February, 2024
Conventional ICE vehicles have extra maintenance costs that Tesla vehicles completely avoid, making a Tesla one of the least expensive vehicles to maintain. Tesla owners over the first four years might have to replace tires and perhaps a windshield wiper, just like all other vehicles. Beyond those two items, maintenance costs are zero!
ICE cars have endless items that must be maintained and replaced that don’t exist on a Tesla. These items cost thousands of dollars over the vehicle’s lifetime.
On the lower cost end, some items need frequent replacements and work:
- Quarts of oil
- Oil filters
- Radiator Fluid Top-off
- Air Intake Filter
- Smog Tests (in some states)
As the mileage increases, ICE cars also need to replace many parts that don’t exist on a Tesla vehicle.
- Spark Plugs
- Muffler
- Fuel Filter
- Fuel Pump
- Water Pump
- Timing Chain
- Belts
- Alternator
- Transmission Fluid
- Differential Fluid
- Radiator Fluid
- Intake Valve Cleaning
- Air Filter
- Fuel Injectors
There are some maintenance items on both Tesla and ICE vehicles. These wear out two to four times faster on ICE cars than a Tesla:
- Brakes Pads
- Brake Rotors
ICE dealers also often scam users with bogus repairs and items of dubious value. Here are just some of the expenses that ICE owners may be tricked into getting:
- Fuel Flush
- Fuel Additives
- Engine Flush
- Transmission Flush
- Radiator Flush
- Nitrogen Tire Fill
ICE and Hybrid vehicles are also the targets of catalytic converter thefts, which take about 5 minutes to steal. These often cost thousands of dollars to replace and can occur multiple times in the life of the vehicle for some unlucky people. There are no catalytic converters in any Tesla.
In all, ICE vehicles are an expensive maintenance nightmare compared with Tesla vehicles!