Facelifted Tesla Model S 2017–2020

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Touchscreen memory wear Built before March 3, 2018, 2017–2018 One source so far

  What to check: Confirm with Tesla that recall 21V035000 was done: the touchscreen's memory board replaced with a larger one.

  The same memory chip as the original cars wears out. Cars built up to March 3, 2018 are covered by the recall.

  Sources ¹

• Door handles that do not extend All years

  What to check: Walk up to the car with the key and watch every handle come out.

  The handles can fail to come out, or break. Owners say the problem was not fully solved on later cars.

  Sources ^2,3

• Worn or replaced battery All years

  What to check: Get a battery health report showing how much capacity is left.

  Recurrent found battery replacements more common on 2013 to 2018 cars than later ones. Tesla's warranty repairs a pack at 70 per cent.

  Sources ^4,5

• Worn suspension All years One source so far

  What to check: Look for a car sitting low at one corner, which on air suspension can be a leak.

  The car's weight wears suspension parts, and air suspension can leak.

  Sources ⁵

• Air conditioning All years One source so far

  What to check: Make sure the air conditioning blows cold.

  It also helps keep the battery cool.

  Sources ⁵

What buyers say

Reputation: what owners and the press report

• Sought after: 75D 2017 One source so far

  In one Tesla Motors Club thread from 2021, four owners name the facelifted 75D the best value, especially one that has been or can be unlocked to go faster. Three say a rear-drive 75 built before about September 2017 cannot be unlocked, and others in the thread prefer a 100D.³

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.