximately 1 to 2% of their range every year. This degradation is normal.

The batteries are designed to last a long-time. Even if a battery degrades that much every year, it’s only taking about 4 to 8 miles off of the range every year.

Tesla Model S owners, according to greencars.com, have seen approximately 5% battery degradation within the first 50,000 miles. This 5% is comparable to about 20 miles.

With Tesla owners, the degradation seems a bit slower – much of that is because of the new technology as well as the Tesla models with two motors.

While 5% is lost in the first 50,000, the next 100,000 miles only result in a total of 5% battery degradation.

That means that Tesla drivers could potentially drive for 150,000 miles and only see a total of 10% lost from the range.

It’s often easier to look at the range lost based on mileage rather than a year.

It is estimated that the average American drives about 14,000 miles per year.

However, this is also dependent on your daily commute to work, whether you drive for your job, and much more.

The more you drive, the more you’re likely to see a higher battery degradation by the end of the year. It’s also why it’s that much more important for you to practice proper charging habits.

How Many Miles Can You Drive Before You Lose Range?

Most Tesla drivers won’t see a true loss in range for at least the first 50,000 miles.

The range on a single charge of a Tesla will depend on the model. You can see here how far each Tesla model can go on a full charge.

Model 3: 267 miles

Model Y: 303 miles

Model X: 333 miles

Model S: 396 miles

Of course, it may be possible to go slightly further depending on if you have a long-range model or have a unique configuration to protect the battery during charging.

You can also read more here about how soon a Tesla will become slower.

Still, assuming you have a Model 3, you’d want to maximize those 267 miles on a regular basis. If you suddenly started losing range so that your battery could only get you 200 miles, that would be enough to grow concerned.

The average driver will lose 5% within the first 50,000 miles. Using the Model 3 as an example, your new range after this degradation would be about 247 miles.

If you do a significant amount of driving and are using the highway superchargers multiple times per day, it can cost you in your range.

The good news is that you won’t lose as much range as other EVs on the market if you go fast.

The reason is that Tesla has a lot of innovative cooling technology incorporated into it. The active battery cooling won’t lead to problems when you go fast.

Cheaper EVs, however, are more susceptible to overheating, which can lead to rapid battery degradation and a loss of range.

Can You Check the Actual Range on a Used Tesla (Before Buying)?

There are a few ways to check the range on a used Tesla, even before you buy it.

Buying a used Tesla isn’t the same as buying a used gas-powered vehicle. On a gas-powered vehicle, you’d focus more on the odometer reading than anything else. You’d know that it’s normal to replace a battery every one to two years, so you wouldn’t explore the battery’s health.

When buying a used Tesla, you want to explore the mileage on the motor so that you can determine how much degradation to expect.

You will also want to look at the range that the vehicle is getting so that you can see how much degradation has occurred and learn about the previous owner’s charging habits.

The odometer is accessed within the main screen. You will need to take the car icon and follow the three dots. This will show you the odometer. The number will tell you how many miles the Tesla has gone, regardless of battery charges.

As for the range, that’s found within the Energy app. This data can be cleared out, so you need to hope that it hasn’t been so that you can learn as much as possible.

The range that is shown to you is personal.

It estimates the range based on:

• Environment
• Personal driving habits
• Charging habits
• Battery degradation

Since the Tesla won’t know about your personal driving habits or the environment you will be exposing it to, the range you get with the same used Tesla may be slightly different.

Do Good Charging Habits Improve Driving Range?

Consider how you charge your Tesla battery on a regular basis.

Ideally, you should charge it when it is between 20 and 80%. Charging your Tesla to 100% is a bad idea.

If you are waiting until it reaches close to 0% every time, it can start to cause a drain on the battery. Check more reasons your Tesla may lose battery too quickly.

When your battery is constantly stressed, it will have a negative impact on your driving range.

Every time you let your battery drop to zero, it can become miscalibrated.

When this happens, you’ll see range degradation – and this may even occur within the first few thousand miles of buying a Tesla.

Establish an everyday charging routine.

Take Advantage of the Energy App

The Energy app is found on the touchscreen of the Tesla. It will help you to analyze your driving patterns. You can also forecast your charging needs based on a trip that you’re planning to take.

Monitor Your Driving Style

Your battery can experience strain based on the kind of driving you partake in regularly.

Some of the biggest strains include:

• High speed driving
• Uphill driving
• Stop-and-go driving
• Inclement weather, including strong headwinds

You can help to maximize your range by making sure that regenerative braking is kept within the “standard” setting.

What Can You Do to Preserve More Range?

There are actually a lot of things that you can do to protect the battery and preserve the range.

#1 Focus on the charge percentage:

Charge to between 20 and 80% depending on the range you need to achieve. You don’t want to charge to 100% on a daily basis.

#2 Avoid draining the battery:

Don’t let your state-of-charge drop below 10% too often.

#3 Avoid too many Supercharger stations:

Fast charging can actually warm up the battery to dangerous levels. While it’s fine periodically, don’t make it a daily occurrence.

#4 Protect the battery from extreme temperatures:

Your battery can experience degradation if the temperatures are too hot or too cold. Consider storing your Tesla in a garage – and use a fan or heater to maintain a desirable moderate temperature.

Can You Calibrate Tesla Batteries to Regain More Range?

Calibrating your Tesla battery is important to ensure your range is at the level that it should be.

You also want to make sure that it’s reading the accurate amount – especially if you’re going on a long trip.

There’s an easy way to do this – and that involves resetting your battery management system.

1. Drive until your range is in the single-digit percentile – under 10%.
2. Let it sit for one hour while pinging with the door handle or app to keep the system awake.
3. Charge to 100%.
4. Follow step 2 again.
5. Drive it immediately.

Typically, you will only need to do this recalibration once every so often. Depending on how bad your charging habits have been, it may need to be calibrated twice in a row so that you can eliminate any battery degradation that has occurred.

In the future, try to keep the daily state of charge at close to 90%.

Final Thoughts

Learning about the range that you can lose from your Tesla is critical. Obviously, you want to be able to get as far as possible on a single charge – especially when you’re going a longer distance.

A Tesla battery can cost between $13,000 and $20,000 depending on the model. You don’t want to have to replace this at any time in the near future.

By practicing proper charging techniques and keeping your Tesla stored at an optimum temperature, your battery can last for a long time without experiencing too much battery degradation.

Sources

Electric Cars Can Fast-Charge Safely…

https://www.tesla.com/support/range

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