Tesla Battery Warranty: What's Covered and What's Left Used

Every Tesla sold new in North America carries a Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty of 8 years, with a mileage cap that depends on the model and the battery it was built with: 100,000 miles for a Standard or Standard Range Plus Model 3 or Model Y, 120,000 miles for Long Range and Performance versions, and 150,000 miles for Model S, Model X and Cybertruck. Each one promises “minimum 70% retention of Battery capacity over the warranty period.”

That is the number most pages stop at. The parts that decide whether the warranty ever pays you anything are in the fine print: the clock starts at first delivery rather than the model year, capacity loss from normal use is explicitly not covered until it crosses the 70 percent line, Tesla’s own fleet data puts average loss at 12 to 15 percent after 200,000 miles, which is half the threshold at more distance than any cap allows, and since December 2025 there is a 2,000-dollar two-year extension that only Model 3 and Model Y owners can buy, only before the original coverage expires, and only for outright failures.

Here is the whole thing, transcribed from Tesla’s warranty documents rather than from a dealer’s summary of them.

What is the Tesla battery warranty by model?

All rows are “whichever comes first,” and all carry the same clause: “with minimum 70% retention of Battery capacity* over the warranty period.” The Cybertruck document uses identical terms for its 8-year, 150,000-mile row. Note that the split is by battery, not by drivetrain: a Long Range car with rear-wheel drive is on the 120,000-mile row.

The table above is the version effective June 5, 2025. The terms have been stable for the Model 3 since the car launched. The 2017-2018 Model 3 warranty booklet reads “Model 3 with Standard or Mid-Range Battery - 8 years or 100,000 miles (160,000 km)” and “Model 3 with Long Range Battery - 8 years or 120,000 miles (192,000 km), whichever comes first, with minimum 70% retention of Battery capacity.” The January 2020 worldwide edition carries the same Model 3 and Model Y rows, and the same note, still in the current edition, that matters for older Model S and Model X buyers: “Any Model S or Model X purchased prior to the effective date specified on the cover page of this New Vehicle Limited Warranty is subject to the applicable Battery and Drive Unit Warranty effective as of the date of purchase.”

That older Model S and Model X warranty had no mileage cap. The 2012-2017 edition says the battery and drive unit “are covered under this Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty for a period of 8 years, with the exception of the original 60 kWh battery (manufactured before 2015) that is covered for a period of 8 years or 125,000 miles/200,000 km, whichever comes first.” If you are looking at a 2018 or 2019 Model S, the document that governs it is the one that was in force on its delivery date, not the current table.

What does the 70% rule actually mean?

The warranty covers two different things, and the document separates them. The first is a defect: “the repair or replacement of any malfunctioning or defective Battery or Drive Unit.” The second is capacity, and here the wording is careful. Normal aging is not a defect: “The Battery, like all lithium-ion batteries, will experience gradual energy or power loss with time and use. Loss of Battery energy or power over time or due to or resulting from Battery usage is NOT covered under this Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty, except to the extent specified in this Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty.”

The extent specified is the 70 percent floor. Fall below it inside the years and miles, and the capacity clause applies. Three details in the footnote decide how that plays out in practice.

• A capacity claim does not promise a new pack. Tesla may fit “a new, reconditioned or re-manufactured part at the sole discretion of Tesla,” and for capacity claims the bar is lower still: “For warranty claims specific to Battery capacity, the replacement Battery will be in a condition appropriate to the age and mileage of the vehicle sufficient to achieve or exceed the minimum Battery capacity for the remainder of the warranty period of the original Battery.”
• The range display is not the evidence. “Note that the vehicle’s range estimates are an imperfect measure of Battery capacity because they are affected by additional factors separate from Battery capacity.”
• Tesla picks the ruler. “The measurement method used to determine Battery capacity, and the decision of whether to repair, replace, or provide reconditioned or re-manufactured parts, and the condition of any such replaced, reconditioned or re-manufactured parts, are at the sole discretion of Tesla.”

Now put the floor next to Tesla’s own fleet numbers. Tesla’s 2022 Impact Report put Model S and Model X degradation at “12% battery degradation after 200,000 miles.” The 2023 report added the smaller cars: Model 3 and Model Y Long Range packs “lose only around 15% of their capacity” at 200,000 miles, with Model S and Model X at “an even lower 12%.”

The warranty ends at 100,000 to 150,000 miles. The 70 percent floor is a 30 percent loss. Tesla’s fleet average at 200,000 miles, well past any cap, is half that. So an average car does not reach the capacity clause before the warranty expires, and a car that does is, by Tesla’s own numbers, an outlier. The practical reading is that the 70 percent promise is a backstop against an unusually bad pack, not a plan for a normally tired one. If your car is losing range faster than that fleet curve, the Tesla battery degradation calculator will show you how far off the typical line it sits.

