A YouTuber who has been driving a Tesla for the last six years has gone into detail about the hidden costs that most new electric vehicle owners do not realize.

There is no denying that electric cars are good for the environment and that they will save you thousands in the long-term through filling up at the gas station.

A Tesla supercharger station (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

But you’ll have to fork out a pretty penny if you want those privileges, with the cheapest brand new Tesla being the Model 3 Long Range RWD (rear wheel drive) priced at $29,990 – and that’s without including the additional costs.

Now, YouTuber Kevin The Tech Ninja has given us a bit of insight into the seven hidden costs of owning the vehicle, which the company ‘isn’t telling’ people about.

At home charging

He explained that the recommendation Tesla make is to buy its home connector which is worth $475, but Kevin told his fans what he did.

“I added a NEMA plug, which requires you to buy the mobile connector for $200 and the plug in your wall is around $30 in addition to whatever home connect you go with, you need an electrician, and those can run anywhere from a few $100 to $1000s,” he said.

“So you’re already buying the new vehicle, but you’re also paying anywhere from $1,000 to $2500.”

If you’re charging your Tesla at home, expect to fork out more on your electric bill (Getty stock)

Cost for not paying setup fees

“Let’s say you don’t want to pay that setup fee for a home charger. Sorry, there’s a hidden cost for that too. You know, you’ll be paying supercharger rates, which can be very costly,” the Michigan man shared.

Supercharge is an electric vehicle fast charging network created by Tesla. He explained that superchargers vary in price, from $24 for a full charge at a station 30 miles away from him to $28 at one near his house.

He also detailed how he noticed his electric bill has gone up from $75 to $100 a month.

Weather dependent

How well your battery takes to charging can depend on where you live, as Kevin mentioned that cold weather actually makes your Tesla cost more.

But there are ways around this as Kevin told his 253,000 subscribers: “Thankfully, there are ways to combat that with overnight charging and reconditioning your battery before you drive for the day and you set that up in the app or on your car battery stat screen, just to tell it what time you’re leaving.

“And if your car is plugged in, it’ll condition the battery to be the most efficient when you leave, and then you don’t have that battery drain.”

He went on to add that if your Tesla is cold you will lose some battery, and if you leave your car at the airport and come back after a long weekend away, you’ll likely find that your battery is flat – if you were on a low percentage to begin with.

Insurance

If you want to own a Tesla, you better be prepared to fork out premium rates on insurance, the main reason being the cost of replacing one.

“So insurance companies bakes that into the pricing to combat that, bundling your home and car insurance can help lower that price where I’m paying around 165 a month to insure mine through progressive,” Kevin added.

Tires

According to the YouTuber, Tesla owners ‘rip through’ tires ‘so much faster than a traditional car’ and labeled it another ‘major expense’.

Kevin explained that it is because of the technology in the tires, as well as the how heavy Teslas are due to their batteries, and gave an example of how he had to buy new tires after just 13,000 miles that cost him almost $2,300 to replace.

A Tesla Model 3 at the company’s store in Palo Alto, California (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Premium connectivity

I’ll let Kevin explain this.

“For the first year the car comes with all the connected services on the car, which includes real time, traffic, satellite map, view, radio, streaming, video streaming. And then after the first year, it’s gone, and you got to pay $10 a month or $100 a year to keep it up,” the tech expert said.

Tax

Finally, the last hidden cost is tax. The YouTuber explained that when you pay for gas, the government tax you on the price of it and since electric vehicles don’t use gas, authorities instead tax you on registration.

“Don’t you worry, in Michigan, it’s an additional $250 on top of your registration. That amount of tax is assuming you’re driving 20,000 to 30,000 miles per year, and I drive less than 10,000 miles a year, so I’ve been taxed nearly 3x more than I should,” Kevin added.

While this is all good to know, I’ll stick with gas for the time being as I simply can’t afford all that – maybe in a few years!

Did you know there’s actually a little button on a seatbelt that has a very specific function?

Though you hopefully never need it, a seatbelt is designed to secure a car driver or a passenger in their seat during a collision or a sudden stop.

Not only do they stop you from ploughing through the window screen during a crash, but they can actually reduce the risk of death in a serious accident by up to 50 percent, according to road safety charity, Brake.

