Here’s How a Tesla Model S Holds Up After 424,000 Miles

Seventeen trips around the equator and it’s still kicking—but not without its fair share of repairs.

byRob Stumpf|
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The tried-and-true gasoline engine has been around for a long time, and it likely will hang around for a long time. In the past half-century alone, automakers have seemingly turned reliability into a science, building million-mile cars with relative ease. With the popularization of electric cars on the rise, however, a new dawn of mileage records and durability might soon be on the horizon.

With Tesla being the most popular EV-only brand in the world right now, it's only natural to hear about some high-mileage Teslas popping up out there. But what does one actually look like up close and personal? One YouTuber's got answers for us: Braden Carlson.

Carlson recently got his hands on a friend's 2015 Tesla Model S 70D. The black-on-black electric sedan was recently purchased from its original owner who used the car for Uber service since it was brand new. During the past six years, the Tesla racked up a rather astonishing 424,302 miles—that's around 71,000 miles per year—and it's still going strong.

The only major piece of service that the Model S has undergone, according to Carlson, was a battery replacement. The Tesla previously received a new battery under warranty at around 250,000 miles, meaning that the car now has 180,000 on its current battery pack. Since its pack replacement, the car's original range of 240 miles has dropped to between 180 and 200 miles on a full charge, meaning a loss of as much as 25 percent.

All of the car's other major components seem to be in good shape, which is fairly impressive for a car with its odometer reading. Carlson says that all of the car's electronics still work too, except for the driver's side rear window actuator. There's also an issue with the gauge cluster's screen where the adhesive has begun to "drizzle" off, which is apparently a not uncommon issue with a DIY fix. The interior is also in fairly good shape, with just some wear around the steering wheel and the seats, but that's pretty excusable for a car that has made approximately 17 trips around the equator.

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In all, the car looks to be in pretty good shape. Carlson even interviewed a few Tesla owners at a Supercharger station, and none could guess the actual mileage. The owners did question Carlson about the battery pack and were not surprised to hear that it was replaced. One owner did note that he was concerned about his own Tesla's longevity and admitted that it was one of the biggest "cold feet" factors during the entire purchase.

This also isn't the first super high mileage Tesla the world has seen. Back in 2018, we shared with you a report of a Model S P85 that racked up 420,000 miles and a Model S P90D with 410,000. Our friends over at Jalopnik also recently got their hands on the service records of a 401,000 mile 2016 Tesla Model X that racked up around $29,000 worth of maintenance and repairs—which is around $0.07 per mile. There's also record holder Hansjörg von Gemmingen who has racked up a massive 921,889 miles (1,483,637 km) and counting. The last time we heard about Gremmingen in 2019, he had two battery packs and three drive units replaced during his 621,371 miles.

All-in-all, EVs seem to be a pretty big step forward in terms of reliability. With fewer moving parts, gaskets, fluids, belts, and maintenance items, it's no surprise that we're seeing high mileage EVs less than a decade old. In fact, this particular car should raise some eyebrows about the types of maintenance and overall service that might be seen at dealerships in the future.

Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: rob@thedrive.com

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