What your Tesla actually does in a British January.
Not the WLTP number on the order page. Range modelled from independent test data, adjusted for the month you are driving in and how much of your week is motorway.
Checked August 2026
The tariff is the whole game
A Tesla on a standard variable tariff costs roughly three times as much per mile as the same car on an overnight EV rate. Switching tariff moves your running costs far more than switching model does.
Off-peak unit rates checked August 2026, England & Wales, direct debit. Standing charges and daytime rates differ between suppliers and regions — always price a full year, not just the overnight rate. EV tariffs generally need a smart meter, and some need a compatible car or charger.
Before you order
No driveway changes everything
Every cheap tariff on this page assumes you can charge at home overnight. Without off-street parking you are on public rates, and the running-cost case against a petrol car narrows sharply. Sort the charging before you sort the car.
A 7kW charger fills overnight
A home wallbox adds roughly 25–30 miles an hour. Even a mostly-empty Premium battery refills inside a single cheap window, so the five-hour tariffs are rarely as limiting as they look.
Buy for winter, not for summer
Pick the trim that still does your regular journey in January at 70mph. The July number is comfortable on every car here; it is the February motorway run that decides whether you resent the car.
Company car tax is the real discount
Benefit-in-kind on an EV remains far below a petrol equivalent, which is why the salary-sacrifice case often beats the cash case outright. Check your own numbers — the gap is usually larger than any range difference here.
Degradation is slower than feared
Fleet data puts typical loss around 10–12% over 100,000 miles, most of it in the first year. Budget for a few percent, not a cliff, and avoid habitually charging to 100% unless you need the miles that day.
Superchargers are a convenience, not a plan
At typical peak rates a Supercharger costs around five times an overnight home rate. Fine for the occasional long run, ruinous as your everyday method of filling up.
650 free Supercharger miles when you order through this link
Order a new Tesla using a referral link and Tesla credits your account with free Supercharging — worth roughly £20 at typical Supercharger rates, on top of whatever order incentives Tesla is running.