Tesla battery warranty: what Tesla states
How long Tesla covers the battery and drive unit, what the 70% floor means, and what to check when you buy a used car.
Years and distance by model
Tesla gives the battery and drive unit its own warranty. Tesla sets the terms per country and can change them. These are the current terms on Tesla’s page for Ireland, an EU market, as read on 17 October 2026. Other countries have their own page and can differ.
| Model | Battery and drive unit |
|---|---|
| Model S and Model X | 8 years or 240,000 km, whichever comes first, with a minimum of 70% retention of battery capacity |
| Model 3 and Model Y, rear-wheel drive | 8 years or 160,000 km, whichever comes first, with a minimum of 70% retention of battery capacity |
| Model 3 and Model Y, Long Range | 8 years or 192,000 km, whichever comes first, with a minimum of 70% retention of battery capacity |
Other versions, Performance for one, may have their own line on Tesla’s warranty page. Read the line for your country and version before you rely on a figure.
What the 70% means
Tesla’s wording is a floor: a minimum of 70% retention of battery capacity over the warranty period. Every line above carries it. It is a limit, not a promise that the battery stays near new, so a battery down by a few percent is not what the warranty is for. What is typical, by model and age, is in battery degradation by model.
The state of health on our reports is Tesla’s own estimate. It is a good reason to ask questions, and it is not a warranty assessment: only Tesla Service can say whether a claim would be covered.
Does the warranty follow the car?
Tesla’s page says that the balance of the original battery and drive unit warranty still applies to certified pre-owned cars. That points to what is left of the original period rather than a new one. How Tesla counts it for a given car, from which date and under which country’s terms, is for Tesla to confirm.
Ask Tesla Service or the seller for written confirmation by VIN, and do the sum yourself: the years since the car was delivered, and the distance on its odometer, against the terms that applied when that car was sold: older cars can have different ones from the table. Your statutory consumer rights are separate and depend on the country.
What a replacement costs
We found no price for a replacement battery on Tesla’s warranty pages, so we do not quote one. The cost depends on the car and on what is replaced: a module, the pack or the drive unit. Ask Tesla Service for a written quote for the VIN before you buy, and treat a seller’s figure without a quote as a guess.
Sources
- Tesla, Vehicle Warranty (Ireland), read 17 October 2026. Years, distance, the 70% retention line and the certified pre-owned wording.
Tesla can change its terms. Check the current text for your country before you buy.