In 2019, Elon Musk said that replacing a Tesla battery would cost between $5,000 and $10,000, but prices would change in 4 years.
Johnny Basigalupo and Rob Hussey say they received a bill for £17,374, or $20,698, to repair the battery from their Tesla electric car that was damaged in a rainstorm last week.
The amount is only three times less than the cost of the car itself.
“Honestly, I can’t believe this has happened. I thought we would get a bill for 500 or 1000 pounds. But 17,000 is an absolutely obscene amount. My heart stopped,” says Basigalupo.
When Basigalupo and his partner were unable to start the car after a downpour, they arranged for a car collection company to deliver it to Tesla Edinburgh. Later, the man received a call saying that the battery was “damaged due to water ingress.” The 8-year warranty did not cover the damage, so the car owner was asked if they wanted to pay $20,698 for the repairs.
“Did I want to? I was dumbfounded and couldn’t find the words,” said Basigalupo, who said in an appeal to Tesla that he was not to blame for the breakdown.
The couple sent a complaint to Tesla, and received an email with a promise to investigate and provide a response.
A similar case occurred last year, when the owner of a Tesla car, Canadian Mario Selaya, was told that replacing the battery for his car would cost $26,000. The man was blocked from accessing his Model S, and Selaya eventually sold the car after spending $30 to replace the ownership documents that were locked in the cabin.
In 2019, Elon Musk said that replacing a Tesla battery could cost between $5,000 and $10,000, but announced different prices in 2023. According to Recurrent, a battery replacement can actually cost up to $20,000.
