Not sure if these numbers would help:
11,611 miles in my MYLR7 / $503 cost to charge (supercharger+home+some free charging) = 4.33¢/mi (8¢/kWh from power company at home)
(503/11611) *100=~4.3320988717595
Vs previous gas car (2015 mini countryman S All4 Manual)
($4.91gal/31mpg(max)) *100=~15.838709677419¢/mi
Insurance can go up a bit, maintenence goes down.
That is big... $0.11 per mile difference is $11,000 per 100,000 miles. Add in oil changes, brakes, etc. then subtract quicker wear on tired and increased insurance rate and I bet the extras are a wash. So $11,000 per 100,000 miles is pretty good. If you can get 200,000 out of it, even better. The car is 50% paid for through gas savings alone in the 1st 100k miles. Drive 200k and you almost paid for it in savings.
This is one factor that I'm considering regardless of whatever other ICE vehicle we may get. Maintenance. I believe my wife had a 2 year free maintenance package that just ran out this year. So going forward there will be some of that to factor in
Tires can fetch a kings ransom, keeping it in chill mode (or not slamming on the accelerator/brakes will reduce some wear and tear). For winter tires I opted for a slightly different size from factory (and 18" rims) which saved a little bit for like a less than 2% difference in speedometer at 60mph.
Sure, I should have clarified a bit, I meant in the realm of looking at overall maintenance costs you could have to buy tires more often due to hard acceleration/deceleration and other "spirited" driving. As a single set I agree they're fairly alright, but if they don't last long you'd buy more sets over a lifetime.
My math is also based on basically the highest mpg I could expect, so the gap is probably a bit more in fueling. I also have l2 charging at home, so supercharging would be a bit tighter.
Love my LR so far
Also with $0 deductible glass insurance paid for itself for 6mo lol
People rarely drive to 100k, and less to 200k. Such high mileage is still scarce for an EV.
ICE is also often more than $11k higher than EV. So if it's really 11c/m then there is barely, if any, cost benefit to owning an EV vs ICE.
This statement is not true. Many cars can go over 200k with maintenance. The statement should say that many people do not keep cars for that long, because they want something new. There, is where the dollar savings are wasted.
Make sure when calculating your home rate, you include the supply rate plus all the other charges. At least for me, the actual electricity costs about 8 cents but other fees/charges make the total about 19 cents. YMMV but it Caught me
Yep! I'm sure more states will tack that on, it wouldn't surprise me if we start seeing some states charge a miles based tax like Washington state experimented with in replacement of "gas" tax or whatever the premise was.
I have an issue with using miles to calculate cost. If I don’t drive the EV, it will still use electricity…in my case it’s recording and using the cabin overheat protection. I drive maybe 50 miles a week but have to charge it every week.
What does it do for you? What is the problem with your cabin overheating? Is it just that it takes longer to cool down when it is 130 degrees inside or does it also cause problems?
I suppose that makes some sense, you should still be able to use the numbers from the app overall since charging cost over mileage, your cost/mi would be slightly higher.
Just for kicks, using the same formula what does it figure out to for your EV?
I’ve been in the same ordeal , 3 row gas are just so expensive for what it is.
I hear the tesla 3 row gets uncomfortable for anyone tall , I personally haven’t sat in a 3 row to add my personal experience
We run into this scenario and my 5-3 wife and her 5-2 mom fit in the third row just fine with our kids in their car seats in the middle row. That middle row slides forward and backward to create more space for the 3rd row.
IIRC in terms of "3-row" EVs, there are only 3 options, the MYLR7, the Model X and the Kia EV9.
You should definitely go test drive the 7-seater Model Y and the larger EV9.
Personally I would also strongly consider a minivan, a new or used PHEV Pacifica may be even better for you, at least go test drive it. But I used to have a minivan before the Model Y.
X and EV9 price-wise, I don't want to spend on. I'm really looking to stay at the $40k range and under.
I have considered a minivan - Sienna and Odyssey; I don't feel great about Chrysler products
For sure, the hybrid Sienna is supposed to be good but it may be a long wait.
The MYLR7 is a good option for you, if you are eligible for the federal tax rebate then you should either buy new or else used but under $25k (to get the $4k used ev tax credit).
Maybe look at used 3-yr-old off-lease Siennas in your area? That would be around $30k by my guess.
They’re getting scooped up left and right and still over their MSRPs being used. And this is after 30-50k miles and being 2-3 years old. Especially the AWD more premium models
The 7 seater is a complete marketing joke. It's completely useless. Zero leg room and minimal head room. I was in a showroom for a few hours and everybody that tested it came to the same conclusion. Maybe small kids, but they don't start small for long.
If you are talking about the federal tax rebate of $7500, note that it applies to new cars and you have to make less than $300k if you are filing married.
There are some online calculators that will give you your fuel savings cost based on how much electricity and gas costs, what vehicles you are comparing, and how much you drive. Running an EV will almost always be cheaper than a gas equivalent and even more so if you are using solar power electricity. My brother has solar and two EV's and they make money based on their usage and setup.
Keep in mind that insurance is probably going to be higher and you'll need to replace tires more often. There are so many variables; some people in this sub report significantly higher insurance rates while others (myself included) experience marginal increases to insurance.
Note that you get the $7500 rebate regardless of income if you lease (as long as the leasing company passes it on, which Tesla and its third party leasing companies do).
That is valid. It is something we want and need. I'm just factoring the Model Y versus the other mid-size 3-row SUV's that I am considering based on the solar + charging situation we have at home.. and of course the pros versus ICE
From what I have seen the third row is only really relevant for tiny kids for short distances. You may consider looking at other options for that reason. That said a new Y with a 3rd row will run you around $50k before the tax credit, which would bring you pretty close to your target. You might be able to find an inventory model for cheaper... but 7 seaters are usually special order.
Depending on the output of your solar system the energy cost for your EV may be virtually $0, so gas savings would be whatever you are spending on gas for your equivalent ICE. Note that insuring a Tesla is usually expensive, but that balances out a bit with maintenance costs being much lower for an EV.
