Would you buy a Tesla with 150,000 miles on the clock? A high mileage EV might come with a HUGE bonus

One of the biggest concerns about buying a used electric car is how long the battery will last.

However, official figures show there are plenty of high-mileage EVs in use on Britain’s roads today that could dispel some of these fears.

That’s particularly the case with Teslas. According to a report last year, there are over 309 Teslas being driven with more than 200,000 miles on the clock – and more than 5,300 have surpassed 100,000.

Incredibly, one Model S has covered almost 700,000 – the equivalent of theoretically driving around the world 28 times, LeaseLoco revealed in October having analysed MOT data.  

A quick check of Auto Trader at the time of publishing reveals that eight Teslas are currently advertised for sale across the country with more than 150,000 miles on the odometer, priced between £10,000 and £25,000.

But would you be brave enough to consider buying one?

Well, there is one very significant financial bonus if you do buy an older Tesla with high mileage – and it will mean incredibly low running costs for the duration you own it…

The rise of the high-mileage Teslas

Official figures held by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show there’s a Model S that had clocked 697,744 miles when it went in for its most recent MOT test.

This is Money believes this particular car is likely a taxi or private hire vehicle used for airport runs, which explains its monumental use.

It’s a remarkable achievement given Tesla launched Model S – its first mainstream EV – in the UK only a decade ago in the summer of 2014.

 And it’s far from alone in clocking up big six figure numbers on the odometer. 

The car leasing website’s analysis found five Model S Teslas on UK roads that have clocked more than half a million miles.

The second most-used Tesla – another Model S – has 564,860 miles on the clock, DVSA records suggest.

On a single charge, the latest version of the Model S boasts a range of up to 405 miles (depending on spec), assuming no degradation over time.

Based on this range, the 700,000 Tesla owner would have charged at least 1,723 times since they purchased the car.

However, earlier variants of Model S offered closer ranges of around 285 miles, meaning a lot more connections to the grid.

What’s unclear from the DVSA records is whether any of these high-mileage Teslas have had their original batteries replaced under warranty.

And it’s not just Model S Teslas that have been totting up major mileage.

There are 807 Model 3s in Britain with over 100,000 on the clock and 491 Model Xs.

Incredibly, given there are fewer than 30 Tesla Roadsters registered in Britain, six of these have over 100k on the odometer, DVSA records suggest.

The highest-mileage UK-registered Tesla is a Model S that’s clocked 697,744 miles. That’s the equivalent of theoretically driving around the world 28 times

As a big mileage Tesla reliable?

The general perception is that electric cars should – in theory – be more reliable than petrol and diesel models due to having fewer moving parts in the drivetrain.

However, there’s still no conclusive study to show how long a battery lasts based on average use over time.

This is predominantly because EVs remain in their infancy, and it would be unfair to judge battery lifespan by artificially accelerating driven mileage and the volume of charges, because this has a negative impact of battery performance and therefore provides unrealistic results.

However, recent driver surveys have suggested that Tesla is very much middling in terms of reliability, with What Car? ranking it 15th out of 31 brands in its latest poll.

However, this only looks at vehicles up to five years old and therefore is unlikely to include the high-mileage Teslas like the 150,000-plus examples on sale today. 

For reference, the Model Y was named the most reliable EV of all in What Car?’s most recent report. Only 4 per cent of drivers said they have been forced to deal with a fault in the previous 24 months of ownership.

Non-drivetrain electrics and sat-navs were the only problem areas – and in very small volumes.

In comparison, 27 per cent of Tesla Model 3 owners said they had experienced issues over the same period. This was mostly with bodywork, electrical system and suspension issues.  

When Tesla first arrived in the UK in 2014, it offered customers free unlimited Supercharging for life. Find an early example of a Model S and this free charging access could be transferable

The BIG perk of buying a high-mileage older Tesla…

When Tesla first arrived in the UK in 2014, many customers were provided with additional perks to convince them to turn their back on combustion engines. And the biggest of all was the offer of free unlimited Supercharging for life. 

This provided customers with no-cost access to the brand’s network of devices, meaning they never have to pay a penny to charge the batteries at a Tesla-supplied charging point. 

And some of the early Tesla Model S examples came with a golden ticket – free supercharging that was transferrable with the car to future owners.

You need to check the status carefully though. Over time, Tesla incorporated similar promotions for specific models or customers who made a referral who could use points against free charging.

All versions of the Model S – Tesla’s first mainstream car sold in Britain – have seen some form of free Supercharging, as did some Model X customers.

However, free unlimited Supercharging has not been transferrable to next owners since 2017, as Tesla looked to reap the financial benefit of the popularity of its EVs.

As such, early Model 3 Performances (2018-2019) were sold with free unlimited Supercharging for the lifetime of the car, but only for the original owner without the option to transfer to a new keeper when the EV was sold.

All versions of the Model S have seen some form of free Supercharging from Tesla, as did some Model X customers

A Tesla Model S with transferable free unlimited Supercharging will be registered before April 2017. It will need to have the code SC01, which you can check with the seller and Tesla directly

If you can snag a high-mileage Tesla with free unlimited Supercharging, it could save you hundreds of pounds a year.

You will need to check the option code on pre-April 2017 models to find out if they have transferrable free unlimited Supercharging access. 

Code ‘SC01’ is the one you need to look for. 

This provides transferable free unlimited Supercharging to the next owner via a private sale. 

Sellers will likely make a big point of having the SC01 code, as it will make their Tesla more attractive to potential buyers. 

You can also ask them to prove they have the code by logging into their Tesla account where information will be available under the ‘Specs and Warranty’ option.

However, the best way to check if a Tesla has this available is to check with the manufacturer directly.

The battery warranty on Teslas is 8 years or 100,000-to-150,000 miles, whichever comes first

How long is a Tesla battery warranty? 

The US EV giant steered by Elon Musk offers a battery and drive unit warranty for eight years or 100,000-to-150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The warranty guarantees the battery’s capacity will be at least 70 per cent over the warranty period.

If the battery degrades more than 70 per cent within the warranty period, Tesla will replace it with a battery that meets the 70 per cent limit.

As such, many older high-mileage Teslas will be outside this warranty window, which is something you will need to seriously consider before purchasing. 

Musk tweeted back in 2019 that a Tesla battery should last for 300,000 to 500,000 miles.

If that’s true, there are 54 Teslas in the UK with between 300,000 and 500,000 miles on the clock that could be due a new battery, granted they haven’t already had the original unit replaced.

This means that five Teslas in the UK have exceeded Elon’s prediction if they haven’t had a replacement battery yet.