How much Tesla battery warranty is left on a used car?

The balance, and the balance follows the car. The warranty “is transferable at no cost to any person(s) who subsequently and lawfully assume(s) ownership of the vehicle after the first retail purchaser within the described limitations of this New Vehicle Limited Warranty.” Buying from Tesla directly changes nothing on the battery side. Tesla’s pre-owned warranty covers the car for “1 year or 10,000 miles (20,000 km) (whichever comes first)” after the basic warranty ends, or from the used-car delivery if the basic warranty has already run out, but it names the battery as an exception, and then says the original terms carry on: “The balance (if any) of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty, including the original Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty, Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty … applies to your Tesla used vehicle and remains in effect concurrently with this Pre-Owned Vehicle Limited Warranty.”

So the only question is how much balance there is. It depends on two numbers that are not on the window sticker: the delivery date and the odometer, because every row of the table is “whichever comes first.” Coverage left is whichever of these runs out sooner:

• Years left = 8 minus the years since delivery to the original buyer
• Miles left = the model’s cap minus the odometer

Worked example, using the kind of car this site’s author drives: a 2019 Model 3 AWD. The Long Range battery row is 8 years or 120,000 miles. A car delivered in mid-2019 showing 70,000 miles in August 2026 has about one year of time left and 50,000 miles of distance left, and the time runs out first, in mid-2027. The same car with 115,000 miles has 5,000 miles left and the odometer wins. A “2019” that was actually delivered in December 2018 is months closer to the end than its badge suggests, and a low-mileage example of an eight-year-old car has no battery coverage at all, however clean it is.

That is the reason the model year is the wrong number to anchor on. Cars delivered in 2018, 2019 and 2020 cross the 8-year line in 2026, 2027 and 2028, and a car that has not reached its mileage cap by then hits the calendar limit before the mileage one. Ask the seller for the original delivery date, and treat a shrug as a reason to check with Tesla before money moves. The site’s used Model 3 value analysis covers the rest of that inspection.

Can you extend the Tesla battery warranty?

Since December 2025, yes, for two models, and only if you act before the original coverage ends. Tesla’s High Voltage Battery and Drive Unit Extended Service Agreement, which the document calls the “Battery ESA,” covers the Model 3 and Model Y in the United States and Canada for “2 years or 30,000 miles (48,000 kilometers), whichever occurs first” after the factory warranty expires, for a one-time fee of “$2,000.00 (USD)” or “$2,800.00 (CAD)” with a “$500.00 (USD)” or “$700.00 (CAD)” deductible per visit. Not a Tesla App reported the launch on December 14, 2025, and noted it is a “one-time purchase (no subscription is offered at this time).”

Three terms decide whether it is worth anything to you.

The deadline is hard. It is “a condition of coverage that … You purchase this Battery ESA before the expiration or termination of the Vehicle Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty (the ‘Purchasing Period’).” Once the 8 years or the mileage cap has passed, the option is gone. For the 2018-2019 cohort above, that means deciding in the months before the anniversary, not after the first warning light.

It does not cover capacity loss. The exclusions list opens with “External components to the Drive Unit Assembly; External components to the HV Battery; Failures or degradation specific to Battery capacity or energy retention.” The document says this about itself in plain terms: “it is not simply an extension of Your Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty but instead has its own exclusions and deductible.” The 70 percent promise ends with the factory warranty. What you are buying is protection against a pack or motor that stops working, defined as “the mechanical breakdown or inability to perform the function(s) for which it was designed.”

You pay nothing until it starts, and you can walk away. “You will not be charged, and Tesla is not obligated to provide services under the Battery ESA, until Your Vehicle Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty expires.” Cancel before that date “and, if applicable, receive a full refund,” or within the first 60 days of coverage without a claim for the same full refund. It also transfers: the agreement is “for the sole benefit of the purchaser, or any subsequent owner of the vehicle to whom this Battery ESA is validly transferred during the Coverage Period.”

Whether 2,000 dollars is a good bet depends on how often packs and motors fail in years nine and ten, and that rate is not in the agreement, so the honest answer is that you cannot price the bet from the document. What you can price is the downside it caps, which is the next section. If you want the option, confirm eligibility on Tesla’s own support page for the agreement; the terms above are dated December 11, 2025 and Tesla can revise them.

What does a Tesla battery replacement cost out of warranty?