Of course, the seatbelt system is made up of a variety of components, including the buckle, the tongue attached to the webbing, and pillar loops used in three-point systems.

But have you ever noticed a little plastic button, often located near where the belt tongue inserts?

Well, you may be interested to know it’s actually there to keep the buckle itself in the right part of the belt.

Learning about the seatbelt system will encourage you and others to wear one when driving (Getty Stock Image)

“So it will always be in the right spot when you go to buckle it up.”

So, the button is there to make sure that the buckle is always in a convenient part of the belt for you to strap in, often right where you would reach to grab it and pull across yourself.

While that might seem like a nice afterthought or a luxury, it’s actually a very important part of ensuring the seatbelt functions properly.

But why is that? Well, the thing about seatbelts is that they only work if you wear them.

Learning about the seatbelt button blew one TikTok users’ mind (Getty Stock Image)

If every time you go to put your seatbelt on, you have to wrestle to get the buckle down to the right place, it’s going to get annoying.

And if some people get annoyed every time they try to put it on, they might start not wearing it.

By making the belt as easy as possible to put on, manufacturers encourage people to wear them and get the safety benefits.

People shared their thoughts on the feature on social media.

One wrote: “Wow that seatbelt one blew my mind, I would have never thought of that”, while another said: “Wow! I never knew!!”

But others already knew, with one writing: “I thought we all knew about the seat belt”, while another commented, “Everyone knew the seatbelt one.”

And it’s finally about to come to an end in March after participants have been studied at the university’s Institute of Sport.

But while it’s still yet to conclude, the author has said he believes vaping is worse on people’s health than smoking cigarettes.

The NHS has previously described inhaling nicotine vapour from e-cigs as ‘substantially less harmful than smoking’

The study aims to look at the long term effects of vaping (Getty Stock)

However, as the Mirror had an early look at the study, the leader explained: “Smokers tend to go outside and smoke, and once a cigarette is finished they have to light up another to keep going. But with vapes, you just keep going and it’s much harder to know how many puffs you’ve had.

“It’s much easier to vape continuously because you can do it in places where smoking might be less acceptable.”

In response to what he has found in the study, he claimed: “What we have found is the dangers for someone who keeps vaping are no different from smokers.”

During the process, participants aged between 18 to 45 (with an average of 27) with similar fitness levels were given regular stress tests.

Consuming only water and not vaping, smoking or exercising for 12 hours before, these tests would measure the elasticity of their blood vessels, which is a good indication of a person’s vascular health, according to the university, and speed of blood flow to their brains.

It is said that smokers and vapers had a ‘flat reading’ which signalled damaged artery walls that can no longer violate, meaning they are at risk of severe cardiovascular problems in the future.

He believes it’s worse because people don’t know when to stop (Getty Stock)

Dr Boidin believes the various damage is caused by inflammation from nicotine plus other metals and chemicals found in vapes such as propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine.

He said: “When you put this mixture of metals and chemicals into your body you can’t expect nothing to happen.” Boidin added that he believes vaping can be more dangerous because it’s harder to know when to stop.

The study is still yet to conclude for now, with results set to be officially released after it ends in March.

The NHS’ current stance is: “Nicotine vaping is not risk-free, but it is less harmful than smoking. It refers to 2022 findings when UK experts found that in ‘the short and medium-term, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking’.

The motorhead, 62, who has been in a relationship with Sarah Frater since 2000, said it would now be ‘weird’ to become a father.

Reflecting on his decision to not have kids, James told the Driven podcast that ‘it was just a result of life’, as reported by the Oxford Mail.

“Let’s put that down to being a late developer,” he explained.

“I’ve got nieces and nephews of many ages.”

The TV presenter said he is happy to be an uncle and that the idea of being an older father raising children is ‘unfair’ and ‘weird’.

“Maybe ‘unfair’ was a bit strong,” he told The Times last year. “But when I was at school there was a boy whose dad was the same age as my granddad and it felt weird.”

James May has been in a relationship with Sarah Frater since 2000 (David M. Benett/Getty Images for Audi)

James went on to reference 84-year-old Al Pacino’s previous relationship with Noor Alfallah, 30.

The pair broke up in 2024 after welcoming a son together.

“And that actor who recently had a child with a much younger woman?” he continued.

