Here's How Long A Tesla Model S Battery Will Actually Last

Like it or hate it, Tesla's flagship, the Model S, is a relatively popular car. Although Tesla does not differentiate sales between the Model S and Model X, the brand said it delivered 24,964 Model S/Xs last year. Although not Tesla's most popular model (the automaker delivered over 911,000 Model 3/Ys in 2021), the Model S is still a popular car. For years, it was the only Tesla model aside from the incredibly limited Roadster and served as the first EV car for many drivers. The Tesla Model S of 2022 is an incredibly quick six-figure luxury sedan with a 396-mile range.

One of the chief concerns among EV buyers is the lifespan of the battery, the heart of any self-respecting EV. If the battery dies out only a couple of years or so into ownership or degrades in such a way that it doesn't make much more economic sense than a gasoline car, every EV benefit is essentially canceled out. Fortunately, the battery of a Tesla Model S, along with most other EVs on the market today, have fairly long estimated lifespans.

Unlike new EVs like the GMC Hummer or F-150 Lightning that have only been out on the roads for scarcely a year, the Tesla Model S has been zipping along for around a decade. That means the battery has seen real-world use and therefore, actual degradation and abuse from daily driving. As for that battery's warranty, Tesla covers 8 years, 150,000 miles, or whichever one comes first. The warranty does not cover regular battery drain and degradation over time. 

The actual life of the battery is likely much longer than that 8-year/150,000-mile period. According to data retrieved from a 2015 Tesla Model S that was driven over 146,000 miles, InsideEVs was able to determine it still had 90% of its battery capacity left, averaging out to about 1% lost every 15,000 miles. That means, that in the absolute best-case scenario with perfect care, weather, and absolutely no mistreatment of the car or battery, you can get over a million miles out of a Tesla Model S battery before it loses all its capacity. Most EVs, including Teslas, tend to last around 300,000-400,000 before the batteries need to be replaced.