When the first Tesla Model S Plaid hit the streets, it wasn’t long at all before owners began taking to their local drag strips to see what 1,020 electric horsepower could do. In quick order, plenty of videos surfaced of the car annihilating all manner of high-performance muscle cars and SUVs, as well as a lengthy list of supercars and hypercars. Comment sections flooded with spicy and emotional debates. Some said the Tesla Model S Plaid didn’t have a soul because it didn’t make cool V8 noises. Others reminded them that there’s nowhere for a vehicle’s “soul” on the time-slip.
For some, perhaps many, the Tesla Model S Plaid is one of those bucket-list cars you’ve just got to try. It’s both a quiet and relaxing place where you and some passengers can relax and socialize on the open road, and also an extreme-performance luxury sedan with spleen-squashing torque that makes it easy to troll just about every exotic on the road in a drag race.
Tesla’s Hero Car Is Now A Bargain
2025 Tesla Model S Plaid side angle in red while parkedTesla
When Tesla launched the Model S Plaid for the 2021 model year with pricing approaching $130,000, many took note, sat back, and waited for depreciation to do its thing. If you were one of them, it might be time to pounce. Today, the cost of entry to the thousand-horsepower club is lower than ever. At this writing, inventory is generous, and pricing falls directly in line with the average transaction price of a brand-new car in 2026. That means output-motivated shoppers can pick up a 1,020-hp experience for about the same price as a mid-range BMW 3 Series.
Following Tesla’s 2012 launch of the Model S and early “Ludicrous” performance iterations, the Model S Plaid first bowed in June 2021 with a radical triple-motor setup good for 1,020 hp. At launch, the Model S Plaid became virally popular as a virtually unbeatable hypercar killer when it came to the all-important 0-60 mph metric.
To some, a Model S Plaid was a sensible, silent, and relaxing way to smoke a Shelby, Hellcat, or Ferrari-driving pals. With a quarter-mile pass in sub-10-second territory, this electric powerhouse could noiselessly outrun virtually anything with a gas engine. Thing is, the pricing of the Model S Plaid was always a bit chaotic, and that combined with other factors to hurt its resale values.
Launching at $129,990 in 2021 and peaking near $140,000 during 2022 supply shortages, the Plaid suffered steep factory price cuts down to $89,990 by 2023-2024 as Tesla engaged in price wars to maintain leadership against an incoming wave of new EV competitors.
Early buyers experienced massive depreciation as Tesla slashed nearly $45,000 from the cost of new models within a single year. For a moment, this was a performance bargain unmatched around $90,000. Before long, more modern rivals like the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and Lucid Air Sapphire offered superior handling and luxury, as well as 1,000-plus horsepower variants of their own, though at much higher prices.
Tesla officially closed the book on the two vehicles that started it all, the Model S and Model X, when production ceased earlier in 2026 ahead of a special delivery event for the final run of vehicles on May 12, 2026. The final models would be the priciest yet, coming in at $159,420 for the final Model S Signature Edition in the Plaid configuration. Today, the assembly facility that once built these machines is being repurposed for robotics manufacturing.
Getting One Today
2025 Tesla Model S PlaidTesla
Scanning Tesla’s current Model S Plaid stock via the automaker’s website, we see plenty of selection, plenty of depreciation, and plenty of discounts. Today, with Model S Plaid inventory virtually exhausted, the used market is your sole entry point to the experience. Many units have shed well over half their original value, coming in at under $60,000. Incidentally, that’s right in the ballpark of the average new car price in the USA as of June 2026.
Specifically, new car prices are currently averaging about $52,000, and you’ll find plenty of 1,020-hp Tesla Model S Plaids in that universe as well. Current inventory shows the cheapest units today sitting right on the $50,000 mark, with recent price reductions between $4,400 and $5,700 applied.
Right at the average new-car transaction price ($52,000), you’ll find units with about 55,000 to 75,000 miles, often from the 2021 model year, that still have around half their 8-year, 100,000-mile battery and drive unit warranty in place. If you think a $55,000 asking price for a warranty-covered luxury car that can outrun any Lamborghini on the road to 60 sounds like a pretty sweet deal, then you’re a completely normal car nut.
updated 2025 Tesla Model S PlaidTesla
Elsewhere within Model S Plaid inventory, reductions abound. Most listings show reductions of several thousand dollars, and selected models include free periods of access to features like Full Self-Driving, Supercharging, and premium connectivity. Tesla wants these units gone, which means savvy shoppers after enormous power output have a big opportunity. Even the priciest units currently in Tesla’s inventory barely push past $70,000, including plenty with 35,000 miles or less.
