Report Shows Tesla Has No Meaningful Repair and Maint. Cost Advantage Over Toyota

A new study conducted by Consumer Reports based on owner-reported repair and maintenance costs shows that Tesla has the lowest cost in the industry. Toyota is tied for second place. Both have a dramatically lower reported cost than many other brands. In this story, we are going to call maintenance and repair costs “M&R" to save our fingers some blisters. 

We reviewed the data at face value (more on that in a minute) and found some interesting points:
1) The ten-year M&R cost difference between Tesla and Toyota is just $865.
2) The annual difference between the two over the ten-year period is just $86.50
3) The Toyota cost for years 1 and 2 is zero.
4) Both brands offer an M&R cost roughly half that of Audi or BMW.

About the Study
The study does not include crash damage repairs. Just the normal routine maintenance and fixing mechanical things that break. There are some very important things to realize in this matchup between Toyota and Tesla. They include:
- Tesla has had very few vehicles on the road for ten years. Most are just 4 years old or newer (credit to our friend Noe Arribas for pointing out that fact.)
- Toyota includes maintenance costs for the first 2 years but didn't always do so. This is now standard across nearly all brands.

Electric Vehicles' Tire Cost Will Negate Maintenance Savings vs. ICE

What About Tires?
Tires and tire maintenance costs are the highest M&R cost item for most vehicles over their lifetime. Consumer Reports mentions this in its report summary, but based on our discussions with tires specialists serving Tesla owners and Tesla service department employees, it is apparent that the full cost of tires is not being included in the $4,035 10-year cost number Consumer Reports is listing. 

Tire Biz Expert Reports EV Owners Suffer Sticker Shock Syndrome

Tesla’s manual has a 6,250-mile or sooner tire rotation interval. Or sooner is the key here. That means Tesla owners have their tires rotated two or three times per year if they drive the national average annual miles. Tesla employees and tire experts we spoke with both confirm Tesla vehicles have more frequent tire changes than conventionally-powered vehicles their same size. The tires also have a higher average cost due to the load rating and special features. 

If EV Maintenence Is So Cheap Why Isn’t It Included By Manufacturers?

Toyota’s Hybrid-Electric Advantage
Many folks not inside the auto industry (and sadly some who are) feel that “hybrids have double the powertrain components when electric drive is added on top of the internal combustion.” This is an ignorant statement, and we mean that in the true meaning of ignorant, not the insulting way it is usually employed. In Toyota hybrid-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles, the electric drive components don’t double up the drive components, they substitute for many. For example, there are no starters, alternators, serpentine belts, front-to-rear drive shafts, or timing belts in Toyota hybrids. They are deleted because the hybrid system can do the work without them using its own technology. The electric motors are not “added” they are in place of conventional transmissions and rear differentials. They have proven utterly reliable, and are covered by a very long warranty.

Regenerative Braking
Hybrid-electric vehicles use regenerative braking just like Tesla battery-electric vehicles do. This has the upside of reducing the wear items associated with brakes. Brakes still have maintenance costs, but the pads and rotors can last much longer than in a conventional car. Prius owners often go over 100K miles before needing brakes. 

About Those Owner-Reported 10-Year Costs
Our colleague Michael Karesh commented on this report under a social media post on the topic. Nobody we know can pick apart a study, or a set of data better. He really gets an author thinking hard about making a claim based on limited facts. He pointed out that most owners of most vehicles don’t keep careful records of their ownership costs. We will add that many have no clue what they have paid over ten years to maintain a vehicle. 

We do. At Torque News we have tracked every single penny spent on M&R for vehicles like a Toyota Highlander, Honda Accord, and Mazda CX-5. Every. Single. Penny. The costs are dramatically higher than this list would imply. Like double or triple. You can see our reports at the links above. 

Why We Say $865 Is Not Meaningful
Over ten years, the cost of ownership of a $42K Toyota or $50K Tesla (that’s approximately what their average transaction prices are according to Cox/KBB) is made up primarily by depreciation, perhaps $30K to $40K. Second, energy costs. That depends on your local region, but will be more than M&R for either example. For most, insurance costs are also quite significant, perhaps equal to M&R. With a 10-year cost of ownership measuring around $45K to $55K, a difference of $865 is not meaningful. 

We love Consumer Reports, partly because we have taken the time to get to know the people there. Unlike most outlets that report on vehicle topics, CR has a bunch of engineers on staff. They have mechanics on staff. Their employees’ bios aren't (all) like those of the typical English majors whose bios typically start, “I got into cars because my dad had an Aston Martin…” Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

The team at CR polls its membership, and its reports are primarily aimed at that membership. It should not care much about what nonmembers, the automotive media, or the automakers think. It certainly does not, as far as I can tell based on my interactions with the team at CR.

Use this information however you like. It is simply one more drop of data in an ocean of such information. But it sure helps bust that “EVs have no maintenance” myth if Tesla owners report multiple thousands in M&R costs over ten years. 

You can try to see the CR story at this link. We are not sure if it is restricted to the membership or not. 

Image of Tesla service area with tires by John Goreham. Image of Tesla rotation interval courtesy of Tesla, Inc. manual. Image of Tesla tire change by Jay Condrick of Boston Mobile Tire.

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work at our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading.