New Tesla Owner Checklist: First Week (UK 2026)

The first-week checklist

The first week of Tesla ownership is mostly about getting two things sorted: where the car will charge, and what it'll cost to run. Everything else waits. This list puts the items that save hundreds a year at the top and the nice-to-knows further down.

1. Set up home charging

Nothing else on this list matters as much. Home charging on an off-peak tariff is what turns a Tesla into a cheap car to run: roughly £200 a year on electricity against £1,600 on petrol for the same annual mileage.

The per-mile gap, for reference:

• Home charging (off-peak tariff): 2–3p/mile
• Home charging (standard tariff): 7–8p/mile
• Tesla Supercharger: ~12p/mile
• Petrol (equivalent car): 16–18p/mile

Three things, in this order.

Step 1: Switch to an EV electricity tariff

Free, five minutes, and the single biggest saving on the list. An EV tariff gives off-peak rates of around 7–8.5p/kWh against the standard ~28p/kWh — a three-quarters cut on charging costs.

Octopus Intelligent Go is the default pick for Tesla owners because it talks to the car's API and schedules charging automatically; several alternatives are close behind.

Our guide to the best EV tariffs covers the full shortlist, or the tariff comparison page shows rates side by side.

Step 2: Get a home charger installed

A 7 kW wallbox will fully charge a Tesla overnight. A standard 3-pin plug works in a pinch — about 8 miles of range per hour (more here) against 30 miles from a wallbox — but for daily driving it isn't viable.

Budget £800–1,200 fully installed. That pays back within 6–12 months on cheaper charging alone. When we set up our own home charger, the full process from order to first charge took 12 days — most of that waiting for an installer slot, not the hardware.

The unit doesn't need to be Tesla-branded. Any Type 2 wallbox works. Our full charger comparison covers the shortlist, or request free installation quotes from certified installers.

Step 3: Check OZEV grant eligibility

Renters and flat owners can claim the £500 OZEV grant against installation. The scheme runs to 31 March 2027 and rises to £500 from April 2026.

Our savings calculator shows annual savings based on your mileage and tariff.

Compare chargers | Get free quotes

2. Download the essential apps

Four apps cover nearly everything:

• Tesla app — controls the car, monitors charging, preconditions the cabin, handles software updates.
• Your energy provider's app (e.g. Octopus) — session-level usage and cost tracking, essential on a smart tariff.
• Zap-Map — public chargers across every UK network, with real-time availability and connector filters.
• A Better Route Planner (ABRP) — long-journey planning with charging stops factored in. Tesla's own nav does this too; ABRP offers more control and lets you plan from your phone in advance.

3. Learn the charging basics

A handful of habits keep the battery healthy and the costs down:

• Charge to 80% for daily use. Tesla's own recommendation, and better for long-term battery health. Go to 100% only before a long trip.
• Plug in at home whenever possible. Little and often beats running down and doing a full top-up. The battery management system prefers the car plugged in regularly.
• Home charging speed is rarely the issue. 7 kW adds about 30 miles per hour — enough that plugging in after dinner gives a full battery by morning.
• A Tesla-branded charger is optional. Every Tesla sold in the UK takes a standard Type 2 connector. The Wall Connector is good, but so are the Ohme Home Pro and myenergi Zappi. Our Tesla vs third-party guide has the comparison.

Model-specific detail: Tesla Model 3 home charging guide, Tesla Model Y home charging guide.

4. Understand the running costs

10,000 miles a year by charging method:

The gap between standard and off-peak is roughly £600 a year — and switching tariff costs nothing.

For a per-model breakdown, see our Tesla charging cost analysis.

5. Sort the insurance

Worth flagging early: Tesla premiums run higher than the comparable petrol equivalent, particularly on Performance variants. The models sit in insurance groups 48–50 (out of 50), which pushes quotes up.

Three ways to bring the premium down:

• Use comparison sites — don't auto-renew. EV quotes vary wildly between insurers.
• Specialist EV insurers like By Miles and Zixty offer pay-per-mile cover that suits lower-mileage drivers.
• A higher voluntary excess lowers the premium significantly on high-group cars.

Not the most exciting item, but sorting it early avoids the surprise on day 28.

6. Explore the Tesla ecosystem

Once the essentials are in place:

• Supercharger network — over 1,400 stalls across the UK. Pay-as-you-go via your Tesla account, no apps or RFID.
• Software updates — pushed over the air, installed overnight via Wi-Fi.
• Sentry Mode — built-in security camera that records activity near the parked car. Enable it in the Tesla app.
• Dashcam — Sentry Mode doubles as one. Format a USB drive and plug it into the glovebox port (or use the car's internal storage on newer models).
• Referral programme — share a link with friends buying a Tesla for current benefits. Details change; check the app.

The first-week summary

Everything above in a quick-reference list:

• Switch to an EV tariff — free, saves £600+/year (compare tariffs)
• Order a home charger — £800–1,200 installed, payback under a year (compare chargers)
• Charging accessories — cable holder, bag, weather cover (the Amazon shortlist)
• OZEV grant — £500 off for renters and flat owners (grant guide)
• Download Tesla app, provider app, Zap-Map, ABRP
• Set the daily charge limit to 80% in the Tesla app
• Shop insurance — don't accept the first quote
• Enable Sentry Mode and set up dashcam storage
• Explore the car's settings — there's plenty in there

The single item that matters most is the home charger. Everything else is incremental; home charging is structural. It turns the car into something that refuels overnight for a few pounds, and it changes the running-cost maths for the next decade.

Compare chargers | Get free quotes | Best Tesla home charger guide | UK EV Charging Cost Index