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Electric cars have a huge number of upsides to them compared to traditional vehicles, and Tesla is one of the biggest names in the industry, an early trailblazer with plenty of cars to now choose from.

Something that many prospective electric car buyers will want to know, though, is how long a Tesla battery can be expected to last, before they take the plunge. Here are the key facts.

How long does a charge last on a Tesla battery?

If you're wondering in the first instance how far you can expect to get on a single fully-charged Tesla battery, the answer is a little complicated since different models have different range expectations.

In general, most Tesla cars have around 300 miles of range on a single charge, though, while some of its lower-cost options reduce this to more like 260 miles (in the case of the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range).

That can go higher, though - the Tesla Model S can go as far as 375 miles without needing to recharge, while the newer Model Y has a long-range version that can last 331 miles - although all of these mileage stats depend on how you drive. After all, just like with traditional gas cars, more speed and faster acceleration will reduce your efficiency.

How long does a Tesla battery last?

If you're more curious about the lifetime of a Tesla battery, rather than its one-off capacity, so that you can judge how long your car will last without needing any form of replacement, the stats are a little less certain.

Elon Musk has claimed that a Tesla battery should work as intended for somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 miles, which is a pretty huge number that should see you safe for decades unless you're driving long distances on the daily.

Before a battery completely fails though, it will degrade in maximum capacity (just like your smartphone or laptop battery does after a few years) - this will likely start to happen after around 100,000 - 150,000 miles, at which point the car might need to be serviced and have some parts swapped out.

Getting battery modules replaced on a Tesla is not a cheap affair, sadly, so this does mean that down the road there is the potential for a pretty expensive bit of maintenance, and this is well worth knowing before you go for it and make a purchase or reservation.