Tesla used car prices keep plumetting, dips below average used car
78 comments
·August 9, 2025p0w3n3d
kelseyfrog
Besides the costs of sticking to one's own values, there are social implications for being known as the kind of person who drives a car made by the guy who did the Nazi salute twice in a row. These social implications have an associated cost reflected in the price.
pxeboot
Has anybody actually been finding good deals on used Tesla's? Every time I see one that looks like a decent price, it has extremely high miles or serious issues.
Anytime I see one with low miles and in good condition, it is approaching the price of a new one.
Fade_Dance
I agree with your sentiment. I've occasionally browsed them, and like you said, while many are cheap, you get what you pay for more so than with other models (higher mileage, worse condition). I usually end up finding that other makes and models are a better value.
chii
ICE used cars are often in relative good working condition.
EV used cars are basically dead batteries. It makes a lot of sense to see used EVs price plummet. The index being used to make this comparison doesn't seem to disclose the car category, so it's hard to draw any conclusions.
If tesla car specifically drops in value, compared to other electric car brands for similar vintage/model vehicles, then you can draw a conclusion. Otherwise, it'd be merely confirmation bias.
conradev
Don’t ICE cars require a lot more maintenance per mile than EVs?
I own a Toyota 4Runner which is known for holding its value long term and is super reliable… but I do have to change fluids regularly, for example. Engine oil, transfer case fluid, etc.
Regenerative braking is supposed to be nicer to the actual brakes, too, even though an EV with the same capacity is generally heavier.
chronal4720
> Don’t ICE cars require a lot more maintenance per mile than EVs?
Model 3/Y battery replacement is US$15,000 to US$20,000.
Wipes out all other EV maintenance cost advantages.
YZF
Modern batteries can last a long while though. If you take care of it and mostly keep it between 25-75% and don't supercharge it too often. There are Teslas with more than 300K miles on the original battery.
I have a model 3 with ~80K kilometers and the battery is as good as new. 2018 model. For someone that drives 10-15K km a year there's maybe 30 years more driving on this battery (400K km).
My previous ICE car had two head gasket replacements in the 10 years I owned it. I also had to replace the entire engine. Oil changes. Brake pads/discs, CV joints... So far the EV is way ahead and based on the current battery degradation should remain ahead.
adrianN
How long does the battery last though? Engine replacements are expensive too, but usually every other part breaks before the engine.
Joel_Mckay
True, but grey market rebuilt packs for Prius are only $2k to $6k if you know the secret of the Cab fleet companies.
For most other models one is indeed not so lucky =3
hvb2
> Don’t ICE cars require a lot more maintenance per mile than EVs?
Yes, and this to me feels like one of the least understood things about EVs.
There's no engine, clutch, gearbox etc. No timing belt or spark plugs either. So yes, that saves a lot of maintenance.
And depending how you drive you might not use friction brakes at all either. Leaving maintenance to be a 12V battery and tires.
Based on driving an ev for 10 years (Nissan Leaf)
grepfru_it
My timing belt (chain), clutch, and gearbox last 130k+ miles. Thats the life of some EV batteries. Coilpacks cost $100. You are not wrong, but I have not had any major repair on any of my cars under 50k miles. Maintenance does exist but it doesn’t wildly drive up the cost per mile
There is also suspension, a/c, wipers, and interior electronics.
The difference between ice and EV stops after the drivetrain and most ice drivetrains are rather reliable these days. My 10 year old ice sedan costs about 0.18/mi. I would be interested to know what a comparable EV would cost, considering half of my cost is basically gasoline
Update: it seems EVs cost under 0.10/mi with figures coming in between 0.03 and 0.08. This doesn’t explain if this is all costs (including things like washer fluid, regular maintenance etc) or estimated costs+charging. My costs were tracked over a 6 year span
Hamuko
Not using the brakes isn't particularly good from a maintenance perspective since your brakes will rust and stop working.
nothercastle
In general yes but Tesla is a pretty low volume closed ecosystem with poor parts availability. So when you have a problem it’s going to be a huge pain in the a.
Joel_Mckay
A good ICE vehicle without a CVT can last a long time.
Regenerative braking means people don't need brake maintenance as often, but also have to replace tires more frequently (especially lazy people that don't rotate the tires regularly.)
