How much battery drain is normal for a Tesla overnight?

[DeBenjamin]

Tesla typically consumes about 0.5% to 1.5% of its battery overnight. A full charge for a Tesla consumes approximately 100 kWh (for the Model S 100D variant). The official range of this model is 579 km, so the energy consumption per kilometer can be calculated as 100 kWh / 579 km = 0.173 kWh. Pure electric vehicles eliminate the need for a fuel tank, engine, transmission, cooling system, and exhaust system. Compared to the internal combustion engine powertrain of traditional vehicles, the cost of electric motors and controllers is lower, and pure electric vehicles have higher energy conversion efficiency. Since the energy source for electric vehicles—electricity—comes from large-scale power generation units, their efficiency is unmatched by small gasoline engines or even hybrid engines. Consequently, the operating costs of pure electric vehicles are decreasing. The downside of pure electric vehicles is that they alter the traditional lifestyle of car usage, requiring daily charging. The conventional habit for cars is refueling roughly once every one to two weeks. Additionally, each trip is limited to a few hundred kilometers in range.

[JessicaDella]

I've observed my Model 3, and it's normal to lose 1-3 km of range overnight when parked. This is assuming Sentry Mode is off and there are no major temperature fluctuations. Tesla quietly runs battery management systems, just like how phones consume power in standby mode. In summer, parking outdoors causes more noticeable drain because the battery thermal system activates for cooling; winter is even more dramatic, with potential overnight loss exceeding 5 km in freezing conditions. With Sentry Mode or climate preset enabled, losing up to 15 km is normal. The most reliable method is checking the 'Energy While Parked' data in the vehicle's system – if it exceeds 1%, it's worth investigating for abnormal wake-ups.

[MacVivian]

After three years of driving a Tesla, my real-world tests show that stationary power consumption mainly depends on three factors: temperature, network, and features. Parked in a shaded area at around 20°C, the battery drain is almost negligible. However, in sub-zero temperatures, battery preheating alone can consume over ten kilometers of range. Maintaining a constant network connection will continuously drain power. With Sentry Mode and Cabin Overheat Protection turned off, my car typically loses less than 0.5% charge over 24 hours. Once, I forgot to disable scheduled climate control while camping and woke up to an 8% drop. My advice: after parking, check the app for real-time power consumption, and investigate any abnormal drain by checking for background tasks left running.

[SanJesse]

When I first got the car, I was also concerned about this. Now I understand that the key to static power loss is battery temperature maintenance. When the temperature drops below 5°C or exceeds 35°C, the thermal management system automatically activates and consumes a lot of power—it's possible to lose 3% overnight. Under normal temperatures, as long as you turn off Sentry Mode and Overheat Protection, the power loss is generally between 0.2%-0.5%. Once when I was on a business trip for seven days, I came back to find only 12 km of range had been lost. However, it's important to note that power loss can be abnormal during software updates—that time when upgrading to V11 system, it dropped 7% overnight.