Methodology and sources
Every number on this site comes from a formula on this page and a source listed below. If you'd rather check our work in a spreadsheet, everything you need is here.
The monthly total
The headline is what leaves your account each month: loan payment, insurance, charging, taxes and fees, and maintenance. Depreciation is shown separately and is never added. Your loan payment already repays the car's price, so adding the car's lost value as well would count the car twice.
monthly out of pocket = loan + insurance + charging + taxes & fees + maintenance1. Price
New: the trim's price plus Tesla's $1,390 destination fee and $250 order fee. This is the amount that gets taxed and financed. Used: the price you enter.
| Trim | Price | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|
| Model Y Standard RWD | $39,990 | 250 Wh/mi |
| Model Y Standard AWD | $41,990 | 270 Wh/mi |
| Model Y Premium RWD | $45,990 | 250 Wh/mi |
| Model Y Premium AWD | $49,990 | 274 Wh/mi |
| Model Y Performance | $57,990 | 321 Wh/mi |
| Model Y L (Launch Series, 6-seat) | $61,990 | 285 Wh/mi |
2. Loan payment
M = P × r(1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n − 1) P = price − down payment, r = APR/12, n = monthsZero for cash purchases. Lease math isn't supported yet.
3. Insurance
monthly = state Model Y baseline × trim factor × your factors / 12Each state's baseline is the midpoint between two published full-coverage averages for a Model Y (MoneyGeek and Insure.com, both modeling a 40-year-old driver with good credit and a clean record). We show the full low-to-high span as the range. Trims get a small factor (Standard RWD ×1.00, Standard AWD ×1.02, Premium RWD ×1.03, Premium AWD ×1.05, Performance ×1.08, L (Launch Series, 6-seat) ×1.06). Used cars 3 or more years old get ×0.9.
The optional "refine" factors are our own illustrative multipliers, not figures from any insurer: age under 25 ×1.65, 65+ ×1.08; one ticket ×1.22, at-fault accident ×1.45; under 7,500 miles ×0.93, over 15,000 ×1.07; home bundle ×0.9. We don't ask about credit, which many insurers use and which can move premiums a lot. This is an estimate, never a quote.
4. Charging
kWh/month = miles/12 × Wh per mile / 1000 blended $/kWh = home share × state residential rate + Supercharger share × 0.434State rates are EIA residential averages for July 2026, a summer month that runs somewhat higher than the yearly average. The Supercharger rate is the national average price Tesla owners pay. Used cars use 270 Wh/mi.
5. Taxes and fees
monthly = (price × sales tax + $500 title/misc) / 60+ annual EV fee / 12 + annual value-based fee / 12Sales tax is the state rate plus the state's average local rate (Tax Foundation). Texas applies only its 6.25% motor vehicle tax, and Florida applies county surtax to the first $5,000 only. California's vehicle license fee and Arizona's vehicle license tax use the first-year value, so later years cost somewhat less. We assume a dealer sale at the stated price. Texas taxes private-party sales on the higher of the price or 80% of the state's standard presumptive value, which we don't model.
6. Maintenance
$400 a year for most trims and $450 for Performance and Model Y L, covering tires, filters, wipers and brake service on Tesla's schedule. Cars more than 4 years old get ×1.3. Out-of-warranty repairs aren't included.
Depreciation (shown separately)
new: price × (1 − 0.45) / 60 used: price × (1 − value(age+5) / value(age)) / 60Based on iSeeCars resale data for the Model Y: it keeps 56% at 3 years, 45% at 5 years, 30% at 7 years, 22% at 10 years, with straight lines between those points.
Incentives
The federal new and used EV tax credits ended for vehicles bought after September 30, 2025. We list a state incentive only while it's open, with the date we last checked it.
Sources
Retrieved 2026-10-18. Government data (EIA, DOE AFDC, state agencies) is public. Commercial sources are cited and linked, not republished.