Personally, I wouldn't buy a North American ICE model from the past 17 years. Go to a site like Edmunds and sort by worst reviews first, and run if you see electrical or drivetrain complaints. You will have to go back decades to find a reasonable quality domestic ICE model. =3
null
cma
I think EVs need more tire changes and rotations from the added weight and the tires are a bit more expensive.
otherme123
Engineering Explained youtuber made recently a video selling his Tesla (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFLrDaV6nkE), and all his mantainance costs for 60k miles are quite low: about $600, taking out damage from hitting a pothole hard.
The gas savings vs electricity consumed were huge, about $10k
hvb2
> EV used cars are basically dead batteries.
A lot of these used to be leased cars. Why would those batteries be dead?
And if they are under the 70% mark then Tesla warranty should cover that. See https://www.tesla.com/support/vehicle-warranty
jfoster
An 8 year warranty seems fine for new vehicles, but doesn't help much with selling used vehicles that are 6 or 7 years old.
benjiro
Never owned a Tesla, but the amount of horror stories involved with Tesla, its often a hard battle to get warranty, especially around the battery when it involves a second hand vehicle. Even first owner vehicles are often a mixed experience.
I assumed you never opened the link you point to, as its literally in the first line very clearly "Your new Tesla" (as in, not a second hand vehicle). Ooooo, fun, look a bit lower in the actual model info. Your vehicle need to return to the first registered area to gain warranty for a resell. Here in Europe we see often cars being sold that come from Spain or other area's, in Germany. By that contract condition, it need to go back to Spain for a battery fix. lol
Tesla Vehicle warranty is at discretion of Tesla bla bla ... Battery max 8 years, or 240.000km, ... Lots of other exceptions to that warranty.
And if you can apply the warranty, your also not getting a new battery, but a refurb based upon the whole description.
Fyi: Lithium batteries drop in capacity faster and faster when they go past the 80% mark. But legally, Tesla can shove anything in there. A 100% battery, a 80% battery, ... you get the point.
With a ICE engine, even on rental cars, you tend to get the same millage out of them, as a new one. Most issues are often more on the clutch or turbo, both relative cheap repairs compared to a battery pack.
People have been warned years ago, that second hand market for EV cars is going to be a issue because of the battery. Now we are seeing the effect on the pricing.
jchw
Hmmm. The Cybertruck has only been on sale since 2023, so presumably it shouldn't be impacted by this issue, but it seems like it still is (moreso than other used cars at least.) Being the most distinctive Tesla car there is, I expect a lot of that does come down to damage to the brand...
devmor
I don't think we should consider the Cybertruck alongside the other Tesla vehicles in this particular comparison. Brand aside, it's a low quality vehicle that gets outclassed by both EV and ICE trucks at half (or less, depending on configuration) of its MSRP - all of which have a better reliability track record.
motorest
> EV used cars are basically dead batteries.
A quick googling shows some sources claiming EVs are in general designed with a planned service life or around 10 years.
That's basically the same planned service life for ICE cars, which some sources claim it tends to be 12 years or 200k miles.
One source suggests battery capacity in EVs drop less than 2% per year on average.
These numbers seem to contradict you, but you show your data so that we can look into it.
irrational
I always keep my ICE cars for at least 25 years. It is crazy to me that people are getting rid of them after only 12 years.
pseudo0
That works if you have the skills, tools, and willingness to do a lot of work yourself. For most people, a major repair on a 10+ year old car (engine, transmission, etc) means sinking more money into a car than its blue book value.
mac-mc
very weather and mileage dependent, if you live in a fair weather place and garage it, it can last much longer
croes
Less fuel consumption, less pollution, less noise.
danielheath
I have looked at a few 2012 Nissan leafs, out of curiosity.
Virtually all of them have over half their original battery life. That’s low enough to be restrictive in a car, but far from dead.
kedikedi
And if it’s the very first gen of the Leaf, then, as far as I know, they don’t have thermal management for the batteries. So it greatly stresses them both for discharge and charge and that manifests as reduced capacity.
Lithium cells are happy when they are around 20-25 degrees Celsius (about 75F?) but they don’t enjoy when it’s hot or cold. Likewise, they don’t enjoy full charges and discharges which I’d guess more probable in a smaller range car.
All in all, the first gen Leaf might not be a good benchmark for a more modern EV. Many things should be better now.
hvb2
Keep in mind that those are dinosaurs in the ev world. Battery is air cooled and can't really fast charge.
They're great commuter cars though if the range is enough or you charge at work
Source, I have one :)
nothercastle
A lot of the cheap old ones have 35-60 miles of range. Enough to get to town but not back
geerlingguy
But fine for a local errand car, at the right price.
And there are a couple places working on replacement battery packs.
thelastgallon
> ICE used cars are often in relative good working condition.
