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Is it cheaper to fly or drive a Tesla from Denver, CO to San Francisco, CA?
Book the flightFlying saves you
15h 49m
Flying is cheaper by $11
In the car
21h 37m
Car is calmer by
17%
Car 44 · Flight 53
1,250 mi by road
5h 48m by air, only 2h 32m of it flying. 1 in 5 run late.
How this was priced
Denver, CO to San Francisco, CA is 1,250 mi by road — 21h 37m of driving and 7 Supercharger stops — against 5h 48m door to door by air. Flying is the better call: the flight costs $369 against $380 to drive, and it saves 15h 49m of travel. On the 0-100 stress scale the drive scores 44 and the flight 53.
Priced with fast charging at $0.50 per kWh and 3.7 miles per kWh, airfare from a $95 base plus $0.13 a mile per person, one $35 bag and a $30 ride at each end. Airfare is modelled from flight distance, not a live fare quote, so treat it as a typical fare rather than today's price. Rates last reviewed 14 September 2026; this trip last priced 21 October 2026.
Checking the route…
Check this yourself
- Distance and drive time come from live road routing, not straight lines.
- Every rate used is listed on Cost analysis and sourced on Sources.
- This trip as raw data: denver-co-to-san-francisco-ca.json
- Last recalculated 2026-10-21 · checked 1×. Costs are modelled estimates, not quotes.
Questions about this trip
Is it cheaper to drive a Tesla or fly from Denver, CO to San Francisco, CA?
Driving costs about $380 and flying about $369, so flying is cheaper by $11. The drive counts charging and a hotel night if it takes more than a day. The flight counts fares, bags, airport food on long flights and the rides at both ends.
How long does each take, door to door?
The drive is about 21h 37m including 7 Supercharger stops. Flying is about 5h 48m, counting the trip to the airport, security, the flight and getting to your destination.
How many Supercharger stops will I need?
About 7 Supercharger stops for 1,250 mi, assuming you leave full and charge to roughly 80% at each stop. Real range drops in cold weather, rain and at high speed.
How accurate are these numbers?
They're modelled estimates, not quotes. Airfares change daily, so check a real fare before booking. This trip was last priced 21 October 2026. Every rate and where it comes from is on the Sources page.