“He’s not going to be around very much is he? Then again, you can be young and still not be around much, so who knows?

“Maybe it’s just reaching the age where you don’t care so much what others think,” he added.

“My resolution for 2025 is: be a bloke. Don’t be ashamed of it. I think blokes are having a bit of a hard time at the moment.

“That’s not to say women are not too, but there is a small but vocal group who hold middle-aged men in contempt.

James May has revealed why he has never had any children (Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

“We are supposedly boomers who had it too easy but I don’t believe that. I think most men are OK and need to stand up for themselves a bit more.

“Our job is to be practical, dependable, philosophical and, yes, poets to some extent.”

Well, James, who started dating art critic Sarah 25 years ago, issued the most James May tribute to his ‘best girl’ on Valentine’s Day last week.

“It’s St Valentine’s day. So later on I, for one, will be cooking Sainsbury’s chicken pie with delicious BirdsEye frozen peas for my best girl, followed by a massive piece of cheeeese,” he penned on X.

“Men – make the effort.”

I dread to think what my girlfriend would do if I served up a pre-made chicken pie from ASDA on Valentine’s Day.

If it’s from M&S though, I’m all good.

Captain John Smith of the X-Stream fishing team said they were participating in an annual competition off the coast of Port Stephens in New South Wales last Saturday (15 February).

As the team were trying to attract legal shark species to their boat, a five-metre great white shark, which would have weighed over 1,500 pounds, approached.

After distancing themselves from the first shark, a second approached the boat only half an hour later.

When they eventually managed to shake it off by feeding it, a third shark then popped up.

“I’ve been game fishing since I was 12 years old, I’m 54 now, and I haven’t seen a great deal of whites,” Smith told The Canberra Times.

“I’ve seen one 20-odd years ago, a big fella, but to see three in a day, it’s just next level.

“A fish that big, they don’t have any fear factor.

“We teased them up with the burley bag and got some unbelievable footage.”

Yikes (X-Stream/John Smith)

Smith added: “We had it chewing on the back corner at one stage.

“They’re a protected species so we’re not allowed to fish for them, so we don’t target them, we don’t try to catch them, we just try to get rid of them we best we can.”

Newcastle and Port Stephens Game Fish Club president Troy Radford warned that the second fish ‘could have done some damage’ to the five-and-a-half metre boat.

“They’re seasoned fishermen and they’ve seen a lot of sharks, but it still blew their mind seeing one of them up close, they’re beautiful creatures,” he said.

This was just one of three sharks that approached the boat (X-Stream/John Smith)

“Earlier, it was chewing on the corner of the boat, it was chewing on its side gunnel,” Radford also told Daily Mail Australia.

“It’s so big that it managed to pull the boat down [into the water] a bit… Big fish, small boat.”

During the second day, the completion was called off due to bad weather and Radford joined the group for some beers when they showed him the footage.

He praised how calm they were under such terrifying circumstances.

“They were still so excited. They were in awe. The adrenaline was still pumping,” Radford added.

The club president noted that it’s very ‘uncommon’ to witness so many sharks in a single day.

From theme parks to every bit of merch you can imagine, there’s everything to do with the Wizarding World that Potterheads could ever want.

But when someone created a special Airbnb, it was left looking more like something from a horror film than a fantasy.

One of the Harry Potter themed spots the owners let out (tiktok/homelea.stays)

The owner was apparently met with the ‘most horrific scene’ after letting out the special Harry Potter-themed spot.

Taking to TikTok with the username homelea.stays, they shared how they spent an ‘amazing six months’ making the ‘place as magical’ as possible for fans.

Videos say the spot in Watford (perfect for those going to The Making of Harry Potter attraction at Warner Bros. studios) gives a ‘taste of Hogwarts’.

Not an official Harry Potter place but rather a totally decorated and themed spot, the account seems to let out a number of ‘Potter themed’ Airbnbs.

And a clip shows what one of the lettings look like as the owner assures it’s not the same one that was ‘destroyed’.

The suspicious brown substance was found all over the bed (tiktok/homelea.stays)

The voiceover explained: “Someone has turned our Airbnb upside down, they have literally trashed the entire place.

“Things are all out of place, the TV has been smashed with bleach poured all over it.

