Free charging is one of Tesla's most famous offers, which has helped change the minds of many people, making them trust Tesla as a viable option for long-distance trips.
Combined with US government incentives for electric vehicles, Tesla's free charging program (originally Unlimited Free Charging) has significantly reduced the actual cost of buying a Tesla, making electric vehicle ownership more feasible for those on the fence.
However, free fast charging is also one of Tesla's most confusing benefits. There are many concerns surrounding this policy. Are there any conditions attached to free charging? What is the difference between free charging and unlimited free charging, or free charging for life? Is the free charging benefit that comes with the car transferable?
The reason is that Tesla applies this policy in a complicated, conditional and inconsistent way, making customers feel like they are "holding the knife by the blade" while Tesla "holds the handle". Whether a car qualifies for free charging or not is entirely up to Tesla and can change at any time.
The first Supercharger stations were installed in 2012, and Tesla began offering unlimited free charging as an additional incentive for long trips for Model S buyers. The Model X also received this incentive. And Tesla has offered unlimited free charging and limited free charging at various times over the years.
Free charging incentives vary by vehicle and depend on when the vehicle was purchased. For example, the Model S free charging incentive is only available before 2020, depending on the trim level, and is non-transferable after March 2017.
Meanwhile, buyers of the Model 3 Performance between 2018 and 2019 used to get free unlimited charging for the life of the car, but only for first-time owners. This was part of Tesla's referral program and only applied to new cars purchased through a referral code.
Transferring unlimited free charging is also a complicated issue. Generally, buyers of late-model Teslas have the advantage. Unlimited free charging may not be transferable if you buy a Tesla from a third-party dealer.
Used Tesla vehicles purchased from official warehouses also no longer have unlimited free charging, even if they previously had this offer.
Tesla has also discontinued its lifetime free unlimited charging offer for new car buyers. This offer now only applies to the first individual owner’s vehicle, and is not transferable.
Recently, Tesla announced a 3-month free charging program for customers who receive their cars before 2025, in order to boost sales.