I Run a Tesla for $336 a Month. Here’s the Full Breakdown

About a year ago I bought a used 2020 Model 3 for around $27K. Not for the flex. Because I was tired of paying for gas.

Everyone thinks Teslas are expensive to own. Mine costs me less per month than most of my friends pay just for gas. Here’s the full breakdown.

BUY USED

I wrote about the buying side already: my real-talk buying guide and what no one tells you about used Teslas under $30K. Short version: let someone else eat the depreciation. A 2020 Model 3 does 95% of what a new one does for half the money.

FREE FUEL

I charge at work and at home. My home charging is free. I have not paid for fuel in any real sense since I got the car.

This is the single biggest reason the math works. An EV with paid charging is still cheaper than gas. An EV with free charging is not even a contest.

KILLING SUBSCRIPTIONS

Tesla Premium Connectivity was $15.81/month. I cancelled it. Instead I set up an iPhone shortcut that automatically turns on my hotspot whenever my phone connects to the car’s Bluetooth. Same internet in the car. Zero dollars.

Go through every car-related subscription the same way: if there is a free workaround that takes five minutes to set up, the subscription dies.

FSD: MY HONEST TAKE

I keep Full Self-Driving for my weekday commute in traffic. I cancelled it once, then decided to go back, because I use it every single day.

Honest review on my 2020 (Hardware 3): the newer builds drive noticeably worse than before, with a lot of phantom braking. Not the robot chauffeur from the ads. But in stop-and-go traffic it still beats driving myself.

My rule: worth it if you sit in traffic every day. Not worth it if you mostly do open roads on weekends.

THE REAL MONTHLY MATH

Insurance: $336. Charging: $0. Connectivity: $0. Car loan: $0 (bought outright, which also kept my mortgage file clean).

About $336 a month to keep it running. Compare that honestly to a gas car: a car payment, $150-250 a month in gas, plus insurance. I skipped the two biggest ones.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Don’t buy new if used does the job. Don’t pay for charging you can get free. Don’t keep subscriptions out of laziness. Don’t buy FSD for the flex, buy it for your commute or not at all. And shop your insurance yearly, EV rates vary wildly.

---

The whole philosophy: buy used, charge free, kill every subscription. That’s it. See you out there.

---