1,300 Miles Later: What My 4-Year-Old EV Taught Me on a Road Trip to Miami

[evlover]

Can a used EV still handle a massive road trip?
Can a used EV still handle a massive road trip? We drove from NYC to Miami in a 2022 Tesla Model Y to test range degradation and the 2026 charging network.


We drove from NYC to Miami in a 2022 Tesla Model Y to test range degradation and the 2026 charging network.
"I’ll be honest: I was nervous. My 2022 Model Y has 75,000 miles on the clock, and the 'range anxiety' trolls on Twitter almost convinced me to rent a gas car for our family trip from New York to Miami. But I decided to trust the tech.1,300 miles later, here is the unfiltered truth.

When new, this car promised 330 miles.
In 2026, with some battery degradation, I'm seeing about 295 miles at 100% charge. On the I-95 at 75 mph?
It’s more like 240 miles. Is that a dealbreaker? Not really.
We had to stop every 3 hours anyway for the kids. he Supercharger network is still king, but the new 'Magic Dock' stations allowed us to see some Rivians and Hyundais charging alongside us in South Carolina. The biggest headache?
A broken non-Tesla charger in Georgia that wasted 20 minutes of our lives. Don't fear high-mileage EVs. If you're buying used in 2026, just check the heat pump and the tires.
The battery is likely fine. We saved about $180 compared to what we would have spent on premium gas."

"What’s your longest EV road trip? Tell me in the comments!"

Tesla Service Experiences

 

[Steve]

Thanks for sharing this, such a solid reality check! I’m living here in the States too and this resonates so much with my experience. People on social media love to freak out about EV battery degradation but your trip is the perfect proof that it’s mostly just noise.

I recently did a similar run from Chicago to Denver in an older Model 3 with about 75k on the clock and it performed like a champ. Sure, you don't get that "day one" range anymore, but like you said, with kids or just needing a coffee, you’re stopping every 3 hours anyway. The I-95 corridor is actually great for this, and seeing those Magic Docks open up to Rivians and Fords makes the 2026 charging landscape feel so much more mature.

I always tell people who are looking at used EVs to focus more on the heat pump and the tires rather than obsessing over the battery. Saving nearly 200 bucks on a single trip is no joke either, especially with premium gas prices what they are now. Great write-up and it's high time we bust the myth that a 4-year-old EV is somehow "worn out" or unreliable.

 

[ezevelectricco]

This is exactly what I see in real life. ~10–12% range loss at 75k miles on a Model Y is normal, and 240 miles at 75 mph is expected. Superchargers are still the most reliable network, while broken non-Tesla chargers remain the weak link. High-mile Teslas road-trip just fine—the battery is usually the least of the worries.