A YouTuber known as Electric Vehicle Man purchased a five-year-old Tesla Model S Long Range Performance with 90,000 miles and conducted tests to assess its battery degradation. The results showed an 11 percent decline over five years, which he deemed satisfactory. This test highlights ongoing misconceptions about electric vehicle battery longevity.
Electric Vehicle Man recently acquired a used Tesla Model S Long Range Performance, a model from five years ago that has accumulated 90,000 miles. Curious about the impact on its battery, he performed a series of evaluations, including a real-world driving test and an analysis via a battery health app.
He referenced Tesla's standard degradation expectations: around five to six percent in the first year, followed by one to two percent annually thereafter. After running the tests, the battery showed a total degradation of 11 percent over the five-year period.
Reflecting on broader perceptions of EV batteries, Electric Vehicle Man noted, “If I go to the early days of owning EVs about 10 years ago, everyone was telling me that they’d only last five years.” He added, “Now that’s progressed to seven or eight years. There’s definitely a misconception as to how long batteries are lasting, especially on a modern EV.”
The YouTuber expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “I’m more than happy with that. This has three years and 60,000 miles left on the battery.” For context, while 90,000 miles is substantial, it pales in comparison to other high-mileage Teslas, such as a Model S with 1.6 million miles or a Model 3 exceeding 238,000 miles.
This examination comes amid persistent concerns about range anxiety, a key hesitation for potential EV buyers who fear batteries cannot match the endurance of traditional internal combustion engines. Yet, as manufacturers innovate to extend battery life and improve charging speeds, such tests demonstrate the durability of modern electric vehicles.