A Tesla vehicle owner has shed light on three ‘hidden costs’ associated with purchasing an electric vehicle in 2025.
Recently, there have been several negative reports regarding Tesla vehicles, such as a video showing a Cybertruck struggling in heavy snow while other cars passed by, and an owner cautioning others against using the Cybertruck’s self-driving feature after a frightening accident.
Despite these issues, many people are still interested in investing in electric vehicles. However, with electric cars generally being more expensive upfront compared to traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, prospective buyers have much to consider.
While manufacturers promote EVs as the future of transportation, their costs can be prohibitive for many consumers. This is especially true when factoring in the ‘hidden costs’ that come with owning these vehicles, as highlighted in a popular YouTube video.
The YouTube channel ‘Your Favorite Tesla’ outlined the first hidden cost that arises right after purchasing a Tesla or similar electric vehicle.
The video explains: “Three hidden costs of owning an electric car. First is the charger, this is $475 from Tesla and it’s really nice with premium materials. But to install this, it costs $950 – literally double the price of the charger.”
It continues: “Second thing is the insurance, we’re paying about $400 a month for this car, which is a lot more than its gas counterpart.
“Third thing is vehicle registration fees, so for gas cars it’s about $70 and hybrid is about $100. Electric cars are $200, the government says this because you are avoiding the gas charges you have to pay.
“But the whole point of buying a car like this is to avoid gas in general, so that’s kind of a slap in the face.”
The average power consumption for running an electric vehicle is three miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh). With 417 kWh used monthly at a rate of 17.5 cents per kWh, based on the average cost of electricity in U.S. homes, the average energy cost per mile is approximately 5.8 cents.
Thus, recharging an EV costs about $73 per month.
For comparison, the average cost of gasoline per gallon is $3.18, providing an average of 25 miles per gallon. Typically, 50 gallons are needed to drive 1,250 miles.
The cost amounts to 12.7 cents per mile, with an average monthly expense of $86 more for the same distance driven, totaling approximately $159.