What if I had invested in Tesla
Every lump sum scenario for Tesla, start year by start year, using real prices and each month's exchange rate.
Over over 16 years since June 2010, Tesla, a stock listed on Wall Street, multiplied its value by 240 in dollar terms: an annualized return of +39.6%. Over the period, its monthly close ranged from a low of $1.30 (August 2010) to a high of $457 (October 2025), split-adjusted. Of the 197 possible purchase months since June 2010, 94% would show a gain today for a lump sum: the entry point mattered.
Data: Yahoo Finance monthly closing prices, up to date as of (latest update November 4, 2026) MethodAuthor: Yann Avondo
If I had invested $1,000 as a lump sum in Tesla in January 2016, today I would have $23,860
Over the same period
Worst moment: −67.7% between November 2021 and December 2022. To get this result, you had to hold on without selling.
Tesla at a glance
Tesla popularized the electric car and also makes batteries and solar products. Listed in 2010, it is one of the most volatile stocks in the S&P 500, driven by expectations as much as by sales.
Its worst fall, 67.7% in dollar terms between November 2021 and December 2022, was only erased in December 2024, 3 years and 1 month after the peak. Year-to-year swings are extreme: +743.4% in 2020, −65.0% in 2022. Of 15 full calendar years, 13 ended higher. Against the MSCI World, this calculator's yardstick (+9.9% a year in dollar terms over the same period), Tesla left it far behind.
$1,000 invested in Tesla, by start year
Bought in January, valued at the latest price. Click a year for the full story.
| Start | Worth today | Multiple | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $945 | ×0.95 | −2.9% | |
| $1,536 | ×1.54 | +15.9% | |
| $3,099 | ×3.1 | +33.5% | |
| $1,084 | ×1.08 | +1.7% | |
| $1,623 | ×1.62 | +8.5% | |
| $13,689 | ×14 | +46.0% | |
| $17,208 | ×17 | +43.2% | |
| $18,393 | ×18 | +38.6% | |
| $26,799 | ×27 | +39.3% | |
| $23,860 | ×24 | +33.7% | |
| $25,748 | ×26 | +31.3% | |
| $38,069 | ×38 | +32.5% | |
| $169,078 | ×169 | +44.6% | |
| $200,514 | ×201 | +42.7% | |
| $215,046 | ×215 | +40.1% |
Lump sum or DCA in Tesla?
Since January 2016, investing in Tesla all at once (lump sum) multiplied the stake by ×24, +33.7% a year. Investing every month (DCA) multiplied the total contributions by ×9.3, an annual return (IRR) of +37.8%.
Here DCA did better: spreading the purchases avoided putting all the money in at the wrong time.
Frequently asked questions
How much would $1,000 invested in Tesla 10 years ago be worth today?
$1,000 invested in Tesla in January 2016 would be worth about $23,860 today, an average annual return of +33.7% (price only, in the displayed currency).
What if I had invested $1,000 in Tesla in 2015?
Invested in January 2015, $1,000 would be worth about $25,748 today, +31.3% a year on average.
What if I had invested $1,000 in Tesla in 2020?
Invested in January 2020, $1,000 would be worth about $13,689 today, +46.0% a year on average.
What was the best year to invest in Tesla?
Among the start years covered, 2011 gave the best result: $1,000 would have become $215,046. The weakest was 2025, worth $945 today. This ranking is only known with hindsight.
Are dividends included?
By default, the calculation follows the market price only. The "Reinvest dividends" option uses the adjusted price, which includes dividends paid and stock splits: the closest measure of what an investor actually earned.
Are exchange rates taken into account?
Yes. Tesla trades in its own currency; every purchase and valuation is converted at that month's exchange rate. A US asset can gain in dollars and less in euros if the dollar weakened.
Are fees and taxes included?
No: results are before brokerage fees, fund fees and taxes. Your net result depends on the account you invest through.
Compare with
Before you have regrets
What this calculation does not tell you.
Hindsight bias
Picking Nvidia or Bitcoin today means picking known winners. Back then, nothing set them apart from hundreds of assets that went nowhere or vanished.
Holding on was the real test
The result assumes you never sold, including through the drawdowns shown above. Very few investors actually do.
The broad market, no bet required
The MSCI World never makes headlines, but it does not require guessing the winner. It is the fairest yardstick for any pick.
Method: past performance, computed from split-adjusted monthly closing prices (intra-month lows are smoothed out). Converted at each month’s exchange rate; no fees, no taxes. The MSCI World benchmark is the price index, excluding dividends. Sources: Yahoo Finance (prices, exchange rates, US Treasury bills), Eurostat (inflation), published regulated rates (Livret A). Not investment advice. NokxiHub.