Checked 8×
Is it cheaper to fly or drive a Tesla from New York, NY to Chicago, IL?
Book the flightFlying saves you
8h 35m
You keep $40
In the car
13h 52m
Car is calmer by
22%
Car 46 · Flight 59
5h 17m by air, only 2h 1m of it flying. 1 in 5 run late.
The two totals are near enough level, so this one comes down to what you value. Flying buys back 8h 35m of your day. Driving skips security, the bag belt and the airline’s timetable, and every extra seat in the car is free.
How this was priced
New York, NY to Chicago, IL is 790 mi by road — 13h 52m of driving and 4 Supercharger stops — against 5h 17m door to door by air. Flying is the better call: the flight costs $336 against $296 to drive, and it saves 8h 35m of travel. On the 0-100 stress scale the drive scores 46 and the flight 59.
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 6 October 2026.
Checking the route…
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- 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: new-york-ny-to-chicago-il.json
- Last recalculated 2026-10-06 · checked 8×. Costs are modelled estimates, not quotes.