On April 13, Elon Musk stated that the Model 3's battery should last 300,000 to 500,000 miles, which is the equivalent of 1,500 cycles. The even more exciting announcement from Musk is that Model 3 battery's design allows replacing modules instead of the entire battery, thus saving money for electric cars owners. Musk affirmed that replacing the battery modules will only cost between $5,000 and $7,000. The Model 3's battery pack, which has four battery modules, is guaranteed to keep the 70% of its capacity for 100,000 miles. The warranty for the long-range Model 3 battery is 120,000 miles.

The Tesla Model 3 is Built For Longetivity

About ten years ago now, the blow on electric cars was that their batteries wouldn’t last 100,000 miles, producing the need for a costly battery replacement every few years.

Musk is stating that the Model 3 battery should last 300,000 to 500,000 miles, which is the equivalent of 1,500 cycles. Even more impressive is Musk's statement regarding the possibility to replace the battery modules, instead of the entire pack. Battery module replacement will cost roughly $5,000 to $7,000.

Tesla specifically designed Model 3 to focus on battery module replacements instead of changing the whole battery pack.

The Model 3's battery pack design has four battery modules there where the Model S and Model X's battery pack architecture fits many battery modules, up to 16. Also, Tesla has no battery degradation warranty on its Model S and Model X vehicles, although it does guarantee that the standard battery of Model 3 will retain 70% of its capacity for 100,000 miles. The guarantee for the long-range Model 3 battery is 120,000 miles. For comparison, Nissan guarantees the battery in the LEAF will have at least 66% of its original capacity after 100,000 miles.

As Elon Musk highlighted, Tesla Model 3 is a car built to last.

Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Tesla Model 3.