Replacing a Tesla battery: costs and options explained

As a Tesla owner, the thought of having to replace your car’s battery is a scary prospect. The battery is the most expensive electric vehicle (EV) component, and no one wants to discover that their car needs a new one. 

Over its more than 15 years of manufacturing, Tesla has employed a variety of lithium-ion battery types in its vehicles. The 18650-style cell was utilized in the first Roadster and the later Model S. In Q1 of 2022, Tesla manufactured almost half of its cells using the new LFP chemistry and 4680-style cells. The manufacturing location determines the type of cell used in a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y.

According to a recent Recrrent report, it revealed that over time, batteries deteriorate naturally. Although the causes of EV battery degradation can be complicated, these are the two primary factors that would require replacement:

• Capacity fade occurs when a battery’s overall accessible energy decreases as its constituent parts deteriorate, which is considered out of range.
• Power fade is primarily concerned with the rate at which a battery can lose energy, which affects acceleration speed. Vehicle sluggishness would be a recognizable sign of this. 

However, Tesla batteries have shown to be quite resilient. For years now, Recurrent has been monitoring range loss from its community of more than 6,000 Tesla Model 3 owners, and the range loss is minimal, particularly in the later years.

Customers can choose between a Tesla Service Center or a third-party battery replacement supplier. 

The battery replacement cost varies depending on the model year and size. Estimates suggest that the batteries for the Model S cost between $12,000 and $15,000. After labor charges, the total repair cost is about $20,000 to $22,000. For the Model 3, the replacement cost around $15,799.27, with the battery alone costing over $13,500 and labor costing $2,299.27. The Model Y’s battery replacement cost is approximately $15,000, similar to the Model S.