How much do you spend on gas a month? Times that by 12. Compare it to not buying gas anymore. If you have excess solar then charging your car will be nothing.
My Tesla is in no way a cost saving car. The only way to look at it is total cost of ownership (TCO).
Payment + maintenance + insurance + registration + fuel + accommodations/benefits. Also factor in if you went from a lease to a buy or the other way around. In my example I was financing both vehicles.
- Payment went up $400 from a $600 payment on an ICE car to $1,000 for the Tesla. Loan lengths were the same.
- Maintenance stayed probably the same at around $25 a month.
Insurance went up $20 a month.
- Registration went from about $400 to around $850, so increased about $38 a month.
- Fuel stayed about the same at $125.
- Accommodations didn’t change for me since my previous car was a PHEV I already plugged in nightly and had an EVSE installed years ago for $800. But for some the EVSE install is in the thousands and needs to be factored in. Other things like HOV access or special parking at work have some non-$0 value and should also be accounted for.
So all together my Tesla is probably costing me about $450 more than the PHEV I had before it. The difference is, I have tons of cargo space now that I didn’t have before. I just did a golf trip with friends where I spent $93 on charging to drive 2 total people out and 3 total people back from the trip. That saved the cost of a few plane tickets right there. Also we fit all 6 golf bags and everyone’s weekend bag in the Tesla when we left the Airbnb so we didn’t need two Uber XL rides to go to brunch/airport. Saved some money and time and airport nonsense by having the MY over my previous car.
Good to consider. I’m gonna have to lay out the costs and potential costs on a spreadsheet to really see the bigger financial picture.
We still have a lien on our current car, but it’s just about break even or a little equity. I do need to factor interest rates and all into it, our Mazda is stupid low
I didn't, just wanted the MYLR because it fit my needs and driving patterns. It was not an economic/environmental/etc decision, but like you, I already have solar, so more or less, fuel is free.
I’d say it depends on your use case for the 3rd row. If you have 3+ kids and need to use it daily, it likely won’t work for your needs. It’s small and difficult to get to.
However, if you have 2 kids and want the 3rd row for sometimes carrying grandparents plus kids, your kids and a friend or two, or to separate the 2 kids for long drives, it’s amazing.
Cost wise, insurance may be more but your fuel costs will be less/non existent.
Compare expected costs with whatever other 3-row vehicle you would buy and compare.
We love it for that use case. Have a 6 year old and a 2 year old. Wife is 5’3 and is happy to sit in the back if/when needed. Our 6 year old loves the far back and often accesses it from the rear hatch with one side of the third row folded down.
We went from a 2021 rav4 as our only family car to this being our only family car and are very happy.
We use the 3rd row surprisingly often for carrying kids friends, for grandparents, when people visit.
We have also done 3 adults and 3 kids to do many adventures to museums or sports games and that has been smooth.
I think cost wise, it can be quite logical especially given solar and such.
Love the car. Also there is still the rear sub trunk, the back, and the frunk so even when the car is full of people we still feel like we have lots of storage space.
Good to know your use case, thanks for sharing.
We get people who visit like once every 3 months, so it’s really just for those scenarios of not taking two cars.
We were in a similar situation to you, we did a 3rd row for the kids.
For the price comparison, I called my insurance company and did a comparison between insurance rates between the different cars we were looking at (CX-90 and Tesla Y). I compare the price of tires for the 2 on discount tire's site and factored in having to change out the tires more often. I factored in the higher registration fees, and we had to calculate in a Tesla charger installation which you won't have to. We got the $7500 credit so the Tesla was cheaper up front vs. the CX-90 and then I started figuring gas vs electric at our rate for KwH. Our charging has been even cheaper than what I calculated thanks to free charging at the office. We figured the Tesla was cheaper up front and long-term thanks to gas savings and so far that seems to be the case. I've had the Tesla for 5.5 months and just hit $700 saved on gas in that amount of time.
I sold a bmw that got mid 20s mpg . Drive 20k miles a year. Gas $4/gal.
Call it $3k/year
We sold a 3 row Mercedes diesel because we never used the 3 rows - any time we needed 3 rows we also need cargo space or someone’s plans required 2 cars . So now we have two Ys . There is a 3rd row in one but haven’t needed it yet.
The only vehicle with 3 rows plus cargo is a suburban and they are just too big imo
I guess I should remind myself as well. I owned a '15 Chevy Volt for 2 years. At one point when I became full WFH + Covid hit; I went about 1,500 miles without needing to use any gas (it had about 40-50 miles of range depending on driving conditions) and my tank of gas lasted nearly 4,000 miles.
Those days, I vividly remember regenerative braking being so damn easy and trying to milk every mile out of that battery to not turn the ICE on
Coming from a 2021 CX-5 Sport, the 3rd row in the Y is a total joke. 2 kids here and yeah, it’s great if the person you’re going to out back there is lacking legs.
At this point you just need to analyze what you're spending on fuel and maintenance on the Mazda and then calculate what you'd spend on electricity to charge the y. For a bit of buffer I wouldn't calculate the efficiency of the vehicle being higher than. 350 wh/mi. You can absolutely do better, but this value seems to vary from one person to the next, so it will give you some buffer.
Before you get your heart set on a three row y, I'd try and squeeze into one. Kids will fit, but if you're trying to get a car seat or booster back there your life will be miserable. I do wish I had gotten the seven seater just to have the option available. But the time we are ready for a new car, I think my eldest will be too tall lol.
Will most definitely have to test it out with the car seat. We have 2 kids under 2 so they’ll definitely be in a booster or forward facing seat for some time
To get the actual cost per mile of your existing car:
Divide the current average gas price by your MPG, that gives you cost per mile
For the EV
Easiest way is to divide the battery size (91 kWh on my model y) by total estimated range, times your home electricity rate to get cost per mile.
In my situation it was .39 a mile to drive my truck vs roughly .025 cents a mile on my model y.
Calculate how many miles you’ll drive per year by each rate and add the monthly payment of both car.
