Why Your Used Tesla Should Have LFP Batteries

A used Tesla Model 3 is easily one of the best electric cars you can buy—and probably one of the best cars, period. Tesla's original mainstream EV is abundant on the secondhand market, has solid range and charging specs, packs class-leading software and can be bought for well under $20,000 these days.

But what's the deal with those batteries? Can you be confident that a years-old Tesla will still perform well?

In general, the answer is yes. Anecdotally, we've seen plenty of Model 3s with well over 100,000 miles that still most of their battery capacity available. Davide Giacobbe, cofounder and CEO of Voltest, a battery-health startup, shared some numbers that back that up. He told me around 70% of the vehicles it tests have at least 80% of their battery health remaining.

Do LFP Batteries Really Last Longer In The Real World?

But if you want to make sure your used Tesla's battery stays healthy for longer, Voltest's data shows, consider finding a Model 3 with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack. This lithium-ion battery chemistry is known for its low cost, resilience to heat and high voltage, longevity and ability to be charged to 100% without damage. High-nickel chemistries, on the other hand, are far more popular in the U.S., pack more energy density (ie, range) and can support quicker charging, but they degrade faster.

To get a sense of how battery chemistry factors in to range loss over a vehicle's lifetime, Giacobbe pulled data on 20 of the latest Model 3s that his company's customers evaluated. (Voltest sells an OBD dongle that dealerships and service centers can use, along with the company's online platform, to test EV battery health.) Half were Standard Range Rear-Wheel Drive cars with LFP batteries, and half were the same model with the nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) packs that Tesla has historically equipped. All had over 100,000 miles on the odometer.

It's a small sample size, to be sure, but the results are a fascinating real-world look at how LFP batteries perform—and the impact that charging can have on EV health.

The NCA cars, sold between 2019 and 2022 showed a 71%-83% state of health, with most clustered in the mid-to-high 70s.

The LFP ones, all 2022 models, fared far better. Voltest registered state-of-health scores ranging from 87% to 93%. So these cars, even after many, many miles, were nearly as good as new from a range perspective. One still had 92% health after nearly 140,000 miles. Another was rated at 90% with nearly 165,000 miles.

Tesla sold LFP Model 3s from roughly 2022 through 2024.

Now, it's true that the LFP examples are all newer than the NCA ones, and that may play a small role here. But Giacobbe says the differences are too stark to be attributed to age alone. To him, the data shows that LFP performs as advertised—that these batteries do indeed degrade more slowly than other lithium-ion cells over time.

There's more at play, though. Giacobbe said he was surprised at just how low the NCA cars scored. Recall that across Voltest's data, the majority of cars have at least an 80% state of health. He said it's common for five-year-old EVs to show 85% too. There are a variety of factors that could have led to that, he said, and it's hard to know since Voltest only gets a real-time snapshot of battery health.

But he posited one compelling theory. The NCA cars had slightly smaller battery packs: 52.4 kilowatt-hours versus 60.5 kWh in the LFP ones. This means the NCA cars were likely charged more often to travel the same distance. Add in the fact that Tesla encourages owners of LFP-equipped cars to charge to 100% while others should only charge to 80%, and it's likely that the NCA cars saw many more charge/discharge cycles.

How To Know Which Teslas Use LFP

Still, the chemistry differences can't be ignored. So, how do you actually find an LFP Tesla? That's trickier, as that usually isn't detailed in used car listings. And Tesla doesn't currently sell cars in the U.S. with that battery chemistry.

What we know is Tesla announced that it would switch over to LFP packs for its base-model Standard Range RWD Model 3s in late 2021. In October 2024, it discontinued the model. (If timing is any indication, that was likely the result of the U.S.'s hefty new tariffs on Chinese batteries. China has a stranglehold over EV battery production, and particularly LFP.)

According to Recurrent, another company focused on used EV battery health, you can find out if a Tesla uses LFP cells in a couple of ways. In a vehicle's settings, you can go to Controls, then Software, then Additional Vehicle Information. In addition, in a car's charging menu, you'll see a recommendation to charge to 100% if it's an LFP car. Vehicles with other chemistries will suggest not charging past 80%.

It's also important to note that, while LFP does seem to be better in terms of battery longevity, that may not be your only priority. Choosing a non-LFP Tesla opens you up to all-wheel drive and longer ranges. Over time, a larger, longer-range pack could definitely outperform a smaller LFP one, even when differences in degradation are factored in.

If you want a brand-new LFP EV in the U.S., your options are limited. Despite the technology's promising attributes, there's barely a supply chain for it in America at this point. Some of the only LFP-equipped cars are Rivians and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. But between Ford's upcoming $30,000 pickup, the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt and others, rest assured that more LFP EVs are on the way.

Got an EV ownership story to tell? Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com