Do Not Fear This Triple Motor Rocket Sedan, It’s Actually Pretty Chill
2025 Tesla Model S Plaid rear angle in red while chargingTesla
Don’t let the big output figures fool you: the Model S Plaid is a relaxing, laid-back cruiser that’s very easy to drive reasonably if you like. Various drive modes allow drivers to change the car’s character on the fly, with “CHILL” mode smoothing and numbing the throttle response to keep most of the gut-punch torque at bay. If you’re running out to grab some snacks, or if a relaxing drive is the order of the day, you can entirely shut down the Model S Plaid’s maniacal side and cruise in peace and quiet.
On the other side of the Model S Plaid’s spectrum is its launch control function, available after a moment’s worth of battery pre-conditioning and suspension adjustment to prepare the car for launch. Now, the full brunt of the triple-motor drivetrain is ready to explode on command.
Going from zero to 60 mph in 2.1 seconds is an incredible feat. Hard launches in a Model S Plaid can fling sunglasses resting atop your head into the back seat, press your backside a few extra layers into the seatback padding, and squash enough blood into the back of your eyeballs to make your vision strain a little. The crushing torque is the star of the show, and it comes on fully from the first few inches of movement, no buildup required.
Thing is, it’s not particularly dramatic. There’s no sound, and the traction control system and AWD are calibrated expertly to dispense just a little more power than the tires can put down, adjusting in real time for laser-straight acceleration every time, with no second-guessing.
If you like having a driver’s license, you mostly won’t be driving your Model S Plaid with your boot to the firewall. Still, it’s not a waste of power or speed, since the Plaid is quiet, rides comfortably, has a plush and roomy back seat, drives smoothly in stop-and-go traffic at any speed, and doesn’t need a hundred bucks’ worth of premium unleaded every few hundred miles.
Doubling Power Output For Your Spend Makes You A Genius
Tesla Model S Plaid yoke steering wheelTesla
If you want to go as fast as you can for as few dollars as possible, it’s important not to overlook how compelling a deal a clear-out Model S Plaid is. Around the $50,000 mark on the secondhand market, your other options include cars like the Ford Mustang GT at 480 hp, a high-mileage BMW M5 at 600 hp, or a 60,000-mile Porsche Boxster T with 300 hp. Even used SRT and Hellcat models in similar pricing territory fall hundreds of horsepower short. Other examples abound, but the point is simple: a Model S Plaid could be the deal of the century for the “bang-for-the-buck” shopper who’s open to an all-electric experience.
Don’t forget to factor in fuel costs. According to EPA data, a Tesla Model S driver will pay $800 per year to feed their machine. Conversely, a Mustang GT with a 5.0-liter V8 will cost its owner about $3,450 per year in fuel, more than four times as much. A Hellcat-powered Dodge Charger runs an annual gas bill of $5,150, according to the EPA, more than six times as much as the Tesla’s annual cost. That’s a massive $4,350 yearly penalty. The 600-horsepower M5 comes in somewhere in the middle, using $4,550 worth of gas annually, making it nearly six times as expensive to run as the Model S Plaid. If you’re counting, that means the Model S Plaid driver cuts their annual fuel costs by roughly 77% to 84% versus the other alternatives mentioned here.
If you keep your machine for 5 years, fuel savings by choosing the Model S Plaid would put you $13,250 ahead of the Mustang GT, $18,750 ahead of the BMW M5, and a staggering $21,750 ahead of the Hellcat– not including oil changes.
There Are Some Reasons To Skip The Tesla Model S Plaid, Too
updated 2025 Tesla Model S and Model XTesla
Of course, Tesla’s triple-motor flagship sedan isn’t the perfect go-fast solution for everyone. Some drivers just prefer straight-up gasoline power for their performance car experience, and if you’re one of them, the Model S Plaid probably won’t change your mind.
For those of us who prefer smaller, lighter performance cars, the Model S Plaid isn’t the solution either.
It’s a wicked-fast performance sedan, but its form factor and relatively tame looks won’t likely win over shoppers who prefer a smaller, flashier two-door, two-seat model to get their kicks. It’s also a discontinued product, and there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, which is a deal-breaker for some.
It’s always nice to have choices. But if your main goal is maximum speed for minimum spend, nothing else right now even comes close.
Sources: Teslahubs.com, Tesla, EPA