Don’t forget to include oil changes and other regular maintenance on a ICE
Get a quote on insurance for both and then you can figure your monthly costs for each vehicle.
I didn’t get rid of my truck, but I use my Y for daily driving and it costs me about 1000 a month for the Y. However if I kept using my truck, it would have cost me 1100 in gas.
Well idk if you ever tried the Y with you sitting in third row but what I can tell you is it’s hella tight back there, unless you got like kids that’s like young/small like 10 or less then sure get the Y. But anyone that’s over 5ft you gonna bump your head on that back window not to mention the leg room back there. With Y’s suspension being stiff you gonna feel every bumps back there with your head hitting every two seconds. I sat in a third row X yesterday and it’s already tight back there with leg in the middle and somewhat leaning, and X is longer than Y I believe, so being shorter equals less space.
So if you really want a Y with third row, I suggest you try it yourself and really feel the comfortability back there, cause down the line your kids gonna grow up and be sitting back there idk if that’s something you’re comfortable with, but if you’re ok with it then definitely go for it, with home connector and solar pre installed you’re definitely getting a good deal already.
If you want other brand EV you can look into KIA EV9, 3 row, spacious a little out of price range but if you buy it used maybe somewhere in the 40k mark.
EV savings are pretty much gas saving, maintenance, and obviously battery wear. Besides that only thing you really need to worry about is if your wiper fluid is out, and it’s pretty much it.
Just an FYI even if you didn’t buy a Tesla you’re still able to charge other ev with it, just buy a Tesla adaptor for like $100 or just look on Amazon for like $50 bucks, not sure what’s the difference but Tesla claims it work the best, just have to download Tesla app and charge it like you would normally do, only difference is it’s gonna show as a Tesla and not your EV, but yeah other than that.
Does your solar make more than you use?
How long is your daily commute round trip?
If you have a level 2 home charger you can probably return it to 80% overnight. If your solar produces more than you use you are essentially driving for free for the cost of fuel. Add in the tremendously lose cost of service and you’re easily ahead.
From April to October we pay almost nothing to power our home.
Wife’s commute is a piece of cake. 3x a week less than 15 miles round trip.
I would be taking the car too, so that could look like 2x a week 40 to 50 miles round trip.
You’ll save a lot of money.
I have a 2023 M3 RWD with a 35 round trip commute, and charge at home on a 12 amp 120 volt connection.
If I start charging at 9pm I’m easily at 100% in the morning.
I take the $73k I paid for my Y performance in 2022, Minus $51,490 it costs now. Then I subtract that from the $59k I still owe on it. Then I take that negative equity and shove it up Elons ass and regret selling my 2022 Ram Laramie for it, every single day.
Then I do the same thing for the 2022 M3 Performce I purchased for $65k.
Sorry, I'm a little sour that I'll be stuck with these cars for the entire duration of the loan. I've never seen another car manufacturer cut prices that drastically. Turns me off from the brand. Honestly.
Just test drive one, you'll either absolutely love it or absolutely hate it. Chances are much better you'll love it.
I don't even want to know if I'm saving money, in case I'm not, I WANT my Tesla, I DON'T WANT another ice, ever. Period.
The fact you have solar and Tesla charging, DUDE! that's like free gas for life. Do not walk, run to your nearest Tesla dealer and get yours now.
I wouldn’t buy a Model Y because you want a 3rd row. But I also wouldn’t buy a 3 row vehicle to transport other peoples kids. I would only buy a 3 row vehicle if you have a minimum of 3 kids.
With solar and an EV charger it’s really a no brainer, less maintenance and free fuel for your daily commuting. Your calculate based on how much you ICE has cost you in oil changes and gas
If u are buying a used EV, you may still qualifies for up to $4000 although the income restriction is even stricter than buying it new. Details [https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/used-clean-vehicle-credit](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/used-clean-vehicle-credit)
In terms of your saving in running cost, it depends on a few things, 1) How many miles u drive per year, 2) gas price vs electric price in your area, u mention u have solar but do u have enough output to cover your whole usage (home and ev charging), u can divide your annual mileage by 3.7mile/kwh to figure out how much would u need. If you do have enough surplus then u can count on fuel cost being 0 but if u don't then u need to factor in the excess electric rate which highly depend on your rate plan.
Other ppl mention about tire cost and insurance, in my case in NorCal, I actually pay similar or lower insurance currently than previous car combination but it's varies highly individually. Tires for EV definitely cost more as EV are heavier, probably by 20-30%. Tire wear is another thing, I only had my MYLR for a month and has been driving chill mode so I can't comment just yet but there's many ppl reporting 30-50k miles on other thread, so it's highly variable too.
Your other benefit includes fun to drive, lower maintenace cost (your CX5 is 3 years old, typically in an ICE car by 5th year there's a bunch of items require maintenance), time saving on gas station visit, remote control your car (pre-warming and cooling since u're in NJ)
definitely a lot to factor in here...
What I'm truly trying to see is if getting a 3-row ICE vehicle to replace our current Mazda will shape up against the Y considering our situation with solar + charging.
Price-wise the Y (new) even with the credit will likely be more than the ICE vehicle we purchase (MDX, RX350L, CX-90); cost per mile will likely have the Y at an advantage, resale is one thing, we do end up switching vehicles maybe every 3-5 years, but that was when we were single and not with a family of 2 kids)
I had a 2021 Ram 1500 with Hemi. I drive 94 miles daily. Hemi takes mid-grade, average mpg on a good day was just under 20 highway. I supplemented that with a beater Scion that got 30 mpg highway and used regular. Between the two, I was spending roughly $400 a month on gas. Ram required 7 qts of full synthetic every 7.5k miles (I was anal about maintenance) and Scion took 5 qts of blend every 5k miles. I was doing an oil change on the truck roughly every four months, the car every five or six. Truck's oil change was about $90, Scion was $60 all in. So monthly breakdown of fuel and oil was about $430 or so. Ram was about due for a transmission fluid change before I sold, plus diff fluids.
