2014 TESLA MODEL S P85 VIN 5YJSA1H17EFP61268

The Tesla Model S P85 described here left the factory in 2014. This example is fitted with rear-wheel drive. Power comes from electricity alone. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years.

When the car was recorded, it showed mechanical damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the engine, the gearbox and the running gear.

Without a key, a modern car needs a replacement coded to its immobiliser before it can even be started. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

According to the source data, the car has a clean title. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

The battery is the most expensive part of an electric car, so the share of its original capacity still available should be measured. A cracked battery housing or a damaged cooling circuit is not always visible, and only a specialist with the right equipment can confirm that the pack is safe.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. The VIN of this Tesla Model S P85 is 5YJSA1H17EFP61268. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. A history check on VIN 5YJSA1H17EFP61268 is the place to start.