“Frozen chips all over the floor, Fanta splashes all over the walls and the windowsill.”

There was also an ominous brown substance all over the bed which the owner explained it seemed to be a mixture of ‘coffee and coca butter’ and not blood or bodily fluids which users had originally suspected.

Before the destruction, the house sported a ‘Gryffindor common room’ accompanied by a ‘Slytherin themed bedroom’ with the walls totally covered in murals from bookshelves to wanted posters for Bellatrix Lestrange.

There are even Hogwarts capes hung up and framed images of characters with plenty of Harry Potter blankets, cushions and toys draped around.

In the bedroom, the bed, of course, has Slytherin bedding with a huge mural of the crest above it.

The place was a mess (tiktok/homelea.stays)

There’s even special wallpaper to create the vibe you’re really at the school, with a desk featuring even more merch and drawers that look like the Hogwarts suitcases.

It’s seriously impressive stuff with a huge design of potion bottles and fake windows on the walls.

But while it looks like the perfect place for Potterheads to stay, the owner claims one of the letting was totally destroyed by a Booking.com customer as they called them the ‘worst guest ever’.

Britain’s Got Talent is usually seen as a wholesome family show, but viewers have been left fuming after a ‘vile’ act left children ‘screaming’ in fear.

Simon Cowell and co returned for a new series this weekend, but fans are less than impressed with some of the acts which were shown.

Viewers questioned whether younger fans had been considered when the talented hopefuls were picked, with families raging that the chosen contestants had upset little ones.

A stunned Dec reacted to the shocking acts (ITV)

The first performer to ruffle feathers was called Akira, who treated fans to a slapstick show where he appeared completely naked.

He showed up on stage using a silver plate to cover his modesty, before swapping the item for things like a beach ball and a tissue box.

Viewers of the ITV show at home were spared the sight of his bare backside as producer’s edited in a Union Jack flag to cover things up, but audience members in the theatre weren’t quite so lucky.

Parents were unhappy that the act was chosen for a family show. On YouTube, one ranted: “Absolutely Ridiculous! I had to tell my own children to look away! Kids are watching this!”

Another added: “How did this get through screening? It’s not past 9pm?”

“Why is there a bum on my TV at 19:53 on a Saturday evening?” asked one concerned viewer.

“May well be funny for adults. Nevertheless, not at this time of evening on main stream TV,” fumed another.

Then, children were apparently left ‘screaming’ when a gothic daredevil act appeared.

Called Auzzy Blood, the performer appeared in black and red make-up and a warning flashed up on screen, urging viewers not to try what they were about to see at home – just in case you thought shoving giant corkscrews through your face was a good idea.

A three-time Guinness World Record holder, the shocking act has appeared on America’s Got Talent as well as a Spanish edition of the show.

Auzzy Blood shocked viewers at home inserting giant spirals into himself (ITV)

Viewers were horrified when the act wielded two giant spirals, the first of which he put through one nostril and out the other.

Fans thought it couldn’t get any worse, but then he put the second spiral in his mouth and out through his nose.

Auzzy Blood’s eyebrow raising routine continued as he pulled a plastic pipe through his nose, before asking Simon Cowell to drink from it.

He then inserted another hook into his nose before hoisting himself skyward with a rope.

“Noooo nooooo, I’m 100% having nightmares tonight,” trembled another.

“I’ve got one kid screaming. One kid in awe. One kid hiding behind a pillow,” said one parent, while another asked angrily: “Family friendly?!”

“This act should not be shown on tv. It’s disgusting! Kids watch this!!!” cried another.

Simon Cowell defended the choice to show Auzzy, insisting: “It’s spooky horror where you don’t want to watch it, but you do want to watch it. That’s obviously why we’re going to show it. We probably will get some complaints. Hopefully.”

He added: “I love it when they say ‘don’t try this at home’ like we’ve all got screws and things just waiting to do that.”

Sharing the damage via TikTok, the owner, who goes by the username homelea.stays, appears to run a series of rental properties in Watford allowing fans travelling to the popular The Making of Harry Potter tourist attraction at Warner Bros studios to immerse themselves in the Wizarding World for the entire trip.

However, a recent update saw the owner horrified to discover the place had been completely trashed by recent guests and in desperate need of some supernatural cleaning help.

