Whether you’ve just bought your Tesla or have been using these cars for a long time, you’re probably already aware of how and where to charge your Tesla, especially at the ever-expanding Supercharger network. That goes for those who have had their Tesla for more than a year and still have the option of using Tesla’s free Supercharger. We’ll tell you how to check if Tesla has free supercharging.
What is Free Supercharging
Free Supercharging is one of the most interesting perks of the Tesla and a decision that has motivated many to become interested in the Tesla and buy one for future trips around the country. Coupled with many other changes, Tesla Free Unlimited Supercharging, which used to be known as Unlimited Free Supercharging, has contributed to lowering the price of buying a Tesla, for those who have wanted one for a long time but lacked the determination and budget.
Unlimited Free Supercharging on top of that is a fairly sophisticated system that Tesla kind of offers you, and kind of doesn’t.
What is Free Unlimited Supercharging? What does Tesla mean when it talks about Free Unlimited Supercharging? How is regular free charging different from Free Unlimited Supercharging, or such a thing as lifetime Free Unlimited Supercharging in general? Is it possible to transfer your right to Free Unlimited Supercharging to someone else? Does Tesla still have such a service? How do I know if my Tesla qualifies for Free Unlimited Supercharging?
There are a lot of questions about this system, and it’s not always easy to find the answers, but we’ve figured out all of these aspects.
In this article, we will reveal to you how the Free Unlimited Supercharging promotion first originated, how you can find out if your Tesla is eligible, and where you can find a Free Unlimited Supercharging option for your Tesla if you bought your car used instead of from a dealer.
A Brief History of Tesla Free Supercharging
After the first Supercharger network station was introduced in 2012, Tesla began distributing Free Unlimited Supercharging (the ability to quickly and safely charge your Tesla at any Supercharger station for free) to the Model S for a wide opportunity to go on a long road trip in a car.
The Model X eventually opened up access to this feature as well, and for some time Tesla has been regularly providing Free Unlimited Supercharging and limited free supercharging for cars of these brands. In this article, we’re interested in Free Unlimited Supercharging, so let’s look at this feature for each model so we don’t get confused.
Tesla Model S
Free Unlimited Supercharging for the Model S has changed a lot over the years. Not long after the announcement of the Free Unlimited Supercharging feature in the default feature pack for the Model S, Tesla issued an announcement that all users would receive free supercharging. The only exception was for the Model S 60, in which this feature had to be added separately, despite the built-in Free Unlimited Supercharging capability.
After a series of unclear speculation and vague announcements (many users concluded that they had the option of Free Unlimited Supercharging for life and not just with their first car, and some didn’t know what the feature did or how to properly use it), Tesla finally allowed Model S 50 owners to use Free Unlimited Supercharging and assured that they wouldn’t have to pay extra for unlimited charging of their cars.
From then until 2020, almost all Model S cars were eligible for Free Unlimited Supercharging to some degree, except for just one model: the Model S 40. Although in theory, it was the same Model S 60 with some limitations in the software, the Model S 40 didn’t really get the Free Unlimited Supercharging feature unless the user activated Tesla’s ability to upgrade to version 60 (which required spending a rather large sum to unlock the battery capacity limit).
Tesla removed any ability to share free supercharging in March 2017, albeit during subsequent promotions many users provided non-transferable free supercharging through referrals and so on. After that, in May 2020, Tesla eliminated all reports of free supercharging altogether, and the promotion has gone silent since then.
Tesla Model X
Buying a used Model X with free supercharging is in principle possible, albeit with more and more limited options over time. As with the Model S, the Model X has often been involved in special offers to get free unlimited supercharging, but fully transferable free supercharging has not been part of those promotions since March 2017.
Once that time passed, the Model X stopped providing free supercharging for the primary user in some cases, and as of May 2020, all released Model Xs are not equipped with this feature. The easiest option to buy a new or used Model X with free supercharging capability is to find a Model X made before 2017 from the owner of such a car or from a Tesla dealership, after checking to see if this service transfers with your car purchase.
Tesla Model 3
The Model 3 was sold complete with free unlimited Supercharging, which was given for the entire life of the car between 2018 and 2020, but exclusively for the first person to purchase the car. This offer was an item in Tesla’s referral system and was given mostly on fresh purchases with a special promo code. All other Model 3 trim milestones were not part of this offer.
