Tesla Powerwall: A Complete 2025 Buyers Guide

Solar Choice has no reason to promote Tesla in this Tesla Powerwall 3 review and our battery articles are independent written and unbiased.

At a Glance: Tesla Powerwall 3 scores 3.6 out of 5

Scoring is based on our solar battery scorecard which is consistently applied to each brand and battery available on the Australian market. This scoring reflects Tesla’s Powerwall 2 system.

$$$ Price: Based on data from Solar Choice’s network of solar installers, the average price for an installed Tesla battery is $1,129 per usable kWh. This places it in the higher-cost price range.

• Company Backing and Trustworthiness (5 out of 5): Tesla has been operating in the Australian market since 2015 and is backed by one of the world’s largest and most recognised energy companies. The company has more than 20 staff in Australia and a long-standing global presence, earning it a perfect score in this category.
• Warranty Offer (1.5 out of 5): Tesla offers a throughput warranty of 2.8MWh per usable kWh unless only used for basic functions. It also comes with a 10-year product warranty and a maximum degradation of 30%. Despite the strength of Tesla’s brand, the throughput value results in a below-average score for warranty coverage.
• Customer Reviews (5 out of 5): Tesla batteries have received outstanding feedback from verified customers, with an average score of 4.78 from 161 reviews on Solar Choice’s independent platform. This earns a perfect score under our customer review framework.
• Functionality (3 out of 5): Tesla’s Powerwall meets most of the key functionality benchmarks. It is IP67 rated for outdoor use and includes a built-in inverter to enable an AC connection to existing solar systems. However, it lacks fire suppression and modular expansion. The battery capacity can only be expanded by adding additional full 13.5kWh batteries which is not cost effective.

Overview and History of Tesla Powerwall

In 2015, Tesla entered the energy storage market with the Tesla Powerwall, a home battery system designed to revolutionize how energy is stored and used. While Tesla is globally known for its electric vehicles, the Tesla Powerwall has firmly established the company’s reputation in renewable energy.

The Tesla Powerwall 3 is their current flagship model which was launched in 2024 and their Powerwall 2 is currently being discontinued.

Tesla have established several local offices in Australia with a support team to assist local customers, however many installers and customers report long wait times to be serviced on their 1800 number.

How Much Does The Tesla Powerwall 3 Cost?

In Australia, across our network of over 150 solar installers, we expect the installed cost of a Tesla Powerwall 3 to cost $15,000 before the federal battery rebate. This price range includes the Gateway, delivery, installation and any other required electrical components.

The Tesla Powerwall 2 was made available nation wide in 2017 launching at it’s cheapest price, just $9,000. The Powerwall’s 13.5 kWh capacity makes it one of the most cost-effective options in the residential battery market. Since then, initially, high demand and higher production costs led to the wholesale cost of the battery reaching $16,500 in 2022.

In 2025 the price of a Powerwall 3, (excluding install & backup gateway) is $11,900 as listed on Tesla’s website.

Tesla Powerwall Price Change History (excluding Gateway):

Or in a visual form – you can see the trend in the graph below:

To see if home solar battery storage is worth it for you, see our detailed Solar Battery Sizing and Payback calculator to see the financials for your system.

Tesla Powerwall 2 Discontinued? What It Means for Australian Homeowners

With the Tesla Powerwall 3 rollout, the Tesla Powerwall 2 has been discontinued in Australia.

For the most part the Powerwall 3 offers the same or better technical specifications to the Powerwall 2 including a larger built in PV inverter.

What if I already have a Powerwall 2?

Unfortunately the Tesla Powerwall 3 is not compatible with the Tesla Powerwall 2 so homeowners are unable to expand existing Powerwall 2 systems. Also the Powerwall 3 model can only be expanding to 4 parallel units where as the Powerwall 2 could be expanded to 10 units.

So it seems that Tesla’s newer model is mainly focused on new solar and battery customers and was not designed with existing solar customers in mind.

Tesla’s official release of the Powerwall 2 & Solar Roof

The Chemistry of a Tesla Powerwall 3

Tesla have made a big move away from the Lithium-Ion technology used in their older solar batteries, to use the widely adopted Lithium-Iron-Phosphate technology in their latest Powerwall 3 model

The Tesla Powerwall 2 cathodes were made from a compound of Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel and Manganese (LiNiMnCoO₂). The newer LiFePO₄ cathodes offer benefits in terms of cost and safety which is why they have been broadly adopted by the solar battery industry.

Tesla Powerwall Backup Gateway

The Tesla Powerwall ‘Gateway’ is an additional piece of hardware that is paired with the Tesla battery to enable solar and battery system to perform as back up power during a power outage. Otherwise during a power outage your solar and battery system will turn off until power is restored.

