If you think owning a cutting-edge electric SUV is a one-way ticket to bottomless savings, prepare for a healthy dose of reality—served with a spark! We drove a Tesla Model Y Propulsion for 30,000 km across four seasons and crunched every euro. The results? Some shocking truths and a few reasons to gloat silently at gas station lines.
Tesla Model Y Propulsion: From Buzz to Everyday Reality
You’ve probably spotted it by now—maybe even parked next to three in a row at the supermarket. The Tesla Model Y Propulsion has gone from “cool tech toy” to “everyman’s SUV,” officially crowned Europe’s best-selling car of 2023, all fuel types included. As 2024 dawns, the trend continues in France, especially since it’s still the cheapest Tesla you can buy and remains eligible for the 2024 ecological bonus (if made in Berlin and before the next face-lift, take note!).
If your heart forever beats for the Model 3, bad news: the bonus is suspended “until further notice.” No wonder crowds are drawn to the Model Y’s electric promise.
Plug In, Pay Less? The Charging Cost Breakdown
One year, four seasons, and 30,000 km later—the big question: is Tesla living up to its “save money versus gas” claims?
Let’s start at home. While you can survive without home charging these days, it is a luxury you don’t want to lose once you try it. Public charging station networks, whether fast DC or slower AC, are now well-developed, so most EV drivers can hit the road and top up wherever. But the ultimate “life hack” is still having the right electricity contract at home. For those charging at home, the EDF Tempo deal is practically a cheat code: travel for under €2 per 100 km, versus over €10 for a traditional gasoline car. With most charging sessions landing at €0.11/kWh, it’s almost unbeatable—unless you routinely nab free workplace charging or still enjoy some rare “Supercharge on the house.”
Rapid charging saw great changes in 2023, growing both in number of stations and pricing strategy. Remember summer 2022? Supercharging costs were so high, you could sometimes pay more to cross France in a Tesla than a gas-burner—the horror! Luckily, Tesla realigned, and as of early 2024, you’ll spend around €0.30–0.35 per kWh nationwide.
Still pricier than home charging—about 3x if you score that €0.11 rate—but compare that to the regulated grid price (€0.23/kWh) and rival quick-charge networks (think Ionity, Totalenergies, and Fastned at €0.59/kWh), and Tesla is the cost leader of the highway. Only real reason to consider competitors? On some routes, they’re inside highway service areas, so you get to skip the off-ramp loop.
A quick word of nostalgia: free charging is now unicorn-rare. Some locations that once lured drivers with cost-free kilowatts have all but binned that business model. The main way to still nab free Supercharging? Tesla’s referral program—convert points into precious electrons. But don’t fool yourself: this is the exception, not the rule.
The Real Math: 30,000 km of Juice vs. Petrol Pain
So, how much did our year and 30,000 km in the Model Y actually cost in energy? 6,000 kWh, exactly, entered the battery—averaging 20 kWh per 100 km. That’s over 25% higher than Tesla’s official WLTP figure of 15.7 kWh/100 km. But that’s life when much of your driving is at highway speeds, especially across seasons.
- Dashboard shows 17.8 kWh/100 km, but this ignores at-rest consumption and charging losses.
- Half of all charges were “rapid” (Superchargers or similar), the rest at home, work, or occasional opportunities.
Because our own costs include some free Supercharging, a realistic user would expect:
- Rapid charges at a typical €0.40/kWh
- Home/slow charges at about €0.15/kWh
Weighted together, that’s €1,650 to cover 30,000 km—or €5.50 per 100 km. To compare: a gasoline car would use about 3 L/100 km at €1.80/L to match that. Per French Ademe’s latest data: 30,000 km in this Tesla costs what you’d spend on petrol for just 13,000 km. If you’re a home-charge hero, you can even drop below €3/100 km.
Electric vs Petrol: When Does the Math Tip?
To illustrate, the Peugeot 3008 (starting at €33,560 and sipping 6.1 L/100 km per WLTP) costs €11/100 km, nearly double what we spent with the Tesla Model Y (€37,990 including bonus). The up-front price gap? €4,430 in favor of the Peugeot. But at double the operating cost per km, you break even in just over 80,000 km—less than 3 years at 30,000 km a year. For those who mainly charge at home, payback arrives at just 60,000 km, about six years of average motoring in France.
Maintenance further tips the scales: Tesla asks virtually nothing for routine servicing—no mandatory oil changes, no recurring liquid swaps, and warranty is preserved regardless. Traditional petrol SUVs? Well, bring your checkbook.
The catch? These savings really shine for your household’s first switch from petrol to electric. As more people leap to their second or third EV, and more efficient smaller electric models arrive, comparing zero CO2 claims will fade in favor of spotlighting true energy use. But for now, on the 2-tonne SUV stage, Tesla’s Model Y still puts on quite the value show—if you keep an eye on how and where you charge.
