Buying a first-generation EV for nearly £100,000 (roughly $130,000) sounded like a massive gamble back in 2017. Battery longevity was still a huge question mark, charging infrastructure was far less developed, and plenty of people assumed these cars would become expensive paperweights once the warranty expired.
According to the Matt Goes Electric YouTube channel, Dave ignored all that noise and bought a brand-new Tesla Model X 100D anyway. Nearly nine years later, he says it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
His SUV has now covered 168,000 miles, regularly hauls office furniture for work, and even tows trailers. This isn’t a pampered weekend EV that spends most of its life parked in a garage.
Yet somehow, it’s still running on its original battery and original motors.
The Battery Has Held Up Surprisingly Well
Battery degradation is usually one of the biggest fears surrounding older EVs.
In this case, the numbers are pretty impressive. Dave says Tesla recently checked the battery and found it was still sitting at around 88 percent health after 168,000 miles.
That’s on the original 100-kWh battery pack.
On a full charge, the Tesla Model X 100D still shows more than 300 miles of range on the display. Real-world range is obviously lower, but that’s still a strong result for a nearly nine-year-old EV.
He also says the SUV continues to average roughly three miles per kWh, which is solid for a vehicle weighing nearly 2.8 tons.
What Actually Broke?
This is where things get interesting.
You’d expect a long repair list from a nearly 170,000-mile luxury SUV loaded with tech. That hasn’t happened here.
Dave says a window motor failed after water got into it, which cost around £600 ($790) to fix. He also had to replace a wiring harness in one of the signature falcon-wing doors.
Beyond that, he’s replaced a couple of front suspension arms over the years. That’s largely it.
He estimates total repair costs across 168,000 miles sit somewhere between £1,500 and £2,000 ($2,000 and $2,650), which feels shockingly low for a high-mileage luxury EV.
Tesla Also Upgraded The Car For Free
One of the more surprising parts of the story happened around 18 months ago.
Tesla contacted Dave and offered to upgrade his car’s cameras free of charge. The automaker also replaced the Autopilot computer with newer HW3 hardware.
That’s a major upgrade for a vehicle that’s approaching nine years old.
Dave says Tesla told him the upgrades were necessary to keep future software updates working properly. Considering the camera upgrade alone reportedly carried a £17,000 ($22,400) invoice value, he walked away pretty impressed with the brand’s support.
It Still Makes Financial Sense
Dave’s Tesla Model X 100D originally cost him £98,500 new.
Today, he estimates the SUV is worth around £10,000 to £12,000 ($13,200 to $15,800) because of the mileage. Meanwhile, cleaner used examples are reportedly selling for closer to £18,000 to £20,000 ($23,700 to $26,400) in the UK.
Even so, he says he has no plans to sell it.
The SUV still gets over-the-air updates, still handles daily work duties, and still costs very little to run thanks to lifetime free Supercharging.
After nearly nine years and 168,000 miles, this Tesla Model X 100D hasn’t become a cautionary tale.
If anything, it’s become a surprisingly strong argument for buying a high-mileage Tesla.