When these guys got their hands on the highest mileage Tesla in North America, they must have anticipated some hiccups along the way – but these problems were totally unexpected.
YouTube channel Drive Protected bought a 2021 Tesla Model 3 with more than 600,000km on the original battery.
This made it the highest-mileage Tesla they could find in North America.
Taking a chance on a vehicle that has seen so much usage is always a risk, but would it pay off in the long-run?
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This Tesla Model 3 had more than 600,000km on the battery – how had that affected the car?
When Eric, the host of Drive Protected, laid eyes on this 2021 Tesla Model 3 on Autotrader, he had it envisioned as a ‘staff car’ for his YouTube channel.
Upon arriving at the dealership in Winnipeg, the team noticed some exterior issues on the highest mileage Tesla – namely rust on the rocker panels and a front bumper that was in desperate need of repainting.
Drive Protected
The car’s odometer confirmed it had covered 609,828km, with service mode confirming that the car had a range of 83km on a 33 percent charge.
On a test drive, the car handled surprisingly well – it felt ‘snappy’, the stopping power was still there after a brake test, and there was minimal noise.
At a Supercharger, it charged successfully.
So far, so good, right?
They agreed on a price of $8,068 ($12,000CAD).
Sure, that was more than Eric wanted to spend on the car, but he figured the novelty of having the highest mileage Tesla in North America would be worth it.
However, a visit to a Tesla Service Center shed some light on issues that had been lurking.
Drive Protected
There was a faulty actuator in the cooling system, the tire pressure sensors were not paired, the cabin filter needed replacement, and there were also suspension issues.
Those are some pricey repairs in store for this car – more than $15,000 by this YouTuber’s estimate.
“Overall, I thought it was a pretty good experience buying a used car from a used car dealer,” Eric told his viewers.
“It’s just kind of unfortunate that these things were not brought up and dealt with before I came down to take it for a test drive.”
As the saying goes, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
People with high-mileage Teslas have been speaking out for a while now
If there was a league table for cars that racked up high figures on their odometers, gas cars would be dominating.
But that’s only natural, right? They’ve been around for a lot longer.
And in the last decade, plenty of EV owners have made their best effort to catch up.
More and more Tesla owners have been taking to the internet to share their experiences with well-traveled EVs.
For some creators, the savings have been worth shouting about, while others have shed light on the repairs that come along with such heavy usage.
Tesla Model 3 timeline
2016: The Model 3 was unveiled at an event in Hawthorne, California, with reservations opening that same day. 180,000 were placed within 24 hours.
2016-2017: Development and production ramped up.
July 2017: The first Model 3 production unit rolled off the line, and the first 30 customers received their cars.
Late 2017: Output remained low as supply chain issues were resolved.
2018: The Model 3 becomes more widely accessible as production accelerated.
2020: Significant efficiency tweaks, as Tesla introduced USB-C ports in the rear.
2021: 2021 model year update released, with significantly modernized hardware, an interior overhaul, and a power trunk.
2023: The ‘Highland’ Model is launched, including slimmer and sharper headlights.
2025: Updates in this year included more sustainable interior materials.
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