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Chevrolet vs Tesla Reliability

Tesla leads on our inspections: 73/100 average condition vs 57/100 for Chevrolet, from 382 real pre-purchase inspections. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
ChevroletTesla
Cars inspected30280
Average condition57/10073/100
In good shape (60+/100)50%81%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~109k mi~182k mi
Repainted or replaced panel67%65%
Structural repair found3%3%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Chevrolet
Excellent 23% Good 27% Mediocre 23% Poor 28%
Tesla
Excellent 38% Good 43% Mediocre 19% Poor 1%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Chevrolet▬ Tesla▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Chevrolet, 0–20k mi: 88% in good shape (24 cars)Chevrolet, 20–40k mi: 82% in good shape (34 cars)Chevrolet, 40–60k mi: 67% in good shape (43 cars)Chevrolet, 60–80k mi: 67% in good shape (42 cars)Chevrolet, 80–100k mi: 49% in good shape (37 cars)Chevrolet, 100–120k mi: 39% in good shape (33 cars)Chevrolet, 120–140k mi: 33% in good shape (21 cars)Chevrolet, 140–160k mi: 14%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars in this band)Chevrolet, 160–180k mi: 9%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars in this band)Chevrolet, 180–200k mi: 5%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars in this band) Tesla, 0–20k mi: 89%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars in this band)Tesla, 20–40k mi: 73% in good shape (22 cars)Tesla, 40–60k mi: 76%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars in this band)Tesla, 60–80k mi: 74%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars in this band)Tesla, 80–100k mi: 70%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band)Tesla, 100–120k mi: 65%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band)Tesla, 120–140k mi: 55%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Chevrolet▬ Tesla▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Chevrolet, 1 years old: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars this age)Chevrolet, 2 years old: 97%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Chevrolet, 3 years old: 89%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars this age)Chevrolet, 4 years old: 76% in good shape (21 cars)Chevrolet, 5 years old: 71% in good shape (24 cars)Chevrolet, 6 years old: 59% in good shape (27 cars)Chevrolet, 7 years old: 59%, drawn from the nearby bands (14 cars this age)Chevrolet, 8 years old: 55%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age)Chevrolet, 9 years old: 43% in good shape (21 cars)Chevrolet, 10 years old: 50%, drawn from the nearby bands (15 cars this age)Chevrolet, 11 years old: 40%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Chevrolet, 12 years old: 31%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age)Chevrolet, 13 years old: 23%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars this age)Chevrolet, 14 years old: 20%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age)Chevrolet, 15 years old: 18%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age)Chevrolet, 16 years old: 13%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age) Tesla, 1 years old: 84%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age)Tesla, 2 years old: 87%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age)Tesla, 3 years old: 81% in good shape (21 cars)Tesla, 4 years old: 76%, drawn from the nearby bands (7 cars this age)Tesla, 5 years old: 74%, drawn from the nearby bands (7 cars this age)Tesla, 6 years old: 68%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age)Tesla, 7 years old: 63%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Chevrolet
Oil leaks · Engine
50%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
41%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
36%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
27%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
25%
Tesla
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
35%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
18%
Vibration · Drivetrain
10%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
9%
Steering pull · Suspension
8%
Trajectory by generation
Chevrolet ▼ Newer Chevrolets aren't holding up as well 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 61% in good shape (age-adjusted; 20 cars, raw 60%) 61 2015–17: 58% in good shape (age-adjusted; 50 cars, raw 56%) 58 2018–20: 45% in good shape (age-adjusted; 33 cars, raw 52%) 45 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+
Tesla

Not enough Teslas at the 5–10 year checkpoint yet to draw a generation trend.

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

FAQ
?
Which is more reliable, Chevrolet or Tesla?
Tesla leads on our inspections: 73/100 average condition vs 57/100 for Chevrolet, from 382 real pre-purchase inspections.
?
What are the most common problems with used Chevrolets and Teslas?
On Chevrolets we flag oil leaks (50%), fuel trim out of range (41%), tires condition & wear (36%). On Teslas: tires condition & wear (35%), active error codes (18%), vibration (10%).
?
How many Chevrolet and Tesla vehicles have you inspected?
302 Chevrolets and 80 Teslas — 382 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
?
How long do Chevrolets and Teslas stay in good shape?
In our data, the average Chevrolet dips below “decent” around ~109k mi; Tesla around ~182k mi. Individual cars vary — get the one you’re buying inspected.
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Based on 382 inspections · updated Oct 27, 2026