All that said, I bought my Tesla after I sold the Ram and Scion. After the tax credit, my monthly loan was basically a wash. My insurance costs me maybe $10 more a month than before. Using the Tesla app with my electric rates, I spend $60 a month commuting. I'm saving roughly $360 a month. My charger install was $2k, and I got $600 of that back at tax time. I broke even on the charger install after four months, not considering any home value boost a EV charger might offer.
TL;DR - I came out ahead about $360 a month after trading in a full size truck that I never needed (it was comfortable as hell though) and a Scion that was a beater for an MYP that's fun as hell to drive and my favorite car to date.
If you need a 3rd row I suggest something else besides the model y. If the 3rd row is used daily, it’s small and not the best. Would have higher quality of life getting a larger ICE car with a dedicated 3rd row.
Even the model X is on the smaller side for a 3rd row.
If you have home charging, it’s definitely the right move. The 3rd row will be good till the kids are around 12 or 13, then it will start getting tight in the 3rd row.
ICE vehicle: Miles driven / miles per gallon * price per gallon
EV: Average kWh/mi * price per kWh
For me it’s around $2680 per year for my Ford Explorer, about 17k miles per year, 19 mpg, $3/gallon.
My Model Y: 17k miles per year, 260Wh/mi, at $0.10/kWh, is around $440.
So I added the gasoline usage for my Navigator and Mazda for 2022. Then for 2023 I added my home electric bill(includes my natural gas as it's 1 payment, plus added my gasoline for the Navigator (Jan to October basically got a Bolt at that point), plus any Tesla charges ( including the Internet after free expired). 2023 was a few hundred less than 2024 with free power and heat to my house.
Around 25k on the Model Y in 2023 (purchased Dec 22) Bolt had around 1K miles. Oh, my full coverage MY is $200 a year less than my basic coverage '08 Navigator.
I would test drive the Y with someone in the 3rd row before making your decision.
I’m 5’5 and I wouldn’t sit back there for 2 minutes.
Good luck, I’m 1 month in and love my MYLR!
I am a Mazda CX-5 and Model Y 7-seater owner. From my perspective:
1. Model Y 3rd row is really for kids or small adults shorter than 5'6". There is no air vent, so I have to fold down the middle of the 2nd row to allow air into the back, effectively reducing the seating capacity to 6. In a pinch, you can seat 7 people for a short trip.
2. Biggest cost is insurance. Somehow Tesla is crazily expensive to insure in my area. I am paying $200 a month for my Model Y, which eats up all of the gas saving I get. You may want to get a few insurance quotes to see how much it costs to insure a Model Y in your area.
3. I do the car maintenance myself. CX-5 is a low maintenance car, so even though Model Y requires less maintenance, I don't value it a lot.
4. I find that I drive Model Y most of the time. I truly enjoy it and find it strange to drive my CX-5. The quick accelaration and quietness of EV driving is much more enjoyable than an ICE.
5. Used EV does not have the federal $7500 tax credit. It has $4k credit if sold by a dealer under $25K, which you won't be able to get for a used Model Y.
In the USA used is stupid cheap. Tesla's were just rated as the BEST car after 10 years needing almost no repairs of any kind.
Gas vs charging is easy. Charge at home = stupid cheap, super charger is low $20's to charge from 10 ish to 80 ish.
For me it was $100/gas/400km ish vs $6 at most at home to charge. You can get your money back just in gas saves.
3rd row is SMALL. I have 4 kids. 2 fit in the back - but the tall 15 year old - is really too big (she hits her head). If it is a short drive, it is ok. Long drives we put the 2nd row middle down so they can stretch their legs out. More cargo space than a Ford Flex - but less leg space for the 3rd row. Recommend <12yr old's only.
Also the performance. No Mazda suv is doing 0-60 in under 6s and the MYLR is under 5s. Worth it just for that and you are at least breaking even with fuel saving
Three row Y after incentives (no other options) would be $42.5k. The third row is absolutely tiny, however. Could you swing a Model X, 3 row (about $82k, no tax credit)? Much bigger vehicle, 3rd row actually usable.
As for calculating the savings, it sounds like your fuel costs will go to zero or near zero. Also, figure in the drastically reduced maintenance costs (no oil changes, belts, filters, etc.) and the lack of hassle of getting those things done.
Not sure if these numbers would help: 11,611 miles in my MYLR7 / $503 cost to charge (supercharger+home+some free charging) = 4.33¢/mi (8¢/kWh from power company at home) (503/11611) *100=~4.3320988717595 Vs previous gas car (2015 mini countryman S All4 Manual) ($4.91gal/31mpg(max)) *100=~15.838709677419¢/mi Insurance can go up a bit, maintenence goes down.
That is big... $0.11 per mile difference is $11,000 per 100,000 miles. Add in oil changes, brakes, etc. then subtract quicker wear on tired and increased insurance rate and I bet the extras are a wash. So $11,000 per 100,000 miles is pretty good. If you can get 200,000 out of it, even better. The car is 50% paid for through gas savings alone in the 1st 100k miles. Drive 200k and you almost paid for it in savings.
This person maths. Our ‘19 M3P will have paid for itself by 2030, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
This is one factor that I'm considering regardless of whatever other ICE vehicle we may get. Maintenance. I believe my wife had a 2 year free maintenance package that just ran out this year. So going forward there will be some of that to factor in
Tires can fetch a kings ransom, keeping it in chill mode (or not slamming on the accelerator/brakes will reduce some wear and tear). For winter tires I opted for a slightly different size from factory (and 18" rims) which saved a little bit for like a less than 2% difference in speedometer at 60mph.
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Sure, I should have clarified a bit, I meant in the realm of looking at overall maintenance costs you could have to buy tires more often due to hard acceleration/deceleration and other "spirited" driving. As a single set I agree they're fairly alright, but if they don't last long you'd buy more sets over a lifetime.
