Checked 2×
Is it cheaper to fly or drive a Tesla from Palo Alto, CA to Phoenix, AZ?
Book the flightFlying saves you
7h 38m
You keep $37
In the car
12h 44m
Car is calmer by
19%
Car 43 · Flight 53
5h 6m by air, only 1h 50m 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 7h 38m 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
Palo Alto, CA to Phoenix, AZ is 727 mi by road — 12h 44m of driving and 4 Supercharger stops — against 5h 6m door to door by air. Flying is the better call: the flight costs $325 against $287 to drive, and it saves 7h 38m of travel. On the 0-100 stress scale the drive scores 43 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 15 October 2026.
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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: palo-alto-ca-to-phoenix-az.json
- Last recalculated 2026-10-15 · checked 2×. Costs are modelled estimates, not quotes.