An Aussie Tesla owner whose Model S has clocked up just shy of a million kilometres in eight years says the car still “drives like new” after he revealed the surprisingly small number of fixes he has had to make to the EV.

Nigel Raynard, who keeps the Tesla very busy while he runs a limousine service in Byron Bay and the Unique Images Australia photography business, posted the news to X, boasting that the distance he has covered is equivalent to going around the world 24 times. 

Tesla model s p90D
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He revealed that he has changed the brake pads once and his original battery lasted 666,666km before he had it replaced with an upgraded 90kWh unit under his car’s unlimited-kilometre warranty. Mr Raynard also installed new aircon, suspension arms and struts, with the front drive unit mounts and half shafts only being swapped out for new items in the last week.

“Today, at just over 8 years of ownership. Six hundred thousand miles,” Raynard wrote. “Drives like new. Best car I’ve ever owned … And people are still discussing the benefits of a Tesla, get with the program, later adopters.”

Raynard also explained that he got from 50,000 to 70,000km out of the sets of tyres he has been through with the Model S, and the car’s efficiency has been 186Wh/km since he had the battery replaced.

Adding to the impressive lifespan of the battery is the fact that Raynard – who posted detailed numbers on the car obtained through the TezLab app – used DC fast charging 92 per cent of the time for a total of 3963 sessions. DC charging is widely thought to increase battery degradation compared to its slower AC counterpart.

Tesla-like car display showing trip stats: distance 60.8 km, 35 min, avg 206.5 Wh/km; odometer 965,975 km; sunset outside.
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Impressive as that is, the cherry on top is the fact that the Tesla estimates he has saved almost $100,000 in fuel costs since buying the Model S in August 2018. Savings on brake pads would be sizeable, too, with Raynard’s experience further proving the effectiveness of the car’s regenerative braking system.

Asked how other drivers can follow his example and keep their Teslas feeling like new over huge distances, he advised: “Just keep up on the basic service items. Wiper blades, low voltage battery and filters.”

He also said he was only without the Model S for two days while the battery was replaced, and explained that the odometer has ticked over so quickly due to his limousine work, which saw him drive 800km in the 48 hours before he published the 965,000km post.