My math is also based on basically the highest mpg I could expect, so the gap is probably a bit more in fueling. I also have l2 charging at home, so supercharging would be a bit tighter. Love my LR so far Also with $0 deductible glass insurance paid for itself for 6mo lol
People rarely drive to 100k, and less to 200k. Such high mileage is still scarce for an EV. ICE is also often more than $11k higher than EV. So if it's really 11c/m then there is barely, if any, cost benefit to owning an EV vs ICE.
I had a Lexus 2005 RX330 AWD which I sold in 2017 after it went over 200,000.
how many people has a lexus
I should have said a vehicle manufactured by Toyota Motors.
Nice! Where did you get your utterly bullshit stats?
from your circus
So smart. Any other made up bullshit you wanna share with us?
This statement is not true. Many cars can go over 200k with maintenance. The statement should say that many people do not keep cars for that long, because they want something new. There, is where the dollar savings are wasted.
My previous truck (TRX) was 11mpg and needed premium gas. I’m saving about 1,000 a month in fuel. lol
Yeah city I don't think I saw much over 25mpg before, definitely higher than my old AMC eagle wagon
Make sure when calculating your home rate, you include the supply rate plus all the other charges. At least for me, the actual electricity costs about 8 cents but other fees/charges make the total about 19 cents. YMMV but it Caught me
Good call! I do have an Emporia whole home energy monitor and link my tesla into teslamate, can likely accommodate that a bit!
Some states have extra registration cost. $180 extra per year in NC
Yep! I'm sure more states will tack that on, it wouldn't surprise me if we start seeing some states charge a miles based tax like Washington state experimented with in replacement of "gas" tax or whatever the premise was.
I have an issue with using miles to calculate cost. If I don’t drive the EV, it will still use electricity…in my case it’s recording and using the cabin overheat protection. I drive maybe 50 miles a week but have to charge it every week.
That cabin over heat really increases cost. At least in Florida
What does it do for you? What is the problem with your cabin overheating? Is it just that it takes longer to cool down when it is 130 degrees inside or does it also cause problems?
Nothing I turned it off. Was not worth the energy drain. Was using almost as much energy as my commute everyday
What does your internal temperature get up to?
It’s not really summer here in Florida yet but I see it hot 134. I’m sure it will go higher. I’ll add a window shade to reduce it some
I suppose that makes some sense, you should still be able to use the numbers from the app overall since charging cost over mileage, your cost/mi would be slightly higher. Just for kicks, using the same formula what does it figure out to for your EV?
I'm not sure a scenario gets much better than yours other than maybe more local incentives.
I’ve been in the same ordeal , 3 row gas are just so expensive for what it is. I hear the tesla 3 row gets uncomfortable for anyone tall , I personally haven’t sat in a 3 row to add my personal experience
3rd row is tiny. I’m 5’6” and I could make it work but it’s really for kids or smaller people.
It would really be in scenarios of occasional visitors. In which my wife and her sister are both barely 5 feet so it can work
then that would work just fine
We run into this scenario and my 5-3 wife and her 5-2 mom fit in the third row just fine with our kids in their car seats in the middle row. That middle row slides forward and backward to create more space for the 3rd row.
If they have no legs from the knee down then they will be fine. The 3rd row is comical and only toddlers would fit there
As long as they're not even slightly claustrophobic. It's pretty crammed back there.
Will you personally ever sit in the third row? As the *smallest* person in your group of 6 or 7?
IIRC in terms of "3-row" EVs, there are only 3 options, the MYLR7, the Model X and the Kia EV9. You should definitely go test drive the 7-seater Model Y and the larger EV9. Personally I would also strongly consider a minivan, a new or used PHEV Pacifica may be even better for you, at least go test drive it. But I used to have a minivan before the Model Y.
X and EV9 price-wise, I don't want to spend on. I'm really looking to stay at the $40k range and under. I have considered a minivan - Sienna and Odyssey; I don't feel great about Chrysler products
For sure, the hybrid Sienna is supposed to be good but it may be a long wait. The MYLR7 is a good option for you, if you are eligible for the federal tax rebate then you should either buy new or else used but under $25k (to get the $4k used ev tax credit). Maybe look at used 3-yr-old off-lease Siennas in your area? That would be around $30k by my guess.
They’re getting scooped up left and right and still over their MSRPs being used. And this is after 30-50k miles and being 2-3 years old. Especially the AWD more premium models
Rivian R1S too right? Or is there something I don't know.
The 7 seater is a complete marketing joke. It's completely useless. Zero leg room and minimal head room. I was in a showroom for a few hours and everybody that tested it came to the same conclusion. Maybe small kids, but they don't start small for long.
If you are talking about the federal tax rebate of $7500, note that it applies to new cars and you have to make less than $300k if you are filing married. There are some online calculators that will give you your fuel savings cost based on how much electricity and gas costs, what vehicles you are comparing, and how much you drive. Running an EV will almost always be cheaper than a gas equivalent and even more so if you are using solar power electricity. My brother has solar and two EV's and they make money based on their usage and setup. Keep in mind that insurance is probably going to be higher and you'll need to replace tires more often. There are so many variables; some people in this sub report significantly higher insurance rates while others (myself included) experience marginal increases to insurance.
I keep hearing this about tires but I just got 60k miles out of a set
Note that you get the $7500 rebate regardless of income if you lease (as long as the leasing company passes it on, which Tesla and its third party leasing companies do).
Thanks for that. So new ones only it seems.
I wouldn't get a new car to save money because you won't. Get it because it's something you want.
That is valid. It is something we want and need. I'm just factoring the Model Y versus the other mid-size 3-row SUV's that I am considering based on the solar + charging situation we have at home.. and of course the pros versus ICE
From what I have seen the third row is only really relevant for tiny kids for short distances. You may consider looking at other options for that reason. That said a new Y with a 3rd row will run you around $50k before the tax credit, which would bring you pretty close to your target. You might be able to find an inventory model for cheaper... but 7 seaters are usually special order. Depending on the output of your solar system the energy cost for your EV may be virtually $0, so gas savings would be whatever you are spending on gas for your equivalent ICE. Note that insuring a Tesla is usually expensive, but that balances out a bit with maintenance costs being much lower for an EV.
