TL;DR: Tesla has substantially higher tire maintenance costs compared to other cars in its class, or even compared to the RAV4 Hybrid.

Tire-related maintenance and replacement costs for Tesla vehicles are so much more than with a conventional vehicle the same size, it negates much of the cost savings the Tesla’s low-maintenance powertrain design offers.

This ends up as a wash, all those (cheap) oil-changes may add up to some costs by 100,000 miles, but the amount of wear-and-tear on a Tesla’s tires more than makes up for the cost and then some.

Tesla’s Model Y has a 100,000-mile maintenance cost estimate between $8,250 for base trims and $15,000 for the performance trim. This does not include repairs. By comparison, a Toyota Highlander in the Car Talk fleet had a 100,000-mile maintenance and repair cost of $14,029. A Honda Accord had a 100,000-mile maintenance and repair cost of $7,684. If there is a cost advantage to Tesla with regard to maintenance and repair, we cannot find it.