Is it cheaper to fly or drive a Tesla from New York, NY to San Francisco, CA?

Fly it. 2,903 mi is more road than this trip is worth.

New York, NY to San Francisco, CA is 2,903 mi by road — 43h 5m of driving and 16 Supercharger stops — against 8h 59m door to door by air. Flying is the better call: the flight costs $985 against $282 to drive, and it saves 34h 6m of travel. On the 0-100 stress scale the drive scores 100 and the flight 77.

Priced with fast charging at $0.36 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 13 September 2026.