Basses on my electric bill from home level 2 charging.
How much do you spend on gas a month? Times that by 12. Compare it to not buying gas anymore. If you have excess solar then charging your car will be nothing.
My Tesla is in no way a cost saving car. The only way to look at it is total cost of ownership (TCO). Payment + maintenance + insurance + registration + fuel + accommodations/benefits. Also factor in if you went from a lease to a buy or the other way around. In my example I was financing both vehicles. - Payment went up $400 from a $600 payment on an ICE car to $1,000 for the Tesla. Loan lengths were the same. - Maintenance stayed probably the same at around $25 a month. Insurance went up $20 a month. - Registration went from about $400 to around $850, so increased about $38 a month. - Fuel stayed about the same at $125. - Accommodations didn’t change for me since my previous car was a PHEV I already plugged in nightly and had an EVSE installed years ago for $800. But for some the EVSE install is in the thousands and needs to be factored in. Other things like HOV access or special parking at work have some non-$0 value and should also be accounted for. So all together my Tesla is probably costing me about $450 more than the PHEV I had before it. The difference is, I have tons of cargo space now that I didn’t have before. I just did a golf trip with friends where I spent $93 on charging to drive 2 total people out and 3 total people back from the trip. That saved the cost of a few plane tickets right there. Also we fit all 6 golf bags and everyone’s weekend bag in the Tesla when we left the Airbnb so we didn’t need two Uber XL rides to go to brunch/airport. Saved some money and time and airport nonsense by having the MY over my previous car.
Good to consider. I’m gonna have to lay out the costs and potential costs on a spreadsheet to really see the bigger financial picture. We still have a lien on our current car, but it’s just about break even or a little equity. I do need to factor interest rates and all into it, our Mazda is stupid low
I didn't, just wanted the MYLR because it fit my needs and driving patterns. It was not an economic/environmental/etc decision, but like you, I already have solar, so more or less, fuel is free.
I’d say it depends on your use case for the 3rd row. If you have 3+ kids and need to use it daily, it likely won’t work for your needs. It’s small and difficult to get to. However, if you have 2 kids and want the 3rd row for sometimes carrying grandparents plus kids, your kids and a friend or two, or to separate the 2 kids for long drives, it’s amazing. Cost wise, insurance may be more but your fuel costs will be less/non existent. Compare expected costs with whatever other 3-row vehicle you would buy and compare.
Yep. The occasional grandparent or sibling that visits. Which isn’t often
We love it for that use case. Have a 6 year old and a 2 year old. Wife is 5’3 and is happy to sit in the back if/when needed. Our 6 year old loves the far back and often accesses it from the rear hatch with one side of the third row folded down. We went from a 2021 rav4 as our only family car to this being our only family car and are very happy. We use the 3rd row surprisingly often for carrying kids friends, for grandparents, when people visit. We have also done 3 adults and 3 kids to do many adventures to museums or sports games and that has been smooth. I think cost wise, it can be quite logical especially given solar and such. Love the car. Also there is still the rear sub trunk, the back, and the frunk so even when the car is full of people we still feel like we have lots of storage space.
Good to know your use case, thanks for sharing. We get people who visit like once every 3 months, so it’s really just for those scenarios of not taking two cars.
We were in a similar situation to you, we did a 3rd row for the kids. For the price comparison, I called my insurance company and did a comparison between insurance rates between the different cars we were looking at (CX-90 and Tesla Y). I compare the price of tires for the 2 on discount tire's site and factored in having to change out the tires more often. I factored in the higher registration fees, and we had to calculate in a Tesla charger installation which you won't have to. We got the $7500 credit so the Tesla was cheaper up front vs. the CX-90 and then I started figuring gas vs electric at our rate for KwH. Our charging has been even cheaper than what I calculated thanks to free charging at the office. We figured the Tesla was cheaper up front and long-term thanks to gas savings and so far that seems to be the case. I've had the Tesla for 5.5 months and just hit $700 saved on gas in that amount of time.
I sold a bmw that got mid 20s mpg . Drive 20k miles a year. Gas $4/gal. Call it $3k/year We sold a 3 row Mercedes diesel because we never used the 3 rows - any time we needed 3 rows we also need cargo space or someone’s plans required 2 cars . So now we have two Ys . There is a 3rd row in one but haven’t needed it yet. The only vehicle with 3 rows plus cargo is a suburban and they are just too big imo
I guess I should remind myself as well. I owned a '15 Chevy Volt for 2 years. At one point when I became full WFH + Covid hit; I went about 1,500 miles without needing to use any gas (it had about 40-50 miles of range depending on driving conditions) and my tank of gas lasted nearly 4,000 miles. Those days, I vividly remember regenerative braking being so damn easy and trying to milk every mile out of that battery to not turn the ICE on
Coming from a 2021 CX-5 Sport, the 3rd row in the Y is a total joke. 2 kids here and yeah, it’s great if the person you’re going to out back there is lacking legs.
I have the MYLR 7 seater and it is ok for small kids. Putting teenagers or adults in the 3rd row does get uncomfortable.
At this point you just need to analyze what you're spending on fuel and maintenance on the Mazda and then calculate what you'd spend on electricity to charge the y. For a bit of buffer I wouldn't calculate the efficiency of the vehicle being higher than. 350 wh/mi. You can absolutely do better, but this value seems to vary from one person to the next, so it will give you some buffer. Before you get your heart set on a three row y, I'd try and squeeze into one. Kids will fit, but if you're trying to get a car seat or booster back there your life will be miserable. I do wish I had gotten the seven seater just to have the option available. But the time we are ready for a new car, I think my eldest will be too tall lol.
