The top perks of owning a Tesla were shared by more than a dozen Tesla owners. Among the reasons they gave were avoiding gas stations and repair shops, as well as enjoying its high-tech infotainment system and self-driving capabilities. Tesla’s dominance in the electric car market is evident in many of these perks, which can apply to other electric cars as well.
Electric vehicle owners are part of an elite club of early adopters.
Tesla car owners cited the following benefits
In the push towards electric vehicles, Tesla owners belong to an elite club of early adopters.
Tesla drivers cited the following benefits.
Tesla owners say they haven’t taken their EV to the shop for years.
Internal combustion engines (ICEs) require oil changes every few months, or between 7,500 and 10,000 miles. Older ICE cars require oil changes every 3,000 miles.
Brake pads should also be replaced every 10,000 to 20,000 miles on ICE vehicles.
Tesla uses regenerative braking, which means the brake pads rarely need to be replaced. Similarly, electric cars need no oil changes, fuel filters, spark plugs, or emission checks.
For the first five years of ownership, Consumer Reports found Teslas to be the cheapest car to own in terms of repair and maintenance costs.
The only times Tesla owners visited service centers were for warranty issues or collisions.
“In seven years, I have spent about $800 on my Tesla,” said Robbie Mack, a former Tesla salesman and owner of a Model S. “One of the repairs was my fault because I went over a curb.”.
Many Tesla owners compare charging their EV at home with plugging in their phone at night – simple and efficient.
The glee of driving by a gas station knowing you don’t have to worry about prices is hard to explain, says Nelson Jackson, owner of a Model S.
As a result of using an electric car charger, Consumer Reports estimates that electric car owners save between $1,000 and $1,200 a year on fuel costs. As long as gasoline prices remain above 50 cents per gallon, EV owners will continue to save money on operating and maintenance costs.
The electric bill of Jonathan Baalke, a Model 3 owner based in Kentucky, increased by about $100 per month after he started using a home EV charger. Because he drives about 3,000 miles a month for his job, he estimates he saves $400 to $500 a month on gas.
“Superchargers still cost $15 versus $80 at a gas station,” Baalke said.
It is easy to use Tesla’s Supercharger network, according to Tesla owners
Tesla owners said they would consider buying another EV only if they had access to Tesla’s or an equally reliable network.
It’s impossible to imagine owning an EV without a supercharging network,” Nick Caraciolo, a Model 3 owner in Canada, said. “Public chargers are basically worthless. There’s a 50-50 chance that it will even charge.
During the past decade, Tesla has built out more than 20,000 fast-charging Superchargers in North America, making it one of the largest roadside fast charger networks in the world. In addition, Superchargers are widely regarded as more reliable and simple to use than other networks’ chargers. The public charging network for non-Tesla electric vehicle owners is a patchwork, which is difficult to locate and has reliability problems.
Tesla’s Supercharger network is being opened up to other EV owners through partnerships with other automakers.
Among Tesla owners, the company’s internal navigation system alerts them to the most efficient charging sites as well as those that are busier.
During a recent road trip, Baalke said he only needed to take a 15-minute charging break every three hours.
“What other company anticipates and notifies me like that?” he asked.
On road trips, non-Tesla owners have shared horror stories of finding chargers. A Kia EV owner said she had to stop 12 times to charge at slow public chargers. The Mustang Mach-E driver had to stop at four different charging stations to find a working one.
Google Maps announced earlier this year that it would use AI to help EV drivers locate charging stations.
Autopilot driver assistance feature has been praised by several Tesla owners
With the feature, Tesla cars are able to steer, accelerate, and brake automatically within their lanes. While it does not replace the driver, it is intended to make driving easier and reduce accidents.
It’s also possible for drivers to opt into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, a beta feature that costs $15,000 – or $199 per month – and allows vehicles to change lanes and recognize stop signs and stop lights.
Autopilot and Tesla’s beta feature make one Tesla owner feel safer on the road.
A 71-year-old Texas Model S owner, John Brusniak, said the FSD feature gives him an extra layer of protection when driving.
It just helps me get from point A to point B without worrying as much,” he said.
In spite of its features, not everyone is sold on them. 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 promoting Autopilot and FSD.
Whether it’s a fast Model S Plaid or a cheaper Model 3, Teslas are among the fastest street cars on the market.
Most Tesla owners don’t take their cars to the track, but they still enjoy some speed. A video of a Tesla Model S Plaid leaving a Porsche Taycan Turbo S in the dust went viral when it was first released.
I can practically fly in my Tesla,, a Model S owner based in California says. “It is quiet as a mouse and handles like no other car.”
Tesla owners are often tech enthusiasts
The extra features Tesla offers, including sentry mode, dog mode, fart noises, and gaming, were appreciated by several drivers.
Steve Almassy, a California-based Model S owner, describes it as an iPad on wheels.
Among the more quirky features, Baalke enjoys playing around with them.
In the past, I was an Apple fan, but now I’m a Tesla fan,” he said.
It’s little features like that that make a product distinctive, that make people love the brand more than just having it be something that is purely functional.
There have been complaints in the media over the years about Tesla’s service centers, including long wait times, shoddy repairs, and high repair costs. Several owners have complained about poor paint jobs and incorrect panel alignment as quality control issues.
The media coverage of Tesla’s customer service and quality issues was overblown by some Tesla owners, while others had less than favorable experiences with service centers.
According to Consumer Reports’ reliability survey for Tesla owners, “paint and trim,” “noises and leaks,” and “body hardware” are “common trouble spots.”
Early adopters have to deal with some stuff, and people are spoiled if they don’t realize that.
Also Read:
1 Comment