There used to be a time when this young electric car company incentivized new sales of the Model S with free unlimited Supercharging for the life of the vehicle. The volume of vehicle sales was small, and the Supercharger network was a faction of the size it is today.
Refferal Program in 2023
These days in 2023, if you were to order a new Tesla from the website you would not get any charging included unless it was a special incentive offer to sell cars before quarter end. There is, however, a new way to get some free Supercharging miles in 2023 that was brought back. Tesla has updated their referral program that awards 1,500 credits for new vehicle owners both for the referral and the referrer. These 1,500 credits can be redeemed in the Tesla shop for 500 miles of free Supercharging. So if you have a friend with a Tesla, ask them for a referral link so you both get credits!
It is worth noting that when a customer purchases Supercharging miles with credits, those miles will expire six months from the purchase date if not used.
If you find my content helpful, you may also use my referral link when ordering your Tesla. I would certainly appreciate it. Click on the referral button to get 1,500 credits on new orders and/or cash discounts.
How much does Supercharging cost usually?
We published a roundup article with Supercharger energy prices across the country earlier. Expect to pay $0.30-$0.50 per kWh at Superchargers, depending on location and time of day. The most affordable way to keep your EV on the road is of course by charging at home, we maintain our recommendation list here.
History of Past Free Supercharging Offers from Tesla
Model S and X:
- Until 2017, many Model S cars (excluding the software-limited Model S 40) offered free unlimited Supercharging that was even transferable between owners.
- Cars sold between 2017 and 2022 may have qualified for free unlimited Supercharging, but this was not transferable to second-hand owners
Model 3:
- To celebrate the launch of the Model 3, some ‘Performance’ trim Model 3s built in 2018 and 2019 came with free unlimited Supercharging, but it is not transferable.
Model Y:
- By the time the Model Y came around, Tesla didn’t need to offer as many incentives. The Model Y was never offered with any ‘lifetime’ free Supercharging.
- A select few purchases were able to get one year of free Supercharging in Q4/2020 as Tesla was trying to finish their quarter with strong sales numbers. But that incentive is long gone.
If you are in the market for a used Tesla and want to confirm whether a specific car includes free Supercharging, your best bet is to get in touch with someone at Tesla and let them look up the specific vehicle VIN.