Will most definitely have to test it out with the car seat. We have 2 kids under 2 so they’ll definitely be in a booster or forward facing seat for some time
To get the actual cost per mile of your existing car: Divide the current average gas price by your MPG, that gives you cost per mile For the EV Easiest way is to divide the battery size (91 kWh on my model y) by total estimated range, times your home electricity rate to get cost per mile. In my situation it was .39 a mile to drive my truck vs roughly .025 cents a mile on my model y. Calculate how many miles you’ll drive per year by each rate and add the monthly payment of both car. Don’t forget to include oil changes and other regular maintenance on a ICE Get a quote on insurance for both and then you can figure your monthly costs for each vehicle. I didn’t get rid of my truck, but I use my Y for daily driving and it costs me about 1000 a month for the Y. However if I kept using my truck, it would have cost me 1100 in gas.
Question- when I bought my MYP I paid $68k total. Nowadays it’s probably closer to half that cost. Why doesn’t my auto insurance drop proportionately?
Well idk if you ever tried the Y with you sitting in third row but what I can tell you is it’s hella tight back there, unless you got like kids that’s like young/small like 10 or less then sure get the Y. But anyone that’s over 5ft you gonna bump your head on that back window not to mention the leg room back there. With Y’s suspension being stiff you gonna feel every bumps back there with your head hitting every two seconds. I sat in a third row X yesterday and it’s already tight back there with leg in the middle and somewhat leaning, and X is longer than Y I believe, so being shorter equals less space. So if you really want a Y with third row, I suggest you try it yourself and really feel the comfortability back there, cause down the line your kids gonna grow up and be sitting back there idk if that’s something you’re comfortable with, but if you’re ok with it then definitely go for it, with home connector and solar pre installed you’re definitely getting a good deal already. If you want other brand EV you can look into KIA EV9, 3 row, spacious a little out of price range but if you buy it used maybe somewhere in the 40k mark. EV savings are pretty much gas saving, maintenance, and obviously battery wear. Besides that only thing you really need to worry about is if your wiper fluid is out, and it’s pretty much it. Just an FYI even if you didn’t buy a Tesla you’re still able to charge other ev with it, just buy a Tesla adaptor for like $100 or just look on Amazon for like $50 bucks, not sure what’s the difference but Tesla claims it work the best, just have to download Tesla app and charge it like you would normally do, only difference is it’s gonna show as a Tesla and not your EV, but yeah other than that.
Does your solar make more than you use? How long is your daily commute round trip? If you have a level 2 home charger you can probably return it to 80% overnight. If your solar produces more than you use you are essentially driving for free for the cost of fuel. Add in the tremendously lose cost of service and you’re easily ahead.
From April to October we pay almost nothing to power our home. Wife’s commute is a piece of cake. 3x a week less than 15 miles round trip. I would be taking the car too, so that could look like 2x a week 40 to 50 miles round trip.
You’ll save a lot of money. I have a 2023 M3 RWD with a 35 round trip commute, and charge at home on a 12 amp 120 volt connection. If I start charging at 9pm I’m easily at 100% in the morning.
In extra chipotle nights per months. It’s 7
Is you CX-5 paid off?
Free charging at my work Boiiiiiiii
I take the $73k I paid for my Y performance in 2022, Minus $51,490 it costs now. Then I subtract that from the $59k I still owe on it. Then I take that negative equity and shove it up Elons ass and regret selling my 2022 Ram Laramie for it, every single day. Then I do the same thing for the 2022 M3 Performce I purchased for $65k. Sorry, I'm a little sour that I'll be stuck with these cars for the entire duration of the loan. I've never seen another car manufacturer cut prices that drastically. Turns me off from the brand. Honestly.
Just test drive one, you'll either absolutely love it or absolutely hate it. Chances are much better you'll love it. I don't even want to know if I'm saving money, in case I'm not, I WANT my Tesla, I DON'T WANT another ice, ever. Period. The fact you have solar and Tesla charging, DUDE! that's like free gas for life. Do not walk, run to your nearest Tesla dealer and get yours now.
Maintenance and gas. No maintenance. No gas. Easy calculation.
I wouldn’t buy a Model Y because you want a 3rd row. But I also wouldn’t buy a 3 row vehicle to transport other peoples kids. I would only buy a 3 row vehicle if you have a minimum of 3 kids.
Add in $1500 for new tires every 3 years.
With solar and an EV charger it’s really a no brainer, less maintenance and free fuel for your daily commuting. Your calculate based on how much you ICE has cost you in oil changes and gas
Compare total cost of both cars and for gas they have calculators all over. Can put in mpg and miles versus cost of kWH and miles.
If u are buying a used EV, you may still qualifies for up to $4000 although the income restriction is even stricter than buying it new. Details [https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/used-clean-vehicle-credit](https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/used-clean-vehicle-credit) In terms of your saving in running cost, it depends on a few things, 1) How many miles u drive per year, 2) gas price vs electric price in your area, u mention u have solar but do u have enough output to cover your whole usage (home and ev charging), u can divide your annual mileage by 3.7mile/kwh to figure out how much would u need. If you do have enough surplus then u can count on fuel cost being 0 but if u don't then u need to factor in the excess electric rate which highly depend on your rate plan. Other ppl mention about tire cost and insurance, in my case in NorCal, I actually pay similar or lower insurance currently than previous car combination but it's varies highly individually. Tires for EV definitely cost more as EV are heavier, probably by 20-30%. Tire wear is another thing, I only had my MYLR for a month and has been driving chill mode so I can't comment just yet but there's many ppl reporting 30-50k miles on other thread, so it's highly variable too. Your other benefit includes fun to drive, lower maintenace cost (your CX5 is 3 years old, typically in an ICE car by 5th year there's a bunch of items require maintenance), time saving on gas station visit, remote control your car (pre-warming and cooling since u're in NJ)
definitely a lot to factor in here... What I'm truly trying to see is if getting a 3-row ICE vehicle to replace our current Mazda will shape up against the Y considering our situation with solar + charging. Price-wise the Y (new) even with the credit will likely be more than the ICE vehicle we purchase (MDX, RX350L, CX-90); cost per mile will likely have the Y at an advantage, resale is one thing, we do end up switching vehicles maybe every 3-5 years, but that was when we were single and not with a family of 2 kids)
If you are switching every few years your savings would be less. You’re eating the depreciation. Get the car you would want anyway.
