Does a Tesla Model 3 Battery Really Become Unusable in 5 Years? What the 5-Year Inspection Revealed

What happened

Writer Junichi Yamazaki took his Tesla Model 3, bought in September 2021, for its second mandatory car inspection (shaken) after five years. He had Tesla's service center do the regular check-up first, then took the car to a government inspection office himself. This article covers the service check. He reports that the car had no real breakdowns in five years.

Key numbers

• Mileage at service: about 42,347 km
• Brake pad left: 9.0 mm (front) and 8.5 mm (rear). New pads were about 10 mm (front) and 9.5 mm (rear), so only about 1 mm wore away.
• Battery health (SOH): 92.8%, meaning about 7.2% has worn away
• Tesla's proxy inspection fee two years earlier: 32,200 yen
• His earlier Mercedes-Benz C250 needed rear pads at about 42,000 km, costing 20,152 yen with labor

Why people doubt EVs

Many readers online say that an electric car's battery will wear out badly within five years. The writer says he has heard this many times. He also compares his Tesla with his older European cars, which often broke down early. He adds that many people say Shanghai-built Teslas are more reliable than US-built ones, but he only notes this as a claim he has heard.

Why it matters

The story gives a real-world check on a common worry about electric cars. Battery life and running costs are big factors when people choose an EV. One owner's results do not prove that every car will age the same way. Still, the report suggests that regenerative braking, which slows the car using the motor and saves brake pads, can cut maintenance costs.

What to watch

• The second half of the series, which covers the user car inspection in person
• Whether battery health keeps falling at a similar rate in later years
• Whether repair costs for air conditioning and other parts rise as the car ages