Tesla reviews
• last updated FEB 26, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
Tesla delivers polished installations but stumbles badly on communication and support. We analyzed hundreds of reviews and found a clear split: the crews who show up at your house are excellent, but getting help before or after that visit is a gamble. One homeowner waited a year from application to install, watching scheduled dates shift with no phone call or explanation, only discovering delays by checking the website themselves. Another had their project saved by a regional manager who called out of the blue to offer surplus panels when supply issues stalled the original order. The installation work itself earns consistent praise. Reviewers mention clean conduit runs, panels wired above the roofline instead of resting on shingles, and crews who finish 28-panel systems in a single day without leaving debris. The Powerwall app impresses people who've never monitored energy flow before. But post-install support is thin: 138 reviews mention frustrations with follow-up, and one customer with off-grid experience called tech support infuriating despite loving the hardware. If you're comfortable chasing down answers yourself and can tolerate radio silence between milestones, the hardware and install quality justify the wait. If you need hand-holding or quick responses when problems arise, you'll find that frustrating.
If you can stomach long timelines and prefer texting to phone calls, Tesla's pricing and install quality make sense. But if responsive support matters more than saving 30 percent, pick a local installer who answers the phone.
Reviews That Shaped Our Verdict
dschwartz7788 had a Tesla system put on their roof — 32 solar panels paired with three Powerwalls — and walked away impressed by the equipment and the installation crew. They praised the installers as professional and felt they ended up with what they called the best system you can get. The part that tested their patience was the process itself: from the initial application to final hookup took about a year, and reaching someone at Tesla proved difficult. They struggled with sparse communication and little guidance along the way, which made the wait feel more nerve-racking than it needed to. To cope, they dug into their own research (YouTube proved especially useful) and tried to stay laid back, confident that the job would be done right. Their practical takeaway: set expectations for a long, sometimes opaque timeline, be proactive about learning the steps, and use the phone number that helped them — 888-765-2489 — if you need a human to talk to.
dbellamy105 started with a $100 deposit and low expectations, but quickly discovered Tesla returned a system design within days and undercut two well-regarded local installers by about 30%, so he approved the project. Because they had just expanded the house he sent construction drawings, had a few phone conversations to refine the layout, and then a site inspector came a couple weeks later to walk the roof and show where components would go. The permit package moved through, he got an install date about three weeks after approval, and his project advisor Eric handled paperwork (even a county form that needed notarizing) entirely online. On install day the crew arrived early: the lead at 7:15 a.m., a delivery of 28 panels and two Powerwall III units at 7:30, and a team of two electricians and three roof workers who taped off the work area and used safety harnesses on the roof. The installers explained what they were doing, answered his questions, and placed the Powerwalls in an even better spot than the original plan. A requested down conduit through the attic wasn’t possible, so they routed a discreet 2" conduit over the roof edge that’s barely noticeable. Around 10 a.m. thelead
Shepherd settled on a Tesla solar system — a 6.46 kW rooftop array plus two Powerwalls — for his ranch-style home in New Castle County, Delaware after comparing a few installers and appreciating Tesla’s unusually relaxed sales approach: no high-pressure tactics, just options to consider. He placed the order at the end of August 2021 and expected a fall install, but the path to activation proved bumpier than the initial buying experience. He handled one personal delay for travel and then watched Tesla push his dates twice for supply-chain reasons. A Project Advisor was assigned and handled the early design and paperwork, but Shepherd discovered the project relied heavily on automated updates. He uploaded utility bills and roof photos, reviewed a refined array design once Tesla scanned his roof, and signed documents electronically — all visible on Tesla’s web tracker. When his roof, which was over 20 years old, needed replacement, having that done ahead of inspection noticeably sped things up; otherwise his install could have happened in October instead of late January. Communication became the main frustration. An install date shifted on the website to January 5 without an email,
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What You Can Expect
Ken chose Tesla for a straightforward, competitively priced rooftop setup — 14 panels paired with a Powerwall backup on his single-family home. He liked the system design and the way the battery integrated with the panels, and the installation and customer-service crews proved knowledgeable, helpful, and punctual throughout the process. After a year of use the array and battery have performed reliably, and the monitoring app makes production and battery status easy to follow. What lingered most was how Tesla navigated the obstacle course with PG&E to secure final permission to connect to the grid, saving him time and hassle; combined with clear pricing and a smooth install, that ease-of-service is the detail he keeps coming back to.
tsorrent went with Tesla after being attracted by a competitive price, and the crews installed the panels without a hitch — but everything that followed turned into a drawn-out mess. During the initial design phase they discovered a near-silence from their project advisor and ended up calling Tesla repeatedly to get basic answers. After the hardware was on the roof, Tesla tried to file the utility application four separate times over a seven-month span before getting the paperwork accepted. When the utility finally approved the system, an operational problem emerged; over the next four months Tesla made several service visits but remained unable to fix it. A year after installation the panels have never worked properly. When tsorrent opened a ticket with Tesla’s resolution team, technicians uncovered that the approved utility application listed the wrong kW amount — a concrete paperwork error that has so far produced little meaningful help. The most striking detail: the panels have sat up on the roof for more than a year without ever fully functioning, tied up by repeated filing errors and unresolved service work.
Darine moved into her current home in early 2021 and pursued a Tesla solar quote to eliminate an average $330 monthly electric bill. She uploaded past bills, received a preliminary estimate and two on-site inspections; Tesla pronounced the roof “in great condition” and recommended 36 panels, but did not raise any concerns about roof orientation, slope or the trees around the house. Trusting that Tesla’s engineers would size and place the system to meet her usage, she paid a little over $25,000 in full. When the August true-up arrived, she discovered a shock: a roughly $3,100 bill — effectively showing the system produced almost no benefit. She spent dozens of hours in the app chats and about six phone calls (each lasting over an hour) trying to get answers. An independent energy technician who inspected the meter found next-to-no output and suspected the array used string inverters, meaning shading could shut down large portions of the system. Tesla eventually sent a technician (after charging $200) who confirmed there were four inverters and that shading could cause problems, acknowledged possible setup issues and promised to escalate — then never followed up. After repeated,