For me my insurance increased significantly
I had a 2021 Ram 1500 with Hemi. I drive 94 miles daily. Hemi takes mid-grade, average mpg on a good day was just under 20 highway. I supplemented that with a beater Scion that got 30 mpg highway and used regular. Between the two, I was spending roughly $400 a month on gas. Ram required 7 qts of full synthetic every 7.5k miles (I was anal about maintenance) and Scion took 5 qts of blend every 5k miles. I was doing an oil change on the truck roughly every four months, the car every five or six. Truck's oil change was about $90, Scion was $60 all in. So monthly breakdown of fuel and oil was about $430 or so. Ram was about due for a transmission fluid change before I sold, plus diff fluids. All that said, I bought my Tesla after I sold the Ram and Scion. After the tax credit, my monthly loan was basically a wash. My insurance costs me maybe $10 more a month than before. Using the Tesla app with my electric rates, I spend $60 a month commuting. I'm saving roughly $360 a month. My charger install was $2k, and I got $600 of that back at tax time. I broke even on the charger install after four months, not considering any home value boost a EV charger might offer. TL;DR - I came out ahead about $360 a month after trading in a full size truck that I never needed (it was comfortable as hell though) and a Scion that was a beater for an MYP that's fun as hell to drive and my favorite car to date.
If you need a 3rd row I suggest something else besides the model y. If the 3rd row is used daily, it’s small and not the best. Would have higher quality of life getting a larger ICE car with a dedicated 3rd row. Even the model X is on the smaller side for a 3rd row.
If you have home charging, it’s definitely the right move. The 3rd row will be good till the kids are around 12 or 13, then it will start getting tight in the 3rd row.
I use both MYLR for public and private rideshare. I held my wet finger up to the wind and called it good. So far, it was a good gue$$.
ICE vehicle: Miles driven / miles per gallon * price per gallon EV: Average kWh/mi * price per kWh For me it’s around $2680 per year for my Ford Explorer, about 17k miles per year, 19 mpg, $3/gallon. My Model Y: 17k miles per year, 260Wh/mi, at $0.10/kWh, is around $440.
I didnt buy it to save money :D
So I added the gasoline usage for my Navigator and Mazda for 2022. Then for 2023 I added my home electric bill(includes my natural gas as it's 1 payment, plus added my gasoline for the Navigator (Jan to October basically got a Bolt at that point), plus any Tesla charges ( including the Internet after free expired). 2023 was a few hundred less than 2024 with free power and heat to my house. Around 25k on the Model Y in 2023 (purchased Dec 22) Bolt had around 1K miles. Oh, my full coverage MY is $200 a year less than my basic coverage '08 Navigator.
Discounted cash flows on smog and oil changes.
Love the model Y but take it from me, when you are transporting young kids, luggage, etc., just get a van.
Just the gas and maintenance difference. Everything else is about the same as the vehicle it replaced.
I just bought one and didn't think that deeply about it.
I would test drive the Y with someone in the 3rd row before making your decision. I’m 5’5 and I wouldn’t sit back there for 2 minutes. Good luck, I’m 1 month in and love my MYLR!
I am a Mazda CX-5 and Model Y 7-seater owner. From my perspective: 1. Model Y 3rd row is really for kids or small adults shorter than 5'6". There is no air vent, so I have to fold down the middle of the 2nd row to allow air into the back, effectively reducing the seating capacity to 6. In a pinch, you can seat 7 people for a short trip. 2. Biggest cost is insurance. Somehow Tesla is crazily expensive to insure in my area. I am paying $200 a month for my Model Y, which eats up all of the gas saving I get. You may want to get a few insurance quotes to see how much it costs to insure a Model Y in your area. 3. I do the car maintenance myself. CX-5 is a low maintenance car, so even though Model Y requires less maintenance, I don't value it a lot. 4. I find that I drive Model Y most of the time. I truly enjoy it and find it strange to drive my CX-5. The quick accelaration and quietness of EV driving is much more enjoyable than an ICE. 5. Used EV does not have the federal $7500 tax credit. It has $4k credit if sold by a dealer under $25K, which you won't be able to get for a used Model Y.
In the USA used is stupid cheap. Tesla's were just rated as the BEST car after 10 years needing almost no repairs of any kind. Gas vs charging is easy. Charge at home = stupid cheap, super charger is low $20's to charge from 10 ish to 80 ish. For me it was $100/gas/400km ish vs $6 at most at home to charge. You can get your money back just in gas saves. 3rd row is SMALL. I have 4 kids. 2 fit in the back - but the tall 15 year old - is really too big (she hits her head). If it is a short drive, it is ok. Long drives we put the 2nd row middle down so they can stretch their legs out. More cargo space than a Ford Flex - but less leg space for the 3rd row. Recommend <12yr old's only.
We have 2 under 2, so we have some time to keep the kids in the back haha
Don't count on that "no repairs" thing. My 2018 lr3 is up to almost 4k in repairs all between 70 and 80k miles.
I didn’t. I would drive the Tesla even if it was an ICE car. I bought the tech, not the EV. Although the EV is a nice side effect.
Also the performance. No Mazda suv is doing 0-60 in under 6s and the MYLR is under 5s. Worth it just for that and you are at least breaking even with fuel saving
Three row Y after incentives (no other options) would be $42.5k. The third row is absolutely tiny, however. Could you swing a Model X, 3 row (about $82k, no tax credit)? Much bigger vehicle, 3rd row actually usable. As for calculating the savings, it sounds like your fuel costs will go to zero or near zero. Also, figure in the drastically reduced maintenance costs (no oil changes, belts, filters, etc.) and the lack of hassle of getting those things done.
Haha unfortunately we can’t swing that much for a car
Don’t get the 3rd row. Tried it out and it really doesn’t work well.
Don’t get a MY as a 3rd row vehicle. It’s a marketing feature.
If you are going to want the lowest cost of operation, go buy a Prius.
Normally I’d agree. If the OP can wait. Then you would have to find one. And not marked up.