Not even your strongest ‘scourgify’ or ‘reparo’ could fix this (TikTok/Homelea.stays)

In the viral clip, which has been viewed 5.5 million views, footage is shown of smashed cups, ‘bleach’ poured over a TV and one of the beds completely covered in brown stains.

“A few days ago I walked into my Airbnb to clean it, only to walk into the most horrific scene ever,” the voiceover explained.

“Someone has turned our Airbnb upside down, they have literally trashed the entire place.

“This was made for families and children,” the devastated owner added. “Now we have had to close it down until it is safe.”

The destruction left viewers horrified, with several users particularly concerned about the source of the brown stains left on the mattress.

“Please tell me you have reported this to police, that’s criminal damage,” one person wrote, while a second added: “I thought this was the crime scene cleanup channel when I saw the bed.”

“Thought it was a crime scene cleaning page I’m so sorry they did this,” a third person wrote.

Smashed cups, glass and frozen chips also littered the floor (TikTok/Homelea.stays)

In a follow-up video, homelea.stays clarified that the guest in question had booked the property through Booking.com not Airbnb, as the rental is available to book on both sites.

“Had this guest come from Airbnb they would have had a profile and if the ratings are bad we of course wouldn’t have gone ahead with the booking.” they clarified.

The user also explained that Hertfordshire Police had been notified about the damage and given the guest’s name, postcode and booking reference.

The user also clarified the source of the ominous brown substance on the bed, explaining that it was caused by a mixture of ‘coffee and coca butter’ and not blood or bodily fluids which users had originally suspected.

Whether people are trying to weigh up whether they could finally outrun Bolt (answer: no) or if they’re just wondering if he’s slowed down now he’s not running professionally, it seems to be a common question.

The former Olympian appeared on The Obi One Podcast, and revealed he constantly gets asked how quick he is in 2025.

“Everybody asks me that question!” he exclaimed.

Usain says everyone asks him how fast he is now in retirement (Instagram/Usainbolt)

The host asked cautiously: “I don’t want to insult you here, but would you still be under 11 seconds?”

“Yeah, of course!” said Bolt incredulously. “10 and a half, that would be me.”

The host offered him some running spikes to see how he would get on, and Usain replied: “I’ll probably rip my hamstring.”

Maybe not then.

“I’d probably run reserved but I’ve said this now… everyone asks me this, so I thought I’m going to go home, I’m going to train for three weeks, do the work for three weeks, then go to a track and run and see how fast seriously, so I can pull it out!”

Commenters rushed to leave their encouraging comments. “Miss this man on the track. Mr 9.58 himself,” said one.

“He hates training so we will never know,” joked another, while one said it really doesn’t matter: “Bolt’s coach told him before he retired that he could continue running for a long time. Because nobody else to this date is getting faster, Bolt was just getting slower! Think about that, that’s how great this man was.”

Others urged him to just enjoy his retirement: “You did your time bro, and exceptionally well…now relax and enjoy your life now!” as another said: “You don’t need to prove yourself, we love you.”

Usain retired in 2017 and shares his life now on social media (Instagram/Usainbolt)

Bolt retired back in 2017, after winning eight gold medals at the Olympics.

He decided it was time to call it a day after he sustained a hamstring injury at the World Championships towards the end of the 4x100m relay.

He told talkSPORT that he’s previously been offered big money to come out of retirement: “I talked to my coach [Glen Mills], my coach was like, ‘Absolutely not’.

“It was like two years after I retired, but my coach told me, ‘Listen, if you’re going to retire, that’s it. I’m not going to coach you again, this is it. There’s no coming back after this.”

He continued: “So when I went to him he was like, ‘No, absolutely not.’ I was like, ‘You know what? I would do it,’ because when you go away from a sport, then you start missing it.”

Bolt confessed he had been tempted to try again, but his coach ‘shut it down real quick’ and saved him from himself.

“I miss the competition,” he revealed. “When I sit and watch the World Championships or the Olympics now, your blood starts to boil, you just want to be out there.

“Especially the guys that are not doing that well so I’m like, ‘If I was there, I’d be doing so much better.’ You know what I mean?

“So you really want it, but then you remember how hard you have to train and you’re like, ‘Nah forget it.'”