This is the number the ESA is measured against, and it is the one figure on this page that rots. Recurrent’s June 2024 comparison put a Model 3 pack at “Battery Cost: $13,500+” with “Labor Cost: $2,299.27,” totaling “$15,799.27,” with the Model Y at “about $15,000” and a Model S at “$20,000 - 22,000” all in. Find My Electric’s guide, updated July 29, 2026, gives “a reasonable 2026 estimate is about $12,000-$16,000 installed” for “an uncomplicated out-of-warranty Model 3 battery replacement,” and “often $16,000-$20,000+” when there is damage or extra high-voltage work.

Neither figure is a Tesla price list. Tesla does not publish one, prices move, and the only number that applies to your car is the estimate a service center writes for it. Read the range above as “six to eleven times the 2,000-dollar extension,” which is the comparison that matters, and get a live quote before you decide anything.

Under warranty, the math is different. The document warns that “The warranty replacement may not restore the vehicle to a ‘like new’ condition,” then commits that “when replacing a Battery, Tesla will ensure that the energy capacity of the replacement Battery is at least equal to that of the original Battery before the failure occurred while taking into consideration other factors, including the age and mileage of the vehicle.” You get back what you had, not what the car left the factory with.

What voids the Tesla battery warranty?

The warranty lists the excluded causes directly. Not covered: “damage resulting from intentional actions (including intentionally abusing or destroying your vehicle or ignoring active vehicle warnings or service notifications), a collision or accident (excluding from Battery fires as specified above), or the servicing or opening of the Battery or Drive Unit by non-Tesla or non-certified personnel.” Also excluded is damage from “Damaging the Battery, or intentionally attempting, either by physical means, programming, or other methods, to extend … or reduce the life of the Battery,” from “Exposing the Battery to direct flame (excluding from Battery fires as specified above),” and from “Flooding the Battery.”

Two quieter clauses catch more owners than the dramatic ones. The first ties coverage to the manual: “See your owner documentation for important information on how to maximize the life and capacity of the Battery. If you fail to follow these recommended battery maintenance and charging procedures, any resulting issues will not be covered by this Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty.” The manual’s charging guidance, and what the calendar-aging data says about it, is the subject of the site’s charge-limit article. The second is about software: “Any noticeable changes to the performance of the Battery due to these software updates are NOT covered under this Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty.” A range drop that arrives with an update is, by the document, not a warranty matter.

There is also a difference between a claim being denied and the whole warranty being voided. Voiding is reserved for a short list: vehicles with a “VIN defaced or altered or the odometer or other related system disconnected, altered or rendered inoperative,” vehicles that “do not have clean title or have been sold, designated, labeled or branded as dismantled, fire-damaged, flood- damaged, junk, rebuilt, salvage, reconstructed, irreparable or a total loss,” and vehicles “determined to be a total loss by an insurance company.” A salvage-title Tesla at a tempting price is one Tesla “may” strip of its warranty entirely, and if it does, that holds “for you or any subsequent owner.”

One thing the warranty pointedly does cover: fire. “This Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty will also cover damage to your vehicle from a Battery fire even if it is the result of driver error.” The carve-out follows in the same breath: “Coverage will not extend to damage that had already been sustained before a Battery fire occurred, or to any damage if the Battery fire occurred after your vehicle had already been totaled.”

Is the 12V low-voltage battery covered by the battery warranty?

No. The Battery and Drive Unit warranty is about the high-voltage pack. The Cybertruck edition spells it out as “the Tesla high-voltage lithium-ion battery (the ‘Battery’),” and the extended agreement lists “Low voltage components, including the LV battery” among its exclusions. The warranty booklet never names the 12-volt battery at all, so the only general coverage left for it is the Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty, which runs “4 years or 50,000 miles (80,000 km), whichever comes first.” Why that battery still fails the way a gas car’s does, and what replacing it involves, is the subject of the Tesla 12V battery article.

What is the 7-year warranty on 2026 Teslas?

The 2025 warranty booklet adds a block of “Zero-Emissions Vehicle Limited Warranties” that “apply only to vehicles of Model Year 2026 and later.” They are “minimum coverages set by regulation,” and the document notes that the main warranty “may provide longer coverage of a particular issue.” Two of them touch the pack:

• High-Priced Propulsion-Related Parts ZEV Limited Warranty: “For 7 years or 70,000 miles (110,000 km), whichever comes first,” covering a published parts list. For the Model 3, that list starts with the “High Voltage Battery (HVB) assembly” and the “High Voltage Controller (HVC)” and runs through drive units, inverters, the power conversion system, harnesses, the supermanifold, the cooling fan and the radiator.
• Battery ZEV Limited Warranty: “For 8 years or 100,000 miles (160,000 km), whichever comes first, Tesla warranties that the Battery will be free from defects in material and workmanship that would cause the retention of Battery capacity to fall below 70%.”

