Tesla Model S
What it costs to keep fuelled
$387a year, fuel only
The 2026 Tesla Model S is EPA-rated at 124 MPGe combined (132 city / 116 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 121 gallons, $387 a year in fuel, or $0.026 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2012–2026 run it averages 116.5 MPGe, improving by 35 MPGe over 6 model years.
The band is how far one gallon-equivalent of energy carries it: 124 of the 160 MPGe this scale runs to. The square tick is the large cars average, 20.9.
- Fuel, per year
- $387 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.026
- Per kilometre
- $0.016
- Gallon-equivalents/yr
- 121
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
MPGe — not a fuel billSOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Start from the EPA combined figure for the model year — a laboratory test cycle run to a fixed procedure, not a road result. Where a year sold several engines or drivetrains, the trims are averaged and the trim count is printed beside the row so you can see how much averaging is behind it.
- Fix a pump price. This site keeps one reference price, $3.20 a US gallon, fixed JUL 2026 and printed next to every dollar figure it produces. It is an assumption with a date on it, not a quote — put your own price in.
- Fix an annual distance. Every annual figure on this site uses 15,000 miles a year, roughly the US average. A cost per year with no stated distance is not a number, it is a mood.
- Divide distance by economy for gallons, multiply by price for the year's fuel, divide price by economy for one mile. The per-kilometre line is that last figure divided by 1.609344 — the same money, in the unit most of the world drives in.
- Stop there. No depreciation, no tyres, no insurance, no servicing. This is the fuel line of the ledger and it is labelled as one; depreciation usually dwarfs everything on it.
gallons/yr = miles/yr ÷ MPG fuel $/yr = gallons/yr × $/gal cost $/mi = $/gal ÷ MPG cost $/km = cost $/mi ÷ 1.609344
The full method, the licence note, and what a test figure cannot tell you →
Re-run the ledger at another pump price
Every line above rests on one pump price. Here is the same entry re-costed at six others, because the price is the part that changes while the test sheet stays put.
| Fuel price | Per mile | 10,000 mi/yr | 15,000 mi/yr | 20,000 mi/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.020 | $202 | $302 | $403 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.024 | $242 | $363 | $484 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.026 | $258 | $387 | $516 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.028 | $282 | $423 | $565 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.032 | $323 | $484 | $645 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.036 | $363 | $544 | $726 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.040 | $403 | $605 | $806 |
This is an electric vehicle, so the EPA rates it in MPGe — the distance it travels on the energy equivalent of a gallon of petrol. The dollar figures above are a petrol-equivalent illustration only; charging at home is billed per kWh and is normally far cheaper. Treat the MPGe as an efficiency comparison, not a fuel bill.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The whole service history, sheet by sheet
6 model years on file. Read down the combined column: a nameplate that got heavier shows it here long before any brochure admits it.
| Year | Combined | City | Highway | EPA fuel cost/yr | CO₂ g/mi | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 124 MPGe | 132 | 116 | $600 | — | 1 |
| 2025 | 124 MPGe | 132 | 116 | $600 | — | 1 |
| 2024 | 122 MPGe | 127 | 116 | $600 | — | 1 |
| 2023 | 120 MPGe | 124 | 115 | $650 | — | 1 |
| 2022 | 120 MPGe | 124 | 115 | $650 | — | 1 |
| 2012 | 89 MPGe | 88 | 90 | $850 | — | 1 |
Where a model year offered several engines or drivetrains, the figure is the average across all EPA-tested trims that year — the trim count is shown so you can see how much averaging is involved.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Marked against the rest of the large cars bay
Among the 149 large cars models tracked here, the Tesla Model S ranks 1 on current figures, against a class average of 20.9 MPGe — the square tick on the gauge above.
Nothing in its class is rated higher — it leads the group.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Tesla Model S get?
The 2026 Tesla Model S is rated at 124 MPGe combined by the EPA — 132 city and 116 highway. Across all 6 model years in the database it averages 116.5 MPGe, ranging from 89 to 124 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Tesla Model S cost in fuel per year?
At 124 MPGe and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 121 gallons — roughly $387 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.026 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2026 model is $600.
Has the Tesla Model S become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 89 MPGe in 2012 to 124 in 2026 — an improvement of 35 MPGe, or 39% across 6 model years.
Is the Tesla Model S efficient for its class?
It ranks 1 of 149 in the Large Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 20.9 MPGe. That is 103.1 better than typical for the class.
Pull another logbook off the same shelf
Same class, nearest economy first — the ones a buyer is genuinely choosing between.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Cost per mile, per kilometre and per year are computed at a reference price of $3.20 a gallon over 15,000 miles, fixed JUL 2026 — set your own pump price. Estimates based on official test figures and average fuel prices. Real-world consumption varies with driving style, load, terrain and maintenance.
