Running your Tesla’s battery all the way to empty is rare — the car warns you well before it happens — but if it does, here’s what actually happens and how to get moving again.
What the car does at 0%
According to Tesla’s owner’s manual section on running out of range, the touchscreen and instrument panel start warning you as your charge gets low, with a final warning before the vehicle limits speed and eventually shuts down. If the high-voltage battery fully depletes while you’re driving, the car loses drive power and coasts to a stop; power steering and brake assist can be affected during that final coast, so you’ll notice the wheel and pedal feel heavier as you slow down. Once it’s stopped, the car can’t restart on its own — you’ll need outside help to move or charge it.
Getting help
Pull as far off the road as you safely can and contact Tesla Roadside Assistance, available 24/7 through the Tesla app or by phone. Roadside Assistance can talk you through options, but Tesla is explicit that this service isn’t free in every case — towing costs generally aren’t covered unless the issue is a Tesla defect, so running out of charge is typically a bill you pay yourself, not a warranty item.
Two ways to get moving again: a mobile charging van (available in some cities, growing but not everywhere) can bring enough charge to drive to a Supercharger, or a tow truck can take the car to the nearest charger. Tesla’s manual is specific that a Tesla should be moved on a flatbed whenever possible; if a flatbed genuinely isn’t available, the car can be moved on wheel lifts or dollies with all four wheels off the ground, but only for a maximum of 35 miles and at low speed. Standard tow-behind (two wheels on the ground) isn’t supported and can damage the drivetrain. Before winching the car onto a truck, the tow operator needs to put it in Tow Mode from the touchscreen, which unlocks the parking brake and allows the wheels to roll freely.
How to avoid it in the first place
The car’s own trip planner and range estimate build in a buffer, so the main way owners end up at 0% is ignoring low-battery warnings or skipping a planned charging stop. On a road trip, treat the in-car navigation’s suggested charging stops as the plan, not a suggestion — and if you’re driving somewhere with sparse charging, budget more buffer than the estimate gives you, especially in cold weather when range drops faster than the dashboard number initially suggests.
Photo by Reinhard Bruckner.