For the pack itself, the 8-year Battery and Drive Unit warranty already meets or beats both, so a 2026 buyer gains coverage on the parts around the pack rather than more years on the pack. These are not California-only terms: the block says the ZEV warranties “apply to all vehicles with a Warranty Region of the United States and Canada, except as specifically noted below,” and the only one the document ties to state registration is the separate 3-year Initial ZEV Limited Warranty.

How do you check your Tesla’s battery health?

Tesla ships a test that reports the pack’s remaining capacity as a percentage. Not a Tesla App documented it in June 2024: you can request it from the app’s service section, or start it from the car’s Service Mode under the high-voltage battery menu, and the car must be “plugged in – and not at a Supercharger,” ideally with the battery “closer to empty, rather than full.” Budget “at least 12 hours at minimum, and more than 48 hours if you’re charging a Long-Range vehicle at a lower amperage.” Tesla moves menu items between software versions, so treat those paths as a description rather than a map; the current owner’s manual for your car is the authority on where the test lives now.

The percentage that comes back is the number the warranty is written around, and it is a far better basis for a capacity conversation with Tesla than the range figure on the screen, which the warranty itself calls “an imperfect measure of Battery capacity.” If you are buying used, asking the seller for that number, and the delivery date, tells you more about the pack than any listing photo.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Tesla battery warranty transferable?

Yes, at no cost, to anyone who “subsequently and lawfully assume(s) ownership of the vehicle after the first retail purchaser.” The 2,000-dollar extension transfers too, to a subsequent owner “to whom this Battery ESA is validly transferred during the Coverage Period.”

Does the Tesla warranty cover battery degradation?

Only below 70 percent of original capacity, inside the years and miles. Above that line, loss “over time or due to or resulting from Battery usage is NOT covered.” The extension does not cover capacity at any level.

What is the battery warranty on a 2019 Model 3?

8 years or 100,000 miles for the Standard and Mid-Range battery, 8 years or 120,000 miles for the Long Range battery, both with the 70 percent floor, counted from the first delivery date. Most 2019 cars reach the 8-year limit during 2027.

Does buying a used Tesla from Tesla add battery coverage?

No. The pre-owned warranty explicitly excludes “parts covered under the original New Vehicle Limited Warranty’s Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty” and says the original battery terms continue “concurrently” instead.

Can a Model S or Model X owner buy the extension?

Not under the December 2025 terms, which list only “Model 3, Model Y” for the “United States, Canada.”

What to do if your Tesla is a 2018, 2019 or 2020

Find the delivery date and write down the day the 8 years end. Run the battery health test once while the warranty is still open, so that if the number is anywhere near 70 percent you are having that conversation with Tesla inside the coverage window and with the measurement the warranty is written around. If the car is a Model 3 or Model Y, decide on the 2,000-dollar extension before that date, knowing it buys failure coverage and not capacity coverage. And if you are the buyer rather than the owner, the delivery date and the health-test percentage are the two questions to ask before the price.

Sources (14)

• digitalassets.tesla.com Tesla New Vehicle Limited Warranty, North America (effective 2025-06-05)
• digitalassets.tesla.com Tesla Cybertruck New Vehicle Limited Warranty, North America (effective 2025-06-05)
• tesla-info.com Tesla New Vehicle Limited Warranty, worldwide edition effective 2020-01-29 (tesla-info.com mirror)
• web.archive.org Tesla Model 3 New Vehicle Limited Warranty, 2017-2018 edition (Wayback capture 2025-03-13)
• web.archive.org Tesla Model S and Model X New Vehicle Limited Warranty, 2012-2017 edition (Wayback capture 2024-01-14)
• digitalassets.tesla.com Tesla Pre-Owned Vehicle Limited Warranty, North America (effective 2026-05-07)
• digitalassets.tesla.com Tesla High Voltage Battery and Drive Unit Extended Service Agreement Terms and Conditions, SC-25-00-018 (December 11, 2025)
• service.tesla.com Tesla High-Priced Propulsion-Related Parts, Model 3 (effective August 18, 2025)
• notateslaapp.com Tesla Introduces New Extended Battery and Drive Unit Warranty (December 14, 2025)
• electrek.co Tesla gives update on battery degradation, only 12% after 200,000 miles (April 25, 2023)
• notebookcheck.net Tesla Model S, Model Y lose 12% and 15% range on average after 200,000 miles, claims official report (June 21, 2024)
• recurrentauto.com Recurrent: Tesla Battery Replacement Costs Compared (June 24, 2024)
• findmyelectric.com Tesla Model 3 Battery Replacement Cost (updated July 29, 2026)
• notateslaapp.com Tesla's Battery Health Test (June 24, 2024)