Tesla offering drivers ONE YEAR of free charging when they buy a new electric car

Felix Reeves
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:15:01 +0000

Tesla is offering drivers a year of free charging in North America as the Elon Musk-led brand boosts the transition to new electric vehicles.

The American automaker has confirmed that new customers who purchase a Model 3 Premium or Performance electric car will receive a year of free Supercharging.

Drivers who trade in their petrol or diesel car for any Tesla vehicle will also benefit from 2,000 free Supercharging miles.

The Tesla website states that free Supercharging promotions can be combined, in addition to other benefits.

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While the offer is only available in North America so far, Tesla states that it is "subject to change or end at any time".

Tesla operates more than 80,000 ultra-rapid Superchargers around the world, with drivers able to add up to 172 miles in as little as 15 minutes.

In the UK, there are 2,343 Tesla Superchargers, making it the fourth-largest rapid or ultra-rapid charging network, behind only MFG EV Power, Osprey and BP Pulse.

Motorists in the United States are also offered separate benefits for military, first responders, healthcare, teachers and students, who can all save $500 (£370).

Drivers can receive a deduction on loan interest up to $10,000 (£7,402) when they purchase a new passenger vehicle under 14,000 pounds (6,350kg) gross vehicle weight, which has been assembled in the US.

While free charging offers are not yet available in the UK, potential customers can apply for a £3,750 Tesla Trade-In Bonus.

The offer is available to new and new inventory Model 3 and Model Y vehicles ordered between April 1, 2026, and June 30, 2026.

The Trade-In Bonus offer value will be applied to the total cost of the vehicle, rather than the trade-in value.

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Motorists cannot use the offer on pre-owned vehicles, in addition to Model 3 Performance and Model Y Performance vehicles.

Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that the Tesla Model Y was the ninth best-selling car in March, with 5,177 registrations.

In total, Tesla saw 8,599 sales last month, representing 2.26 per cent of the new vehicle market share and an impressive 20 per cent jump in year-on-year sales.

Despite an impressive March, which is typically the best-selling month of the year for all car brands, Tesla has struggled with sales over the last 16 months.

So far this year, it has registered 11,739 new electric vehicles, capturing 1.91 per cent of the total market share.

However, this is a 5.89 per cent fall compared to the same time last year, with some drivers put off by the brand as a result of CEO Elon Musk's political involvement last year.

The manufacturer was met with strong protests last year as the Tesla Takedown movement gained favour across the world.

Protesters targeted showrooms and vehicles in many countries, with many taking part in peaceful resistance, while others committed serious crimes against Tesla.