The Gateway prevents power from being sent back into the electricity network during an outage which keeps the lines safe for electrical workers working on the grid.

Some battery manufacturers have this capability built into the battery. Tesla charge an additional $1,900 for their Gateway which is a material additional to the overall cost of the system.

Tesla Powerwall 3 Pros & Cons

Pros

• Depth Of Discharge (DoD): Excellent specifications including 100% DoD.
• Retrofit Capability: Easily integrates with third-party solar inverters, making it versatile for existing solar setups.
• High Power Output: The built in inverter can provide a continuous output of 11kW which can cover pretty much any combination of major household appliances.

Cons

• Expensive: One of the most expensive battery solutions on the market
• Not designed for 3-phase applications: as you can only connect the battery to one phase.
• One size fits all: The Tesla Powerwall 3 comes in one size (13.5kWh) with a built in 10kW inverter which limits consumers ability to get the optimal battery size for their needs.

Tesla Powerwall 3 Performance Specifications

See the Tesla Powerwall 3 Data Sheet and Tesla Powerwall 3 Installation Manual for more details

Tesla Powerwall Warranty for Australian Customers

The Tesla Powerwall 3 for Australian customers offers two types of warranties: time-based and throughput-based. The time warranty covers defects for 10 years, excluding damages from improper use or installation. It also ensures less than 30% degradation from its initial 13.5kWh capacity over 10 years. If the battery can only discharge 9.2 kWh or less after 10 years, you’re eligible for a warranty claim.

Tesla offer unlimited cycles if the battery is only used for simple applications like solar self-consumption. If the battery is connect to a VPP or used for more advanced applications then the through-put is limited to maximum of 37.8MWh of energy before the warranty expires. This works out to be 2.8MWh of through-put per usable kWh. This does not compare well against other battery warranties which usually offer at least 3MWh per usable kWh with some extending to 4MWh to 10MWh.

In the event of a warranty claim, Tesla do have customer support numbers in Australia although the listed address on their warranty is their headquarters in the Netherlands.

See the full Tesla’s full warranty conditions.

Tesla Mobile App Functionality

Tesla has made a user-friendly mobile app for people who own a Tesla Powerwall 2 or Tesla electric vehicle. This app is available on the Android and iOS stores. The app shows real-time performance and operation data for the Tesla Powerwall and EV. Users can switch their battery between three modes: Back-Up only, Self-powered, and Time-based control. The app is especially helpful when combined with Solar PV.

1. Back-Up Only: The Back-Up Only feature is designed to store all available energy in the battery, ensuring that it remains fully charged. This feature helps to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the system during blackouts. If used with a Solar PV system of sufficient size, the battery can potentially last for weeks.
2. Self-powered Mode: When using the Self-Powered mode, batteries are utilized to make the most of free energy generated from rooftops. This helps reduce energy bills by using energy from the grid only when necessary. Residential batteries help homeowners manage their evening and early morning power usage.
3. Time-based Control: The Tesla Powerwall has an intelligent feature that enables it to charge when electricity is cheaper, and discharge power when it’s more expensive, but only if the owner has a time-based electricity charge from their retailer. The financial benefit of this feature depends on the tariffs of the electricity retailer and is usually not enough to justify the cost of the battery system alone.

Overall Verdict On Tesla Powerwall?

The debate over whether solar batteries are worth it in 2025 is still ongoing. The Tesla Powerwall has established itself as a proven option for solar energy storage since its first model release in 2015. With continued positive customer reviews and tested performance, it remains highly sought after by homeowners looking to integrate home battery storage into their solar systems today.

Tesla are a well-backed company and the battery is one of the most tried and tested in Australian conditions. The main downsides come back to their warranty policy and limited flexibility.

How Do I Get a Tesla Powerwall Battery?

To get a Tesla Powerwall you need a local Tesla Australia-accredited solar installer. You can click here to get a free quote comparison from up to 7 local installers near your home or simply enter your postcode below:

Tesla Powerwall Costs With Australian Solar Battery Rebates

The federal battery rebate commenced on the 1st of July 2025 and is intended to offer homeowners a discount of around 30% of the cost of a battery. The rebate is based on the usable kWh of the battery and the Tesla Powerwall 3 will create a rebate of around $4,600 which can be deducted from the overall costs.

Additionally in there are state rebates such as the NSW VPP incentive and the WA Battery Rebate which can reduce the upfront costs even further if you connect the battery to a virtual power plant.

Read more product reviews from Solar Choice

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Jeff Sykes

CEO at Solar Choice

Jeff has consulted on over 20MW of commercial solar projects, ranging from SMEs to ASX top 100 companies. Jeff has also provided independent advice to 100s of residential solar, battery and EV charging customers across every state in Australia. He holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is an expert in business strategy and financial analysis.

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