Yes! ICE cars have 10,000 moving parts, and also chambers for burning stuff, lots of oil and residual burnt stuff. ICE cars work exactly like the human body, exercise helps live longer. EV cars have nearly no moving parts, they get obese and die sooner.
cyberax
> EV used cars are basically dead batteries.
No, they aren't. Here are stats for actual Tesla battery degradation: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/study-real-life-tesla-battery-d...
So after 200,000 miles or 10 years, you're on average expecting 70% of the nominal battery capacity. My car is at 150k miles, 8 years, and 85% capacity. You can expect more than 300,000 miles on the odometer before the battery dips below 66%.
And mind you, even then the car can work just fine if you don't _need_ range.
akmarinov
> EV used cars are basically dead batteries
Lol, no, they’re not.
The average EV is likely in a better condition than the average ICE, due to the maintenance requirements on both
devmor
I think people are missing the forest for the trees when commenting on this one. It's not EVs vs ICE, it's Tesla vs everything else.
Tesla has supply chain issues. They have always had supply chain issues. Some people have to beg Musk on social media for attention to get their cars repaired after months and months of waiting.
No one wants to buy a used EV with existing or potential upcoming maintenance issues that may cause it to be unusable for a significant period of time.
croes
> Tesla is still regarded as a premium brand in the industry.
That’s just not true anymore
gwerbret
> Used Tesla car prices are now down 4.59% year-over-year
Their graph shows a drop from $33k to $28k since August '24, or about 18%. Did they leave a factor of 4 behind somewhere?
lnsru
And yet it is still impossible to find cheap used model 3 for a family member in Germany. Everybody’s telling about massive price drops, but I haven’t seen one for months.
thrown-0825
I dont know if BYD is available in Europe but I find them to be comparable in quality and very affordable.
nothercastle
Shitty quality too?
thrown-0825
about what you would expect from a modern sedan, i would compare them to a mazda or hyundai
PeterHolzwarth
A great reminder of the popular press vs the reality of the market.
watwut
German and American used car prices can differ.
rapsey
It is just insane how much bad press Tesla gets compared to other car makers. A lot of it huge exaggerations or lies.
Tesla recalls millions of vehichles plastered on every major news site. When it is just an over the air software update.
Or Tesla the most unreliable car in the world, according to the most respected german organisation, yeah they counted those OTA updates.
brokencode
Elon drew a huge target on Tesla by going so hard into politics. Truly a lot of people are still pissed off worldwide and want to see him fail.
If Tesla doesn’t like it, maybe they should fire him instead of paying him $30B.
rapsey
Bad press about Tesla has been a staple since way before his political activities.
wahnfrieden
Not just “politics” but his particular interests there
Nazi innuendos aren’t just playing politics or normal divisiveness of entering politics
watwut
They count OTA for everyone. Tesla is being treated like everyone.
rapsey
They are being punished for improving their software. Other car makers mostly abandon their existing models.
vkou
> It is just insane how much bad press Tesla gets compared to other car makers.
Most of the other car makers weren't promising FSD next year for decades, or have their CEO giving the Roman Salute at MAGA rallies, or regularly having ketamine-fueled affluenza breakdowns on Twitter. Also, their ticker is a truly bizarre memestock.
There's easy targets, and there's painting one on your own back.
Tryk
It was a Nazi Salute, two of them.
jondwillis
It’s almost as if there’s things that tip the bias against Tesla!
I for one can’t think of A SINGLE reason why anyone or any news outlet could criticize a nicer, more normal, grounded, unproblematic, controversial, or completely good and undeserving company than Tesla. /s There’s so much to like about EVs, and there’s no denying Tesla’s outsized role in bringing practical EVs to market, and kickstarting competition, which is mostly good, despite the tactics and controversy.
Trying to leave politics out of it, it’s also undeniable that Elon, in and out of his CEO role at Tesla, has done some really harmful, shitty, trust-destroying things. I think everyone can agree that reality cannot have possibly matched the hyperbole and marketing claims. The overpromising, and therefore untruths, good faith or no, alone are enough for me.
The dude’s fingerprints, and everything good and bad (mostly bad for some time now IMO) that come along with it, are all over Tesla.
I wonder what is the reliability of a used Tesla. Is only the battery failing after some time? I heard that any hit to the battery may make it burn in some time later which is a huge issue, but don't all EV have battery in the chassis?
I can't imagine people not buying used car because the owner of the company said something. Especially if the car is top high innovation in EV