In 2020, during the year-end promotion, everyone who bought a Model 3 was given a full year of free supercharging with no opportunity to share for those who bought a Tesla from Dec. 12 through the end of the year. Some users have talked about how the unlimited free supercharging for their car is still in effect, even though the time has passed, but it’s unlikely the Free Unlimited Supercharging option will remain after the car is resold.
Model Y
Let’s be clear and simple, the Model Y has not fallen under the terms of the free unlimited Supercharging promotion for the entire release period. If Tesla no longer renews this program, it is likely that Model Y owners will have to pay for life to use unlimited free supercharging.
Regardless, when you participate in Tesla’s referral program, you may find little benefits that Model Y users receive credits that include 400 kWh of unlimited free supercharging if someone you know bought a Tesla using your promo code.
Among other things, Tesla is giving a year of free charging to Model Y users if they bought the car between Dec. 12 and Dec. 31, 2020. Being able to use Tesla’s free charging for a year is a pretty interesting offer.
Many of the other free charging benefits have either run out of time or have been used by mileage. Only future developments by the company will indicate what free charging options Tesla will be rolling out in the near future, but it seems to us that the appearance of free unlimited charging again is unlikely.
Tesla Supercharger Network
The Tesla Supercharger Network is the company’s extensive network of charging locations, all designed and installed by Tesla. Because of this, the company does not have to rely on unproven charging stations, as most companies that make electric cars do.
The Supercharger network was born in September 2012, and only six Tesla charging locations opened first in the country. This phenomenon happened at the same time as the Model S, which pioneered the new stations.
Today, the Supercharger network has grown to 20,000 stations around the globe, a sure win for the company. The list of continents includes Europe, Asia, and North America, and there are even a few stations in the Arctic Circle. More recently, Tesla has already opened 1,000 stations in North America, and that’s only part of the work done.
Most stations often have about ten Superchargers, but there are some places that offer you more options. For example, at the end of 2020, Tesla launched the Shanghai Supercharger with as many as seventy-two locations, essentially opening the largest charging station in history. Tesla has also decided to open another huge station in Los Angeles, which will provide users with sixty-two places to charge cars.
Does Tesla Still Offer Free Supercharging
The correct answer would be yes, but not in recent years. Of course, there are still a few Tesla car users today who are still taking advantage of the Supercharging promotions provided. But in early 2022, Tesla announced that it wanted to work on its referral program, since it turned out that the company wasted a lot of budget on providing free charging in 2021, with tens of millions of dollars flowing away in May alone.
Video: How to Check If Tesla Has Free Supercharging
In this video, you can watch how to get free supercharging when buying a new or used Tesla Model S, Tesla Model 3, or Tesla Model X.
Does Your Tesla Still Qualify for Free Supercharging
Even though Tesla appears to be shutting down its referral mileage bonus system, it’s still mono-finding Tesla cars that still have the opportunity to take advantage of free unlimited charging. We’ve put together for you a selection of the surest ways to find out if you or your car falls under the terms of the promotion.
For starters, it’s worth understanding Tesla’s small innovations and fresh solutions that have come out since the company began distributing free unlimited Supercharging in early 2012. Here are some facts to help you with many questions about this service.
- The Tesla Roadster released at the time does not let you use the Supercharging service.
- All of the Model S’s released at the time provided free Supercharging service in one way or another.
- The exception to this rule is the Model S 40 because you will need to unlock the software and its limitations on charging
- The ability to keep free unlimited charging after resale does not exist as of 2017.
- The Model 3 gave you the ability to use free unlimited charging, but only for the person who first bought the car.
The newest Tesla Y model didn’t make it into the program to get free charging, but if you were lucky enough to buy a car in late 2020, you enjoyed the opportunity for a full year after that.
How to Confirm Whether or Not Your Tesla Qualifies for Free Tesla Charging
The most obvious and correct method to find out if you or your car has free unlimited Tesla Supercharging is to find out from Tesla itself.
Of course, it would be almost impossible to reach the company’s office at this time, but you can simply call back or wait for an answer to find out all the information you need. There is another option.
You’ll need to enter your username and password to get into your Tesla account.
Find your car in the list, go to the Management tab, then click on View Information.
A list will open up, where we’re interested in the Free Unlimited Supercharging section.
This way you can not only see if you are the lucky Tesla owner of this service, but you can also read if you have the right to give this service to a new Tesla owner at resale. Here is how long can a tesla idle with the heat on.