Owner Reveals 2018 Tesla Model 3 Battery Health After 100K Miles

Tesla Model 3 owner Ed Fressler recently surpassed the 100,000-mile mark and documented some of his findings in a YouTube video. Fessler purchased his Model 3 in 2018; a Long Range dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. 

He has been driving his red Tesla Model 3 for 4.5 years. Via the YouTube video, he talks about every important aspect of the car from a real-world usage perspective. He covers battery health and driving range, charging, software updates, maintenance, performance, and more. 

When his car was new, Fessler said a full charge indicated a range of 309 miles, nearly identical to the 2018 version’s 310-mile EPA-estimated range. Even though it’s a well-established fact that batteries degrade over time, the drop in range after driving 100,000 miles wasn’t drastic. His Model 3’s screen now displays 290 miles range on a full charge, meaning the battery still holds 94 percent of the original capacity.

He attributed the slow aging to his conservative driving style. Fessler doesn’t drive like a maniac and is mostly light on the throttle. Moreover, he plugs in his car at his home charger overnight, instead of frequenting a DC fast charger/Tesla Supercharger. Fast chargers reportedly generate excess heat and can put a battery under stress, which in certain cases adversely affects long-term range.

In 2022, our friend Kyle Conner reported that his Model 3 Performance lost nearly 11 percent charge over 100,000 miles. Even though that decrease isn’t a lot, he said he frequented the Tesla Supercharger and pushed the Model 3 to its limits more often than not, which might have partly contributed to the decline.

Remember that battery degradation is dependent on factors like climate, fast-charging utilization, driving patterns, terrain, and more. The owner experiences, like those of Fessler and Conner, are mere insights on what battery health may look like in the real world following a specific usage pattern. 

In terms of flaws, a malfunctioning FSD feature annoyed Fessler. It kept going off, and so did the cruise control. The FSD feature is only meant to assist drivers, who must be attentive and ready to take control at all times. He said the issue was resolved eventually by a software update.

Fessler spoke about many other pros and cons of the Model 3, but we won’t spill all his beans. Check his video above and learn about his experience from his own voice. Overall, he indicated that most of the Model 3’s flaws are minor and easily fixable. From his experience, it is an agreeable and fun car to own. 

Share your thoughts on the Model 3 and its battery degradation in the comments section below.