Tesla’s Cheaper LFP Battery Ages Slower, but the Nickel Pack Still Wins on Range
tesla.com
A Swedish study of nearly 10,000 diagnostics found Tesla Model 3 LFP packs retain more capacity than nickel-based ones — but that doesn’t mean more range.
The base Tesla Model 3 with the cheaper LFP battery held onto its capacity better after 100,000 km than versions with nickel-based packs. But for a used-car buyer, that alone isn’t enough — a higher retention percentage doesn’t make up for a smaller original energy budget.
Swedish company Carla analyzed 9,954 EV diagnostics carried out between 2022 and 2026 using the AVILOO system. The Tesla Model 3 with a 60.5 kWh CATL LFP battery averaged a State of Health (SoH) of 93.3% after 100,000 km. The LG Chem pack with NMC chemistry retained 91.5%, while the Panasonic NCA packs at 77.8 and 52.4 kWh came in at 89.8% and 88.2% respectively. The gap between the best and worst results reached 5.1 percentage points.
Still, a retention percentage doesn’t translate directly into driving range. Even at 93.3%, the 60.5 kWh LFP battery has roughly 56.4 kWh of usable capacity left. The 77.8 kWh Panasonic pack, at 89.8%, still has around 69.9 kWh remaining. That’s why a Long Range car can go farther, even though its battery has lost a bigger share of its original capacity.
The methodology has limits, too. The study only covers cars that came in for a Carla diagnostic, not a random sample of every Tesla Model 3 on the road. There’s no published breakdown by vehicle age, climate, fast-charging habits, or the number of tests per variant. Carla itself notes that an AVILOO check reflects the battery’s condition at the moment of testing, not a guarantee of how it will hold up going forward.
When shopping for a used Model 3, battery chemistry is only the first filter. What actually matters is the individual car’s SoH, its original pack capacity, and the range you need — a 93.3% average is no substitute for testing the specific vehicle.
