This Used $7,800 Tesla Model S Proves Not All EVs Cost An Arm And A Leg

Just try to ignore the fact that it has almost 270,000 miles on the odometer.

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Everybody knows that the price of new EVs is one of the biggest barriers to adoption, although they are gradually going down. That leaves many enthusiasts with the used market as their only option, thanks to lower purchase prices, albeit with some caveats.

When you’re buying used, you expect something to be wrong, except when you get a relatively recent car with a complete service history and maybe even a warranty. But this isn’t the case for the car that we’re about to tell you about. That’s because it’s one of those vehicles where you either got a screaming deal or a complete basket case.

To cut to the chase, it’s a 2013 Tesla Model S of the P85 variety with no fewer than 269,221 miles on the odometer. It was bought at auction for just $7,800 by the man behind the Auto Auction Rebuilds YouTube channel and, to our surprise, it runs and drives. It even shows 133 miles of range with about 50% battery left, which is not bad at all.

That said, the air conditioning is not working, the car is not compatible with a CCS adapter, and it appears to be locked out of software updates.

Back when it was new, the Model S P85 was priced between roughly $100,000 and $140,000 and had an EPA-rated range of 265 miles, which suggests that the battery that’s in this particular car is still going pretty strong, although there’s no record of it ever being replaced or serviced. 

In fact, there’s no history at all, but the car seems to drive just fine and there are no obvious red flags, which makes it a pretty good deal in our eyes. As long as it keeps working, that is.

What's your take? Go ahead and watch the video embedded at the top of this page and let us know in the comments below.