Tesla owners share perks of owning the EV over any other car

Some Tesla owners say they've gone years without bringing their EV into a repair shop.

For comparison, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles need to have their oil changed every few months, or between every 7,500 to 10,000 miles. And older ICE cars require oil changes every 3,000 miles.

ICE vehicle owners also need to replace their brake pads about every 10,000 to 20,000 miles.

Meanwhile, an electric car will never need an oil change, new fuel filter, spark plugs, or emission checks. Similarly, Teslas use regenerative braking, which means the brake pads very rarely need to be replaced, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Consumer Reports found that Teslas were the cheapest cars to own when it comes to costs of repairs and maintenance for the first five years of ownership.

Many Tesla owners said the only times they visited service centers were for issues that were covered by the carmaker's warranty or for collisions.

"I've spent about $800 in seven years of owning my Tesla," Robbie Mack, a former Tesla salesman and owner of a Model S, said. "One of the fixes was my fault because I went over a curb."

 

Tesla owners say they save hundreds by charging at home. Many compared charging their EV to plugging in their phone at night — simple and efficient.

"It's hard to explain the glee of driving by a gas station knowing you don't have to worry about the prices anymore," Nelson Jackson, a Model S owner, said.

The average electric car owner saves between $1,000 to $1,200 per year in fuel costs as compared to using an EV charger, according to Consumer Reports. The publication found that EV owners will continue to save money in overall operating and maintenance costs as long as the price for gasoline remains above 50 cents per gallon.

Jonathan Baalke, a Model 3 owner based out of Kentucky, told Insider his electric bill increased by about $100 per month when he started using a home EV charger. But he estimated he's saving about $400 to $500 a month on gas because he drives about 3,000 miles a month for his job.

"Even when you stop at a Supercharger you're still paying like $15 versus $80 at a gas station," Baalke said.

 

Tesla owners say they love the ease of using the company's Supercharger network.

Several Tesla owners told Insider they would only consider buying another automaker's EV if they either had access to Tesla's network or an equally reliable network. 

"I can't even imagine owning an EV without a supercharging network," Nick Caraciolo, a Model 3 owner based in Canada, said. "Public chargers are pretty much worthless. There's like a 50-50 shot that it will even work. There's no reason to even attempt using them."

Tesla has spent over a decade building out more than 20,000 fast-charging Supercharger in North America, making it the region's largest network of roadside fast chargers. Moreover, Superchargers are widely regarded as more reliable and easy to use than other networks' chargers. Non-Tesla EV owners rely on a shakier patchwork of public chargers, which can be difficult to find and suffer reliability issues.

Musk has begun partnering with other automakers, however, to open up some of Tesla's Supercharger network to other EV owners.

 

Tesla's internal navigation system alerts drivers to which charging sites it predicts will be most efficient and which ones are busier. That's a favorite feature among owners.

Baalke said he used the system on a recent road trip and he only had to take a 15-minute charging brake every three hours or so.

"What other company is that in tune with my needs that they'd anticipate and notify me like that?" he said.

Over the years, non-Tesla owners have shared horror stories about trying to find chargers on road trips. A Kia EV owner said she had to stop 12 times to charge at slow public chargers. A Mustang Mach-E driver said he had to stop at four different charging stations, frantically searching for a working one.

Other companies have also sought to emulate Tesla's system. Earlier this year, Google Maps announced it would begin using AI to help EV drivers find charging stations.

 

Several Tesla owners said they love the car's Autopilot driver assist feature.

All Tesla models are equipped with the feature, which enables a car to steer, accelerate, and brake automatically within its lane. The function does not replace the role of a driver, but is intended to make driving easier and cut down on accidents.

Some drivers can also opt into Tesla's Full Self-Driving software, a beta feature that costs $15,000 — or $199 per month — and allows the vehicle to change lanes, as well as recognize stop lights and stop signs.

One Tesla owner said Autopilot and the company's beta feature helps him feel safer on the road.

"I feel like it gives me an extra layer of protection when I'm driving," John Brusniak, a 71-year-old Model S owner that is based in Texas. He said he doesn't fully trust the FSD feature, however.

"Your driving skills wane as you get older and it just helps me go from point A to point B without having to worry as much," he said.

Not everyone is sold on the features. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Autopilot and its potential connection to several accidents and the California Department of Motor Vehicles has accused the company of falsely advertising its Autopilot and FSD features.

 

Many Tesla owners enjoy the rush of accelerating in one of Musk's cars. Whether it's a ultra-fast Model S Plaid or a cheaper Model 3, Teslas are some of the fastest street cars on the market.

When it was first released to the public, a video of a Tesla Model S Plaid leaving a Porsche Taycan Turbo S in the dust went viral. Most Tesla owners don't take their cars to the track, but they still enjoy a little speed.

"My Tesla is a spaceship on wheels," Vivek Wadhwa, a Model S owner based in California, previously told Insider. "It can practically fly. It's quiet as a mouse and it handles like nothing else."

 

Many Tesla owners are tech lovers.

Several drivers told Insider they like all the extra Tesla features — from sentry mode and dog mode to fart noises and gaming opportunities.

"I tell people it's an iPad on wheels," Steve Almassy, a Model S owner based out of California, said.

Baalke said he likes to play around with some of the more quirky features.

"I used to be an Apple cult fan, now I'm a Tesla guy," he said.

"I've made it fart in front of people to make them laugh," he added. "It's little features like that that make a product distinct, that make people love the brand more than just having it be something that is only functional."

 

Over the years, some Tesla owners have complained about issues with the carmaker's service centers in the media, saying they experienced long wait times, shoddy repairs, and costly fixes. Owners have also reported some quality control issues such as poor paint jobs and improper panel alignment.

Some Tesla drivers told Insider they've had lackluster experiences with service centers and seen smalls defects with some of the cars after they were delivered. At the same time, other Tesla owners said they felt media coverage of issues with Tesla's customer service and quality was overblown.

Chris Harto, a senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports, said the publication's reliability survey for Tesla owners found that "paint and trim," "noises and leaks,"and "body hardware" are "common trouble spots for Teslas."

"If you want to be an early adopter you've got to put up with some stuff and people are spoiled if they don't realize that," Mack told Insider.