What a Tesla is worth

A Tesla's value is what buyers actually pay today. ForCar reads real US asking prices across 5 Tesla models ($11,980–$135,985) and shows the trade-in, private-party and dealer range by model, year and mileage — free, no signup.

5
Models priced
$39,747
Avg value
844
Listings
3
Prices each
Daily
Refreshed
What the numbers say

Across 4 Tesla models we price, a five-year-old car still asks about 47% of what the newest one does — that puts Tesla #33 of 44 brands, below the 55% market median. The Model 3 holds value best at 60%, the Model X worst at 33%. Calculated from 844 listings.

Every Tesla model's value 5

Real-market value for every Tesla we have listings for. Click a model for its value by year, depreciation curve and mileage-adjusted estimate.

FIG.01·Tesla Models by Market Value
01
Model X119 listings$51,871
02
Model S154 listings$38,867
03
Model Y226 listings$30,323
04
Model 3334 listings$25,233
TOP 4·UNIT avg market value ($)·SOURCE ForCar market

Every Tesla we track — pick one for its value by year & mileage:

How well does a Tesla hold its value?

Resale value is everything when you sell or trade. Because ForCar prices from the live market, you see how a Tesla actually depreciates — here's the median value by age across the brand's models, from real listings (compare with the typical depreciation curve by age):

FIG.02·Tesla Depreciation Curve — Value by Age
1 yr3 yrs5 yrs7 yrs9 yrs10 yrs$54,661$32,869$25,897$21,067$21,073$19,994
RANGE $54,661 → $19,994·SOURCE ForCar · Tesla

A Tesla worth about $54,661 at one year old is typically down to ~$25,897 by five years — roughly 53% lost in the first five years. Open any model above for its own year-by-year curve.

Which Tesla holds its value best?

Not every Tesla depreciates the same. This is 5-year value retention by model — how much of its price each keeps after five years on the used market (higher = holds value better):

FIG.03·Tesla Models by 5-Year Value Retention
01
Model 3$34,991 → $21,00060%
02
Model Y$49,978 → $25,80052%
03
Model S$135,985 → $54,00040%
04
Model X$109,998 → $35,90033%
TOP 4·UNIT % of value kept over 5 years·SOURCE ForCar · Tesla

Retention = the median resale price of a ~5-year-old model versus a current one, from real listings. Luxury and high-powered trims usually drop hardest; practical, in-demand models hold on.

Does Tesla hold value better than other brands?

Every brand we price, ranked by how much of its newest price a five-year-old car still asks — the median across that brand's models. Tesla sits at #33 of 44, against a market median of 55%.

FIG.04·Tesla vs Other Brands — Value Retention
01
Saturn3 models104%
02
Pontiac7 models80%
03
Isuzu7 models66%
04
Honda17 models65%
05
Buick11 models64%
06
Genesis2 models64%
07
Acura10 models62%
08
Subaru9 models61%
09
Hyundai17 models61%
10
Infiniti8 models61%
11
Saab2 models60%
12
Nissan20 models59%
13
Mini5 models59%
14
Toyota28 models58%
TOP 14·UNIT % of newest price kept after 5 years·SOURCE ForCar market

Which Tesla body style holds value best?

The same badge depreciates differently depending on what it's bolted to. Here's every Tesla body style we price, ranked by how much of its newest price a five-year-old car still asks.

FIG.05·Tesla — Value Retention by Body Style
01
Sedan2 models · median $85,48850%
02
SUV2 models · median $79,52343%
TOP 2·UNIT % of newest price kept after 5 years·SOURCE ForCar · Tesla

Body styles with only one or two priced models move a lot year to year — read them as a direction, not a verdict.

What mileage costs a Tesla

Crossing 100,000 miles takes about 46% off a Tesla — gentler than the 65% the average used car loses. Median asking price in each odometer band, from our listings:

FIG.06·Tesla — Price by Mileage Band
01
Under 40k miles714 listings$35,000
02
40k–100k1,198 listings$24,885
03
100k–150k470 listings$18,993
04
Over 150k110 listings$15,648
TOP 4·UNIT median asking price·SOURCE ForCar · 2,492 listings

How far Tesla prices spread

Two cars of the same year and badge rarely cost the same — trim, condition and seller move the number. Across Tesla, the gap between cheap and dear runs about 43% of the median. The band shows the low-to-high range, the line is the median.

FIG.07·Tesla — Asking Price Range by Year
20122014201620182020202220242026$11,980$22,700$19,243$21,615$27,440$35,758$60,142$83,601
RANGE $11,980 → $83,601·SOURCE ForCar · Tesla

Trade-in, private-party & dealer price

Every Tesla has three prices. Our low–median–high range maps to what a dealer pays you, what you'd get selling it yourself, and what a lot charges — see current used-market prices across all models too:

Trade-in / low
10th %
Private-party
Median
Dealer / high
90th %
FIG.08·Tesla — Trade-in vs Private-Party vs Dealer
01
Trade-in — a dealer pays you10th percentile78%
02
Private-party — you sell itmedian · typical price100%
03
Dealer retail — a lot charges90th percentile122%
TOP 3·UNIT % of median Tesla price·SOURCE ForCar · Tesla

On Tesla listings the dealer retail price (122% of median) runs about 1.6× the trade-in offer (78%) — the gap you're negotiating.

Trading in or selling your Tesla?

Know all three numbers before you walk in. Trade-in is fastest but lowest; selling private-party nets the most; a dealer's asking price shows the ceiling. ForCar's range gives you the leverage to negotiate from real data, not a salesperson's screen.

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Get an exact Tesla value by VIN

Trim and options move a Tesla's value. Decode your VIN free to pin the exact build, then check its market value for a sharper number.

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More on your Tesla

Tesla value FAQ

How much is my Tesla worth?

It depends on the model, year and mileage. ForCar gives a free instant range from real Tesla listings — pick your model and year above for the trade-in, private-party and dealer price.

Which Tesla holds its value best?

Resale varies a lot by model. Open any Tesla model above to see its real depreciation — how its market price drops year by year — so you can compare which ones hold value.

Is the Tesla value free?

Yes — every estimate is free with no signup, based on real US market listings rather than a subscription book value.

How is this different from Kelley Blue Book?

Book sites estimate from their own model. ForCar shows what Teslas are actually listed for right now on the open market — updated continuously.

Is this a free Tesla Blue Book alternative?

Yes. ForCar is a free, no-signup alternative to Kelley Blue Book and NADA for Tesla values — instead of a private formula, you see real asking prices for every Tesla model, updated daily.

Tesla values from real US market listings, aggregated per model and year. For exact specs decode your VIN; for book values see KBB/NADA. Last updated Nov 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.
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