{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "By November 2020, the Tesla Model S was no longer the new kid on the block. It was the seasoned veteran. It had been dominating the luxury EV segment for nearly a decade, largely because it was the only car",
  "path": "/features/2020-tesla-model-s-5-year-depreciation/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-12-26T17:40:56+00:00",
  "site": "at://did:plc:2s32mlusc66sjb256aenynfc/site.standard.publication/self",
  "tags": [
    "Tesla"
  ],
  "textContent": "By November 2020, the Tesla Model S was no longer the new kid on the block. It was the seasoned veteran. It had been dominating the luxury EV segment for nearly a decade, largely because it was the only car in the luxury EV segment.\n\n\n\nBut late 2020 was a very specific moment in Model S history. This was the era of the “Raven” powertrain—an update that gave the car a smart adaptive air suspension and efficiency wizardry that finally pushed the range over the mythical 400-mile barrier. It was the absolute peak of the “classic” Model S before the massive 2021 “Palladium” refresh introduced the yoke steering wheel and the landscape screen.\n\n\n\nFive years later, the Model S Plaid gets all the headlines. So, what happened to the car that held the throne right before the revolution?\n\n\n\nLet’s crunch the numbers.\n\n\n\nThe question\n\n\n\nWe are looking at the 2020 Tesla Model S Long Range Plus. This is the specific trim that broke the records, becoming the first production EV to receive an EPA rating of 402 miles.\n\n\n\nIn a moment of pettiness that could only come from Elon Musk (responding to the Lucid Air’s pricing), the price of the Model S Long Range Plus was slashed in October 2020 to $69,420.\n\n\n\n(Yes, really. That was the sticker price.)\n\n\n\nIf you wanted the Performance model with “Ludicrous Mode,” you were shelling out roughly $91,990.\n\n\n\nSo, if you paid the “meme price” five years ago, what is that luxury barge worth today?\n\n\n\nThe numbers\n\n\n\nAccording to current market listings in late 2025:\n\n\n\n\n2020 Tesla Model S Long Range Plus (New): $69,420\n\n\n\n2020 Tesla Model S Long Range Plus (Used, 2025): ~$31,500\n\n\n\nDepreciation: ~$37,920\n\n\n\nValue Retained: ~45%\n\n\n\nPercent Lost: ~55%\n\n\n\n\nLosing 55% is actually a respectable performance for a large luxury sedan. Compare that to an S-Class or a 7-Series, which often lose 65-70% in the same timeframe. However, in raw dollars, nearly $38,000 has evaporated. That is the price of a brand new Model 3 RWD just vanishing into thin air.\n\n\n\nHow it compares\n\n\n\nThe Model S exists in a weird spot between luxury barge and muscle car, and its depreciation reflects that.\n\n\n\n\nPorsche Taycan: The Model S’s first real rival. A 2020 Taycan 4S has depreciated like a sinking stone, often losing 60-65% of its value due to expensive maintenance fears and rapidly aging tech. The Tesla wins on retention.\n\n\n\nTesla Model 3: You can buy a brand-new, refreshed Model 3 for about the same price as this five-year-old Model S. The market forces you to choose: Do you want the new tech and warranty (Model 3), or the air suspension and sheer size (Model S)?\n\n\n\nBMW 7 Series (Gas): The German limos are depreciation disasters. A 2020 750i has likely lost 65% of its value. By comparison, the Tesla held up reasonably well.\n\n\n\n\nThe “vertical screen” wildcard\n\n\n\nThe biggest problem with the 2020 Model S isn’t the battery—it’s the interior.\n\n\n\nBuying a 2020 means you are getting the “Legacy” interior. You have the vertical portrait touchscreen, the Mercedes-sourced stalks, and the classic steering wheel. In 2021, Tesla deleted the chrome exterior trim, turned the screen horizontal to match the Model 3, and added a rear screen for passengers.\n\n\n\nPark a 2020 next to a 2021+, and the 2020 looks a decade older. This visual obsolescence puts a hard cap on its value. It screams, “I bought my Tesla before they got really crazy.”\n\n\n\nHowever, for some, this is a plus. The 2020 still has a gear shifter and turn signal stalks—luxuries that modern Tesla owners can only dream of.\n\n\n\nThe verdict\n\n\n\nIf you bought a 2020 Model S new, you bought the absolute best version of the first generation. You got the 400-mile range and the comfortable suspension, but you missed out on the interior overhaul by mere months. You paid $38,000 for that timing error.\n\n\n\nBut for the used buyer? This is the mile-munching deal of the century.\n\n\n\nFor $31,500, you are getting a car that has more range (402 miles rated) than almost anything currently on sale for under $100k. You get air suspension, frightening acceleration, and free Supercharging (if the original owner had a grandfathered code, though rare by 2020). It looks dated inside, but on the highway, it is still the king of the road trip.\n\n\n\nDepreciation Grade: C+ (Beats the Germans, loses to the Model 3)Used Value Grade: A (400 miles of range for $30k is unheard of)",
  "title": "Here’s how much a Tesla Model S has depreciated after 5 years",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-01T12:48:12+00:00"
}