How Far Can Your Tesla Go at 0% Battery? | Buffer Test
Many Tesla owners experience range anxiety, fearing that their car will shut down and leave them stranded on the side of the road as soon as the battery reaches 0% state of charge.
What many people don't realize is that Tesla vehicles include a built-in energy buffer below 0%, providing a few extra kilometers of range to help you reach the nearest charging station.
But how much additional distance can you actually drive once your Tesla reaches 0% SOC?
To find out, we conducted two real-world tests. The first was with our 2025 Model Y Juniper Launch Edition, while the second was carried out using our 2019 Model 3 Performance.
And for those of you who want to see the tests firsthand, we've also prepared a video:
Test Design
The 2025 Model Y Juniper Long Range is equipped with a 75 kWh NMC battery pack. According to our S3XY Dash, which reads data directly from the Battery Management System, the vehicle has approximately 3.4 kWh of energy buffer below 0% state of charge.
The 2019 Model 3 Performance packs 73.5 kWh NCA battery and according to the S3XY Dash it has 2.9 kWh of additional capacity.
To translate these numbers into distance, both cars drove the same route, under the same sunny conditions and dry roads. We picked a location that is close to a charging station to make sure that we won’t get stuck on the side of the road.
Tesla Screen Results
2025 Model Y Juniper Premium (Launch Edition)
Buffer Distance: 25.2 km
Average Consumption: 199.1 Wh/km
Energy Used: 5 kWh
Duration: 52 minutes
2019 Model 3 Performance
Buffer Distance: 17.4 km
Average Consumption: 234.8 Wh/km
Energy Used: 4.1 kWh
Duration: 48 minutes
What happened during the test?
Even when the Model Y Juniper reached 0% SOC, although there was a noticeable difference in power output, the drives continued normally. At some point, when we reached above the 20th kilometer, a pop-up appeared on the Tesla screen, notifying us that the car will be unable to drive because the charge is too low.
However, even when that happened, the drive continued normally until at some point a large red warning appeared on the main screen, prompting us to pull over as the car was about to shut down. The car also started vibrating as it was entering something resembling a limp state.
This was the moment we decided to call it off. We pulled next to the charging station and it took us three attempts to open the charge port before plugging the car.
Why the discrepancies in the readings?
As mentioned earlier, we collect battery data directly from the BMS, including metrics such as remaining capacity and energy buffer. However, some of you may have noticed that in both tests, the buffer value displayed on the S3XY Dash differed from the total energy consumption reported on the Tesla trip screen.
2025 Model Y Juniper Premium (Launch Edition)
Energy Buffer (S3XY Dash): 3.4 kWh
Energy Used (Tesla Screen): 5 kWh
2019 Model 3 Performance
Energy Buffer (S3XY Dash): 2.9 kWh
Energy Used (Tesla Screen): 4.1 kWh
We are not entirely sure where this discrepancy comes from but it’s worth a further investigation. And if you have any theories or ideas of your own, make sure to write them down in the comment section of the video.
Conclusion
These results highlight just how much reserve energy Tesla keeps hidden below 0%, doing everything possible to help you reach the next charging station instead of leaving you stranded.
We hope by showing this we will help owners and Tesla enthusiasts with their range anxiety and help them have a more relaxed driving experience even at 0% SOC.
