How Do We Let 250 Million Car Owners In The US Know That They Could Drive A Used Tesla For Less? – CleanTechnica

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Last Updated on: 2nd September 2025, 01:07 am

After I saw my friend Dennis post a video that the prices of used Tesla cars will drop after the tax credit ends, I decided to write my take on this subject.

This is a continuation of this article that talks about the low running costs of the Model Y (which are even lower now that Tesla removed the recommendation to replace the desiccant bag every 4 years).

Ridiculously Low Cost To Lease/Buy, Fuel, &  Maintain A Used Tesla Model 3 Or Y

Costs Of Old Paid Off Cars

I asked Grok how many cars we have in the US that are more than 5 years old and what it costs to fuel, maintain, and repair them.

As of 2025, there are approximately 254 million light vehicles (including passenger cars, SUVs, and light trucks) in the US that are more than five years old. Owners of such vehicles spend an average of about $375 per month on fuel, maintenance, and repairs combined. This includes roughly $175 per month on fuel (based on average annual consumption of around 433 gallons at prevailing gas prices) and $200 per month on maintenance and repairs (which tend to be higher for older vehicles due to increased wear and the expiration of warranties).

The Comparison

As you can see in the comparison above, these 250 million people that have older paid off cars that are less reliable, less safe, and could easily have a repair at any time that totals the car now have the option to trade in these vehicles (in Texas and California right now, but this might be expanded nationwide at any time) and have a far better car (not to mention cleaner and more environmentally responsible) at a lower monthly cost.

They could also buy one outright instead of the lease and still pay less than they pay today. Also, after paying off the car in 5 years, they’d have no car payment and a far more reliable car, as shown in this report on the ownership costs of different types of vehicles by Consumer Reports.

So, the question is: How do we get the message out that used electric cars (not just Tesla, but all makes that have proven reliable) are a fabulous deal? Do you have a brother or aunt or daughter or co-worker that needs to hear this? People don’t trust the media since they have been lied to so many times, but they do trust their family and co-workers more, so do your part (assuming CleanTechnica readers mostly already own an EV) and tell your friends and family how great they are, how easy they are to charge, how much money you are saving every month, and most of all, how you love all the time you are saving not having to take your car to the shop all the time for maintenance and repairs!

If you want to take advantage of my Tesla referral link to get up to $1000 off a new Tesla vehicle, here’s the link: https://ts.la/paul92237 — if another owner helped you more, please use their link instead of mine.

Disclosure: I am a shareholder in Tesla [TSLA], BYD [BYDDY], XPeng [XPEV], and several ARK ETFs. But I offer no investment advice of any sort here.