how many tesla cars burned

[WalterLynn]

The number of Tesla vehicles that have caught fire is extremely low compared to the total number on the road and to fires in gasoline-powered cars. Based on data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Tesla's own reports, the incidence of fire is statistically rare. The focus should be on the context: these events are newsworthy precisely because they are uncommon.

The most reliable data often comes from reports by safety bodies like the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and from Tesla's Vehicle Fire Data. For example, from 2012 to 2021, Tesla reported an average of one fire for every 210 million miles traveled in its vehicles. In comparison, the NFPA reports that gasoline cars experience one fire for every 19 million miles traveled. This suggests Tesla vehicles are over 10 times less likely to catch fire.

Data Point	Tesla Vehicles	Gasoline Vehicles (U.S. Average)
Fires per billion miles traveled	Approximately 5	Approximately 53
Primary cause of fires	High-speed impact damaging battery pack	Fuel leaks, electrical shorts, overheating
Fire behavior	Can be intense and require large amounts of water to extinguish	Typically faster initial ignition
Data Source	Tesla Vehicle Fire Data, NTSB reports	National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

It's important to understand why these fires occur. Most Tesla fires are the result of high-speed collisions that severely compromise the lithium-ion battery pack. Unlike a gas tank, a battery pack contains thousands of individual cells; if damaged, they can enter a state called "thermal runaway," where one cell overheating causes adjacent cells to overheat. While manufacturers have built rigorous safety systems to prevent this, extreme force can overcome them. The key takeaway is that the risk is minimal for daily driving and is significantly lower than the fire risk associated with conventional cars.

[LaNathan]

Honestly, you hear about it on the news because it's a dramatic story, not because it's a common problem. Think about how many hundreds of thousands of Teslas are on the road every single day. The actual number of fires is a tiny, tiny fraction. Statistically, you're far safer in terms of fire risk in an EV than in a car with a gas tank. It's just math.

[LaReagan]

From an engineering perspective, the question is about failure rates. Lithium-ion batteries have inherent risks, which is why Tesla designs its battery packs with extensive safety systems. These include robust enclosures, cooling systems, and fusing to isolate damaged sections. The data shows these measures are effective. The fires that do occur are almost exclusively linked to catastrophic crash events that would likely cause any vehicle to ignite. The focus should be on the engineering success in making a high-energy power source remarkably safe for mass consumer use.

[Kayden]

As a guy who's owned my Model 3 for four years, I did wonder about that before I bought it. You see a scary headline and pause. But then I looked into it. The numbers don't lie—your average car with a full tank of gas is way more likely to have a fire issue. It put my mind at ease. For me, it's a non-issue. I worry more about my phone battery than my car's.

[ElianaRose]

The narrative around EV fires often lacks proportion. While any fire is serious, the data conclusively shows their rarity. The conversation should shift from a raw count to risk assessment per mile driven. For consumers, this means understanding that choosing a Tesla likely reduces their vehicle fire risk compared to a gasoline alternative. Continued improvements in battery chemistry and structural safety, like Tesla's new cell-to-pack designs, aim to drive this probability even closer to zero. It's about continuous improvement, not an inherent flaw.